OBJECTIVES: To investigate the expression levels of marginal zone B and B1-cell-specific protein (MZB1) in pan-cancer and its association with patient prognosis and tumor microenvironment (TME). METHODS: MZB1 expression data, clinicopathological parameters, and survival data from 33 cancer types were extracted from the UCSC database for analyzing the correlations of MZB1 with clinical stage, patient prognosis, immunomodulatory genes, immune checkpoint genes, tumor stemness, immune cell infiltration, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI). MZB1 gene mutations in pan-cancer were assessed using cBioPortal online database, and the value of MZB1 for cancer diagnosis was evaluated using ROC curve analysis. MZB1 expression levels in myeloid leukemia and renal carcinoma cells were detected using RT-qPCR and Western blotting, and the effect of MZB1 knockdown on cell proliferation was examined using EdU assay. RESULTS: MZB1 was significantly overexpressed in 20 cancer types, including kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC), breast invasive carcinoma, and acute myeloid leukemia. Its expression was associated with TNM stage, clinical stage, overall survival, and progression-free survival in multiple cancers. In most tumors, MZB1 expression was correlated significantly with immunomodulatory genes, immune checkpoint genes, tumor stemness, immune cell infiltration, TMB, and microsatellite instability. Gene amplification was the predominant mutation type of MZB1 in pan-cancer, and MZB1 showed high diagnostic value for skin cutaneous melanoma, KIRC, and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. MZB1 was highly expressed in different myeloid leukemia cell lines and renal carcinoma cell lines, and MZB1 knockdown significantly suppressed the proliferation of HL60 and 769-P cells. CONCLUSIONS MZB1 is highly expressed in a variety of tumors, and its aberrant expression affects the occurrence and prognosis of many tumors, suggesting its potential as a novel tumor biomarker and immunomodulatory target.
Humans ; Prognosis ; Tumor Microenvironment ; Neoplasms/pathology* ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Mutation ; Kidney Neoplasms ; Microsatellite Instability ; Cell Proliferation ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell

Image 1.

Objective     To explore the correlation between the imaging features of peripheral ground-glass pulmonary nodules and the invasion degree of lung adenocarcinoma, and the high risk factors for infiltrating lung adenocarcinoma under thin-slice CT, which provides some reference for clinicians to plan the surgical methods of pulmonary nodules before operation and to better communicate with patients, and assists in building a clinical predictive model for invasive adenocarcinoma. Methods    Clinical data of the patients with peripheral ground-glass pulmonary nodules (diameter≤3 cm) in thin-slice chest CT in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2019 to January 2020 were continuously collected. All patients underwent thin-slice CT scan and thoracoscopic surgery in our center. According to the pathological examination results, they were divided into two groups: an adenocarcinoma lesions before infiltration group, and an invasive lung adenocarcinoma group. The thin-slice CT imaging parameters of pulmonary nodules were collected. The nodular diameter, mean CT value, consolidation tumor ratio (CTR), nodular shape, vacuolar sign, bronchial air sign, lobulation sign, burr sign, lesion boundary, pleural depression sign, vascular cluster sign and other clinical data were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to analyze the independent risk factors for the infiltrating lung adenocarcinoma, and to analyze the threshold value and efficacy of each factor for the identification of infiltrating lung adenocarcinoma. Results     Finally 190 patients were enrolled. There were 110 patients in the adenocarcinoma lesions before infiltration group, including 21 males and 89 females with a mean age of 53.57±10.90 years, and 80 patients in the invasive lung adenocarcinoma group, including 31 males and 49 females with a mean age of 56.45±11.30 years. There was a statistical difference in the mean CT value, nodular diameter, CTR, gender, smoking, nodular type, nodular shape, vacuolar sign, lobulation sign, burr sign, lesion boundary, pleural depression sign, vascular cluster sign between the two groups (P<0.05). However, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in age (P=0.081), lesion site (P=0.675), and bronchial air sign (P=0.051). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that nodular diameter, mean CT value, CTR and lobulation sign were independent risk factors for differentiating preinvasive adenocarcinoma from invasive adenocarcinoma. At the same time, the threshold value was calculated by Youden index, indicating that the CTR was 0.45, the nodal diameter was 10.5 mm and the mean CT value was –452 Hu. Conclusion     In the peripheral ground-glass pulmonary nodules, according to the patient's CT imaging features, such as mixed ground-glass nodules, irregular shapes, vacuoles, short burrs, clear boundaries, pleural indentations, and vascular clusters, have a certain reference value in the discrimination of the invasion degree of ground-glass pulmonary nodules. At the same time, it is found in this research that peripheral ground-glass pulmonary nodules with diameter greater than 10.5 mm, CT value greater than –452 Hu, CTR greater than 0.45 and lobulation sign are more likely to be infiltrating lung adenocarcinoma.

