The expression of PLK-1 in cervical carcinoma: a possible target for enhancing chemosensitivity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Polo-like kinase-1 (PLK-1) is reported to be upregulated in a variety of human tumors and is implicated in cell proliferation and survival. However, its importance in cervical carcinoma has not yet been fully elucidated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We examined PLK-1 expression in cervical carcinoma tissues using immunohistochemical staining. Furthermore, we blocked PLK-1 expression in HeLa cells using specific siRNA and detected the cell cycle, cell proliferation and chemosensitivity using western blotting, MTT and flow cytometry.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We provide evidence that expression of PLK-1 exists in human cervical carcinoma tissues and establish an association with tumor size. Furthermore, we show that PLK-1 knockdown by transfection of siRNA induces accumulation of HeLa cells in the G2/M cell cycle phase and enhances cisplatin-induced apoptosis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results indicate that PLK-1 production in HeLa cells might be critical in determining whether cells survive or undergo apoptosis. Therefore, targeting PLK-1 might be a promising strategy for enhancing sensitivity to chemotherapeutic reagents in cervical carcinoma.</p

Stent Selection for Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Drainage of Pancreatic Fluid Collections: A Multicenter Study in China

Aims. We attempted to establish some guidelines for the selection of transmural stents during endoscopic drainage of PFCs by retrospective review of the clinical data obtained from three tertiary hospitals. Patients and Methods. Clinical data of 93 patients with attempted endoscopic drainage of symptomatic PFCs were obtained through chart review and prospective follow-up. Results. Treatment success for acute pseudocyst (n=67), chronic pseudocyst (n=9), and WOPN (n=17) was 95.3%, 100%, and 88.2%, respectively (P=0.309). Clinical success for single-stent drainage was 93.9% (46/49) versus 97.4% (37/38) for multiple-stent drainage (P=0.799). Secondary infection for single-stent drainage was 18.4% (9/49) versus 5.3% (2/38) for multiple-stent drainage (P=0.134). Secondary infection for stent diameter less than or equal to 8.5 F was 3.4% (1/29) versus 17.2% (10/58) for stent diameter larger than or equal to 10 F (P=0.138). Conclusion. EUS-guided transmural drainage is an effective therapy for PFCs. Single-stent transmural drainage of PFCs is enough and does not seem to influence clinical success. The number or diameter of stents does not seem to be associated with secondary infection

Associations between impulsivity, aggression, and suicide in Chinese college students

BACKGROUND: Although there are accumulating data regarding the epidemiology of suicide in China, there are meager data on suicidal ideation and attempts among college students. Interestingly, elevated impulsivity is thought to facilitate the transition from suicidal thoughts to suicidal behavior. Therefore, the objective of this research was to identify the associations between suicide and the personality factors of impulsivity and aggression. METHODS: This study’s sampling method employed stratified random cluster sampling. A multi-stage stratified sampling procedure was used to select participants (n = 5,245). We conducted structured interviews regarding a range of socio-demographic characteristics and suicidal morbidity. The Patient Health Questionnaire depression module (PHQ-9) was used to acquire the information about thoughts of being better off dead or hurting themselves in some ways during the past two weeks. The impulsivity symptoms in this study were assessed with the BIS-11-CH (i.e., the Chinese version of the BIS-11), and the Aggressive symptoms were assessed with the BAQ. The statistical package for social science (SPSS) v.13.0 program (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for statistical analysis. Socio-demographic variables such as ethnic and gender were compared between groups, through the use of χ(2) tests. The nonparametric test (k Independent Sample test, Kruskal-Wallis H) was performed to determine differences between the personality factors of impulsivity and aggression and suicide. RESULTS: In total, 9.1% (n = 479) of the 5,245 students reported they have ever thought about committing suicide; and 1% (n = 51) reported a history of attempted suicide (attempters). The analyses detected significant differences in scores on cognitive impulsivity (p < 0.01), when comparing individuals who only had suicidal ideation and individuals who had attempted suicide. Moreover, significant differences were found between ideators only and attempters on scores of self-oriented attack (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Suicidal ideation is prevalent among Chinese university students. Students with high aggression scores were more susceptible to committing suicide. Scores on self-oriented attack and cognitive impulsivity may be important factors for differentially predicting suicide ideation and suicide attempts

Фазовий склад та магніторезистивні властивості плівкових системи Ni/Au/Ni

Магнітні багатошарові структури, які останніми роками інтенсивно досліджуються, важливі як з точки зору теоретичних досліджень, так і для практичного застосування. Прикладний інтерес викликаний їх здатністю поєднувати у собі властивості магнітом’яких і магнітотвердих матеріалів, які суттєво залежать від структури і фазового складуз разків.У даній роботі, в якості досліджуваних магнітних структур, було використано тришарові плівкові системи Ni(d) / Au(15 нм) / Ni(25 нм) отримані шляхом пошарової конденсації, де d – товщина верхнього шару Ni, яка змінювалась від 5 до 15 нм

Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Protist Infections in Hospital Inpatients in Southwestern China

