BACKGROUND:In recent years, endoplasmic reticulum stress-caused apoptosis plays a crucial role in ischemia impairment and has become the hotspot of studies addressing myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. The lower limb ischemic preconditioning (LIP) has the obvious protective effect on the immature myocardium, but until now, no study reports whether LIP effects on endoplasmic reticulum stress apoptosis in immature myocardial cells. OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of LIP on endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis.
METHODS:Langendorff-perfused isolated rabbit hearts were used in this study. Twenty-four immature rabbits were randomized into three groups. Control group:Isolated rabbit heart was only perfused with Krebs-Henseleit for 180 minutes. I/R group:Isolated rabbit heart was perfused 20 minutes, and then ischemia for 60 minutes fol owed by reperfusion 100 minutes. LIP group:Limbs were repeatedly obstructed 5 minutes and relaxed 5 minutes for three times, to establish Langendorff models, and then repeated the method of ischemia/reperfusion in I/R group. The myocardial apoptosis was assayed with TUNEL method. The expression of glucose-regulated protein 78, Bcl-2, Bax and Fas was detected with western blot analysis.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with I/R group, apoptosis rate was significantly lower, the expression of Bcl-2 was significantly higher, and the expression of glucose-regulated protein 78, Bax and Fas was significantly lower in LIP group. This study demonstrated that LIP regulates myocardial cellapoptosis through reducing the expression of endopasmic reticulum stress GRP78, Bax and Fas and increasing the expression of Bcl-2.

Objective To assess follow-up work status for the patients with breast cancer and analyze the impact factor of the follow-up rate.Methods 331 female patients with complete clinical data in diagnosis and treatment with breast cancer from December 2006 to November 2008 in Shanxi Cancer Hospital were follow-up investigated by telephone.With Logistic regression method,the analysis was preformed on the impact related factors of follow-up effect.Results Telephone follow-up rate was 82.8 ％ (274/331).There was significant difference on the long-term residence between follow-up group and missing group (Fisher exact probability method,P =0.045),the results of regression analysis showed that follow-up results were influenced by the patient's occupation (β=-0.279,s-x =0.116,Wald =5.806,P =0.016,OR =0.757,95 ％ CI 0.603-0.949).Conclusion The telephone investigation for breast cancer patients is an important way for postoperative follow-up.The occupation of patient might influence the investigate results.

Objective To investigate the combined effect and mechanism of metformin (Met) and 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) on cell proliferation and apoptosis in liver cancer cells HepG2 and Hep3B.Methods Wst-1 reagent was used to determine the anti-proliferation effects after treatments with Met and 2DG alone or combined in HepG2 and Hep3B cells.Microscopy was used to observe cell morphological changes after treatments with Met and 2DG alone or combined in HepG2 and Hep3B cells.Cell apoptosis was observed by flow cytometry after treatment of different kinds of drugs.Western blotting was used to analyze the protein expressions of Caspase-3,PARP,Mcl-1 of HepG2.Results The survival rate of HepG2 cells in the combination group was (22.48 ± 0.51)％,and compared with the control group (100.00 ± 5.05)％,Met group (80.68 ±5.10)％ and 2DG group (72.56 ±4.34)％,the differences were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.001;P ＜ 0.001;P =0.001).The survival rate of Hep3B cells in the combination group was (29.16 ± 1.34) ％,and compared with the control group (100.00 ± 1.23) ％,Met group (59.58 ± 1.92) ％ and 2DG group (33.87 ± 1.95) ％,the differences were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.001;P ＜ 0.001;P =0.001).Microscopy observation showed that combined treatment of Met and 2DG caused less viable adherent cells of HepG2,but more floating dead cells.While the combination group also caused a decrease in the density of Hep3B cells,but did not significantly increase the shedding of cells.The apoptosis of HepG2 cells in the combination group was (39.63 ± 0.21) ％,and compared with the control group (7.12 ± 0.14) ％,Met group (12.56 ± 0.35) ％ and 2DG group (15.16 ± 1.93) ％,the differences were statistically significant (P ＜0.001;P ＜ 0.001;P =0.001).The apoptosis of Hep3B cells in the combination group was (12.58 ± 1.03) ％,and compared with the control group (2.82 ± 0.51) ％ and Met group (8.98 ± 0.86) ％,the differences were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.001;P =0.007),but compared with the 2DG group (12.40 ± 1.78) ％,the difference was not statistically significant (P =1.000).Furthermore,Western blotting demonstrated that the combined treatment induced evident Caspase-3 activation and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavages,and decreased expression of Mcl-1.Conclusion The combination of Met and 2DG can effectively inhibit cell proliferation of HepG2 and Hep3B,and induce apoptosis of HepG2 cells.The mechanism may be involved with Caspase-3 activation,cutting PARP substrate and decreasing Mcl-1 protein.