[Objective]People infected with Hepatitis B are often divided into hepatitis B carriers and hepatitis B patients based on whether ALT is normal or not,and ALT ≥ 2UNL is one of the indications for clinical antiviral treatment,but no sufficient evidence to justify this. In order to explore the theoretical basis,the paper investigated the effects of hepatitis B virus(HBV) on hepatic stellate cells(HSCs).[Methods]A total of 132 chronic hepatitis B patients with different viral loads and ALT levels were randomly selected as the study subjects. Of these patients,those with ALT≥2UNL were treated with antiviral therapy and followed up for 24 weeks. The effects of HBV on HSCs before and after the treatment were compared and analyzed. HSCs proliferation was detected by MTT method,HSCs cell cycle by flow cytometry,and expression of TGF-β1,Smad3,Smad7,α-SMA,collagen Ⅰ,collgen Ⅲ mRNAs and corresponding proteins by RT-PCR and Western blotting,respectively.[Results]At the normal ALT level,HBV with different viral loads had no significant effect on the proliferation,cell cycle and cell secretion of the HSCs. At the abnormal ALT level,especially when ALT ≥ 2UNL,with the increase of virus loads,HSCs proliferation accelerated;cells in the G0/G1 phase decreased significantly and cells in the S and G2/M phases increased significantly;the expression of TGF-β1,Smad3,α-SMA,collagen Ⅰ,collgen Ⅲ mRNAs and corresponding proteins increased significantly,but Smad7 mRNA and protein expression decreased significantly,the differences were statistically significant. HBV showed a significantly lower effect on HSCs after the antiviral therapy than before.[Conclusions]This paper reveals the differential effects of HBV on HSCs at different ALT levels and presents a comparative analysis of the effects before and after the antiviral therapy,which provides a theroretical basis for identifying the ALT level as an indication for HBV antiviral therapy.

BACKGROUND:Our previous studies found that the polypeptide of Cornus cervi Colla can promote bone growth,which has a good application prospect in the treatment of bone diseases.However,how Cornus cervi Colla works in the body and the principle are not clear. OBJECTIVE:To study the in vivo distribution and tracing of Cornus cervi Colla using fluorescence labeling and tracer technique. METHODS:Cornus cervi Colla was fluorescently labeled using fluorescein isothiocyanate,and the labeling results were detected by fluorescence imaging and UV spectral scanning.Successfully labeled Cornus cervi Colla was injected into mice by gavage,and the absorption of Cornus cervi Colla into blood was detected by laser confocal microscopy,and the distribution of Cornus cervi Colla in mice was detected by small animal in vivo imager.The distribution of Cornus cervi Colla in the mice was detected by laser confocal microscopy.Samples were taken from serum and bone at the time of the strongest fluorescence,and gel electrophoresis was carried out on serum and bone tissue protein solutions,and the components of Cornus cervi Colla absorbed into target organs were determined by secondary mass spectrometry. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The fluorescent markers were successfully separated by dextran gel chromatography,and the fluorescence imaging and ultraviolet spectrum scanning proved that the labeling was successful,and the fluorescence substitution degree of FITC-labeled Cornus cervi Colla was 0.953%.The fluorescence intensity of the components of Cornus cervi Colla in the blood showed that Cornus cervi Colla was most distributed in serum after oral administration for 2 hours.The fluorescence images of mice at different times were the same as those of bilateral femur and tibia,indicating that Cornus cervi Colla could play a role by entering the bone.Compared with UniProt database,secondary mass spectrometry showed that the peptide was a characteristic fragment of decorin.It is proved that decorin in Cornus cervi Colla can enter the bone to play a therapeutic role.