Cryptosporidium spp., Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia duodenalis, and Blastocystis sp. infections have been frequently reported as etiological agents for gastroenteritis, but also as common gut inhabitants in apparently healthy individuals. Between July 2016 and March 2017, stool samples (n = 507) were collected from randomly selected individuals (male/female ratio: 1.1, age range: 38-63 years) from two sentinel hospitals in Tengchong City Yunnan Province, China. Molecular (PCR and Sanger sequencing) methods were used to detect and genotype the investigated protist species. Carriage/infection rates were: Blastocystis sp. 9.5% (95% CI: 7.1-12.4%), G. duodenalis 2.2% (95% CI: 1.1-3.8%); and E. histolytica 2.0% (95% CI: 0.9-3.6%). Cryptosporidium spp. was not detected at all. Overall, 12.4% (95% CI: 9.7-15.6) of the participants harbored at least one enteric protist species. The most common coinfection was E. histolytica and Blastocystis sp. (1.0%; 95% CI: 0.3-2.2). Sequence analyses revealed that 90.9% (10/11) of the genotyped G. duodenalis isolates corresponded to the sub-assemblage AI. The remaining sequence (9.1%, 1/11) was identified as sub-assemblage BIV. Five different Blastocystis subtypes, including ST3 (43.7%, 21/48), ST1 (27.1%, 13/48), ST7 (18.8%, 9/48), ST4 (8.3%, 4/48), and ST2 (2.1%, 1/48) were identified. Statistical analyses confirmed that (i) the co-occurrence of protist infections was purely random, (ii) no associations were observed among the four protist species found, and (iii) neither their presence, individually or jointly, nor the patient's age was predictors for developing clinical symptoms associated with these infections. Overall, these protist mono- or coinfections are asymptomatic and do not follow any pattern.This research was supported by the fund of the 13th Five-Year National Science and Technology Major Project for Infectious Diseases (No. 2017ZX10305501-002, No. 2018ZX10725-509), the fund of Chinese traditional medicine for treating the novel Coronavirus pneumonia patients in convalescence (No. JJ202002), the Emergency Project of Shanghai for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in traditional Chinese medicine (Grant No. 2020NCP001), the fund of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No.2020T130022ZX), the fund of National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81473022). In addition, E.S. was a recipient of a Ramon y Cajal agreement (RYC-2016-21120) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO).S

Sexually dimorphic distribution of kiss1 and kiss2 in the brain of yellowtail clownfish, Amphiprion clarkii

Kisspeptin system was shown to be a key factor in mediating social stress and reproduction. Yellowtail clownfish, Amphiprion clarkii, is a hermaphrodite fish, whose sex determination and gonadal development are affected by the social status of individuals. The yellowtail clownfish is a fantastic animal model to explore sex determination, but the social status and precise distribution of kiss mRNAs in the brain of this species are unknown. Hererin, a novel in situ hybridization technique, RNAscope, was used to investigate the distribution of kiss1 and kiss2 expressions in the brain of yellowtail clownfish. The coronal planes of brain showed that the kiss1 signal was mainly present in dorsal habenular nucleus (NHd) and kiss2 mRNA was widely expressed in telencephalon, midbrain, and hypothalamus, especially in dorsal part of the nucleus of the lateral recess (NRLd). Additionally, kiss1 and kiss2 signals have sexually dimorphic distribution. The kiss1 mRNA was distributed in NHd, the telencephalon, and lateral part of the diffuse nucleus of the inferior lobe (NDLIl) of females but in NHd and NDLIl of males. kiss2 signals were stronger in females than that in males. The distribution of kiss1 and kiss2 neurons in NHd of habenula and NRLd of hypothalamus may suggest that kiss genes associate environmental signaling and reproductive function in yellowtail clownfish

The Psychological Effect of Forming WeChat Groups Between Medical Staff and Patients With COVID-19

Background: This study was conducted in order to explore the effect of psychological intervention based on the use of WeChat with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.Methods: A total of 65 patients with COVID-19, from two wards, were divided into an experimental group and a control group with the ward as the basic unit. Communication concerning routine treatment and nursing was established between the medical staff and patients in the experimental group via WeChat groups. Within 48 h of admission, at 7 days, and on discharge, all 65 patients completed two self-evaluation questionnaires: the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Hospital stay statistics and a satisfaction survey on discharge were also collated for both groups of patients.Results: The PANAS scores of the experimental group were 26.61 ± 7.99 points on admission, 20.81 ± 5.48 points at 7 days, and 19.58 ± 6.61 points on discharge (P &lt; 0.05). The scores of HADS in the experimental group were 27.74 ± 9.35 points on admission, 12.19 ± 1.92 points at 7 days, and 11.71 ± 3.64 points on discharge (P &lt; 0.05). The differences in the PANS and HADS scores between the experimental and control groups at 7 days and on discharge were statistically significant. The discharge satisfaction ratings of the two groups of patients were 99.87 ± 0.34 and 98.68 ± 1.09 points, the difference being statistically significant (t = 5.827, P &lt; 0.05).Conclusion: Establishing WeChat groups between medical staff and patients with COVID-19 and building a bridge for better communication improved patients' positive mentality and their compliance with doctors, shortened their hospital stay, and promoted their recovery