Objective To examine the regulation of malignant progression of colorectal cancer by LINC00626 via the JAK1/STAT3/KHSRP signaling axis and its molecular mechanism.Methods 96 individuals diagnosed with colorectal cancer at our hospital during June 11,2021 and June 11,2023 were chosen as research subjects,and their cancerous tissue and nearby normal tissue were collected.Cultivate colorectal cancer cell lines(SW620,HCT116,HT29,DLD-1,LOVO,Caco-2)and normal colorectal cells(NCM460)in vitro,and detect the expression of LINC00626 and KHSRP in colorectal cancer tissue and cell lines using qRT-PCR.Screening out cell lines infected with lentivirus,SW620 and HCT116 cell lines were transfected with knockdown lentivirus and its control,while HT29 and DLD-1 cell lines were transfected with overexpressing lentivirus and its control,respectively.Select stable transfected cell lines for cell function experiments to detect proliferation,migration,and invasion abilities.Detection of the effect of LINC00626 on the growth and migration of colorectal cancer tumors in live mouse experiments.The expression level of KHSRP protein in stable labeled cells was determined using a western blot analysis.Rescue experimental research on the regulatory relationship between LINC00626 and KHSRP.Results qRT-PCR showed low expression of LINC00626 and high expression of KHSRP in colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines.Cell function experiments showed that compared with the sh-NC group,the sh-LINC00626 group promoted cell proliferation,migration,and invasion in SW620 and HCT116 cells,while the overexpression group showed the opposite.Cell rescue experiments showed that,LINC00626+KHSRP significantly reversed the promotion effects of knocking down LINC00626 on cell proliferation,migration,and invasion.In the nude mouse experiment,com-pared with the sh-NC group,the sh-LINC00626 group showed a significant increase in tumor volume and weight,cell proliferation rate,and the number of lung metastases from colorectal cancer in the nude mice;Overexpression results in the opposite.The signal pathway experiment revealed that relative to the sh-NC group,the expression levels of JAK1 and STAT3 mRNA in the sh-LINC00626 group were significantly increased,whereas the results in the overexpression group were the opposite.Conclusion LINC00626 suppression the malignant progression of colorec-tal cancer metastasis through the JAK1/STAT3/KHSRP signaling axis.

Objective To investigate the expression levels and the clinical significance of upstream tran-scription factor 2(USF2)and ubiquitin-specific protease 10(USP10)in peripheral blood of patients with sep-sis combined with acute kidney injury(AKI).Methods A total of 259 patients with sepsis were selected from Jilin Provincial People's Hospital from January 2018 to December 2022.Patients were divided into AKI group(107 cases)and non AKI(NAKI)group(152 cases)according to whether they had AKI or not.General clini-cal data were collected and the expression levels of USF2 and USP10 in peripheral blood were detected.Pear-son analysis was used to investigate the correlation between USF2,USP10,and renal function.Binary Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the factors influencing sepsis patients with AKI.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve was drown to analyze the value of USF2 and USP10 in diagnosing AKI in patients with sepsis.Results The expression level of serum USF2 in AKI group was higher than that in NAKI group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05),while the serum USP10 expression level in AKI group was lower than that in NAKI group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).In AKI group,USF2 expression was positively correlated with urea nitrogen(BUN),serum creatinine(Scr)and Cys-tatin C(CysC)(P＜0.05),while USP10 expression was negatively correlated with BUN,Scr and CysC(P＜0.05).High sequential organ failure assessment(SOFA)score,septic shock and high expression of USF2 were risk factors for AKI in sepsis patients(P＜0.05),and high expression of USP10 was protective factor(P＜0.05).The area under the curve(AUC)of single detection of USF2 and USP10 for diagnosing AKI in patients with sepsis was 0.742(95％CI:0.676-0.808)and 0.781(95％CI:0.724-0.839),respectively.The AUC of the combination of USF2 and USP10 for diagnosing AKI in patients with sepsis was 0.907(95％CI:0.865-0.948),which was higher than that of single detection(P＜0.05).Conclusion Increased expression of USF2 and decreased expression of USP10 in peripheral blood of patients with sepsis are associated with in-creased risk of AKI and decreased renal function.

Objective With the increase in pet-owning households in China, veterinary clinics have increased at an annual rate of 19.86%. However, the management blind area that may exist in multi-department supervision has led to a significantly worse working environment of radiation workers in veterinary clinics than that of medical institutions. The purpose of this study was to understand the levels of occupational external exposure of radiation workers in veterinary clinics in China, analyze the occupational risks faced by radiation workers in veterinary clinics, contribute to the protection of the occupational health of radiation workers, and provide data and scientific basis for the formulation of national relevant regulations and standards. Methods The individual dose monitoring data of radiation workers in selected veterinary clinics in 2022 were obtained from the National Individual Dose Registration System. Results This study involved 1868 radiation workers from 1216 veterinary clinics in 28 provinces and municipalities in China. The maximum annual effective dose was 8.93 mSv, the annual collective dose was 536.77 man·mSv, the average annual effective dose was 0.29 mSv, and the median was 0.15 mSv. The largest proportion of individuals (94.5%) received a dose of less than 1.0 mSv, while 5.4% had doses ranging from 1.0 mSv to less than 5.0 mSv. For radiation workers with an annual effective dose of 1.0 mSv and above, the individual distribution ratio of radiation workers in veterinary clinics was significantly higher compared with those in medical institutions and industrial applications (P < 0.05). Conclusion The levels of occupational external exposure of radiation workers in veterinary clinics meet the requirements of national standards. However, attention should still be paid to the radiation protection of radiation workers in veterinary clinics. This includes enhancing the responsibility awareness of veterinary clinic owners, strengthening protection training for radiation workers, protecting the occupational health of practitioners, and preventing the occurrence of occupational radiation diseases.

Objective To investigate the effect of mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)combined with immunosuppressants(IS)on immune rejection in a rat model of liver transplantation.Methods F344 rats were divided into Normal group(without any intervention),PS group(injected with an equal volume of normal saline),MSC group(injected with MSC),IS group(injected with IS),and MSC+IS group(injected with MSC and IS),with 8 rats in each group.For all rats except those in the Normal group,the Kamada's double-cuff method was used to establish a model of orthotopic liver transplantation,without reconstruction of the hepatic artery.HE staining and Masson staining were performed for rat liver tissue,and the degree of liver fibrosis was analyzed;immunohistochemical experiments were used to measure the infiltration of T cells and NK cells,and immunofluorescence assay was used to analyze macrophage M2 polarization.A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups,and the least significant difference t-test was used for further comparison between two groups.The Kaplan-Meier method was used to plot survival curves,and the log-rank test was used for survival analysis.Results Compared with the PS group,the MSC+IS group had a significantly prolonged survival time(P＜0.01),and the MSC group,the IS group,and the MSC+IS group had a significant improvement in the histological structure of the liver and a significant reduction in the degree of liver fibrosis(all P＜0.000 1),as well as a significant reduction in the infiltration of NK and T cells(all P＜0.000 1)and a significant increase in the degree of macrophage M2 polarization(all P＜0.000 1).The MSC+IS group had a significantly better effect than the MSC group and the IS group.Conclusion MSCs combined with IS can improve liver histopathology,reduce inflammatory cell infiltration,promote macrophage M2 polarization,and exert an immunosuppressive effect in rats after liver transplantation.

Objective·To establish a nomogram for the differential diagnosis of early systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE)and other autoimmune diseases based on laboratory indications,and to evaluate its efficacy.Methods·A total of 535 SLE patients admitted to the First Hospital of Lanzhou University from January 2017 to December 2021 were selected as SLE group,and 535 patients with other autoimmune diseases during the same period were selected as control group.Basic information and laboratory test indicators of the SLE group and control group were collected and compared.The SLE group and control group were randomly assigned to the training set and the validation set at a ratio of 7∶3,respectively.LASSO regression method and multivariate Logistic regression were used to select the main risk factors of SLE.The nomogram for differential diagnosis of early SLE(SLE nomogram)was established according to the selected main risk factors.Bootstrap method was used to conduct internal repeated sampling for 1 000 times to calibrate the nomogram.The receiver operator characteristic curve(ROC curve)and decision curve analysis(DCA)were performed to evaluate the differential diagnosis ability and the value in clinical application of SLE nomogram,respectively.The"DynNom"package of R language was used to convert the nomogram into an electronic calculator,and its consistency with SLE nomogram was verified by data from 3 groups of patients.Results·LASSO regression and multivariate Logistic regression identified six major risk factors for SLE,including antinuclear antibody(ANA),anti-double-stranded DNA(anti-dsDNA)antibody,anti-ribonucleoprotein antibody/anti-Simth antibody(anti-nRNP/Sm),anti-ribosomal P protein(anti-P)antibody,anti-nucleosome antibody(ANuA)and urinary protein(PRO),which were used to construct the SLE nomogram.The calibration curve of the SLE nomogram had standard errors of 0.009 and 0.015 in the training set and validation set,respectively,and its area under the curve(AUC)was 0.889 and 0.869,respectively.The results of DCA showed that when the risk threshold of SLE nomogram was 0.15?0.95,the model achieved more net benefit.The prediction results of the electronic calculator showed that when ANA(titer 1∶100)was positive in SLE patient No.1,the prevalence was 0.166;when both ANA(titer 1∶100)and ANuA(titer 1∶100)were positive in patient No.2,the prevalence was 0.676;when all of PRO,ANA(titer 1∶100),ANuA(titer 1∶100)and anti-P antibody(titer 1∶100)were positive in patient No.3,the prevalence was 0.990,which was consistent with the differential diagnosis results of the SLE nomogram.Conclusion·The established SLE nomogram based on ANA,anti-dsDNA antibody,anti-nRNP/Sm,anti-P antibody,ANuA and PRO and its conversion into an electronic calculator can effectively distinguish early SLE from other autoimmune diseases,and have important clinical application value.