Objective:To explore the cytogenetic characteristics of hypospadias in children by karyotype analysis.Methods:From June 2008 to May 2018, 45 children with hypospadias in Tianjin Children's Hospital had cytogenetic abnormalities. Their median age was 10 months(range 3 hours to 5 years old). Of the 45 cases, 20 were proximal hypospadias, 1 was middle hypospadias. All 24 cases had varying degrees of genitourinary malformations. Among them, 15 cases had unilateral or bilateral cryptorchidism, 5 cases had scrotal division, 3 cases had penile scrotal transposition, 3 cases had small penis, 3 cases had indirect inguinal hernia, 1 case had repeated urethra, 1 case had hydrocele and 1 case had concealed penis. To the other systemic malformations, there was 1 with cleft lip and palate and 1 with congenital heart disease. G-banding karyotype analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes was performed in all 45 cases.Results:Among the 45 cases of hypospadias with abnormal karyotypes, with an abnormal rate of 14.0%, 28 cases (62.22%) had sex chromosome abnormalities, including (47, XXY), (46, XX/47, XXY), (45, X0/47, XYY), etc. Sexual inversion occurred in 8 cases (17.78%), all of which were 46, XX. There were 4 autosomal abnormalities (8.89%), including (46, XY, 9p+ ), (46, XY, 10p+ ) and (46, XY, 1q+ ). Chromosome polymorphism was found in 4 cases (8.89%), including [46, XY, inv(9)] and [46, XY, 16qh+ ], and the equilibrium translocation of 1 case (2.22%) was [45, XY, -21, -22, + t(21; 22)]. Among the 45 cases, 8 sex reversal children with (46, XX) chromosome karyotype were all proximal hypospadias.Conclusions:Children with hypospadias may be associated with chromosomal karyotype abnormalities, including sex chromosomal abnormalities, autosomal abnormalities, chromosome polymorphism and balanced translocation. Among them, sex chromosome abnormality was the most common and balanced translocation was the least.

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) on bone mineral density (BMD) of spinal cord injuried (SCI) patients. MethodsThe PEMFs group was composed of 12 SCI patients received regular PEMFs treatment as the treatment group, 12 SCI patients treated without PEMFs were as the control group.BMD of total proximal femur, Ward's trigonum and great trochanter of all patients were detected by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry before and after treatment.ResultsBMDs of total proximal femur and great trochanter of patients of the treatment group were a little increased after PEMFs treatment, with no significant difference (P>0.05), but BMD change was significantly different compared with the control group (P<0.05～0.01).ConclusionPEMFs treatment along with routine exercise may help to reduce the loss of bone after SCI.

The hand strength of astronauts, when they are outside the space capsule, is highly influenced by the residual pressure (the pressure difference between inside pressure and outside one of the suit) of extravehicular activity spacesuit glove and the pressure exerted by braided fabric. The hand strength decreases significantly on extravehicular activity, severely reducing the operation efficiency. To measure mechanical influence caused by spacesuit glove on muscle-tendon and joints, the present paper analyzes the movement anatomy and biomechanical characteristics of gripping, and then proposes a grip model. With phalangeal joint simplified as hinges, seven muscles as a finger grip energy unit, the Hill muscle model was used to compute the effects. We also used ANSYS in this study to establish a 3-D finite element model of an index finger which included both bones and muscles with glove, and then we verified the model. This model was applied to calculate the muscle stress in various situations of bare hands or hands wearing gloves in three different sizes. The results showed that in order to achieve normal grip strength with the influence caused by superfluous press, the finger's muscle stress should be increased to 5.4 times of that in normal situation, with most of the finger grip strength used to overcome the influence of superfluous pressure. When the gap between the finger surface and the glove is smaller, the mechanical influence which superfluous press made will decrease. The results would provide a theoretical basis for the design of the EVA Glove.
Astronauts ; Fingers ; physiology ; Finite Element Analysis ; Gloves, Protective ; adverse effects ; Hand Strength ; physiology ; Humans ; Mechanical Phenomena ; Pressure ; Space Suits ; adverse effects

Objective: To understand the cognition and attitudes of men who have sex with men (MSM) towards HIV testing and explore in-depth reasons preventing them from testing. Methods: The function of "opinion" in Blued, a gay geo-social networking application (GSN), was adopted to collect qualitative data of ideas and attitudes towards HIV testing of the users between December 2017 and January 2018. The data was analyzed based on grounded theory approach. Results: 28 269 Blued users participated in the activity and 1 977 posted comments. Four key themes were identified, i.e. no/low risk of contracting HIV, stigmatization of HIV testing, long-term relationship and conventional impediments of HIV testing. Conclusion The cognition and attitudes of the target population derived from the analysis of "opinion" function in Blued, such as the stigmatization of the behavior of HIV testing influencing the attitude of HIV testing, could help researchers build a more accurate detection and promotion strategy instead of a very general intervention on the public.

This article provides an overview of metaverse medicine and summarizes the challenges faced by cancer patients, the applications and effects of metaverse medicine in this population, and the limitations and difficulties in clinical practice. These challenges include legal and ethical restrictions, as well as the need for further validation of clinical acceptability and feasibility. Researchers are encouraged to conduct extensive studies to refine the legal and regulatory frameworks, enhance the safety and adoption of metaverse medicine, and facilitate its localized development in cancer care.

Objective: To assess risk of HIV infection and its risk factors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Beijing, China. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey in October, 2017. Inclusion criteria of participants were: aged 18 year or more; resided in Beijing; conducted homosexual activities in past six months; self-reported HIV status as negative or unclear. Demographic information, HIV test history, social media use, and high-risk sexual behaviors were collected by a self-reporting questionnaire, and a HIV risk assessment tool was used to assess HIV risk of MSM, 5 388 particpants were finally enrolled in the study. Logistic regression model was used to analyze factors associated with risk of HIV infection. Results: Of the total 5 388 participants, most were 18-29 years old (64.35%), and the proportion of medium and high HIV risk score was 40.36%. The odds of medium and high HIV risk score among MSM who logged onto the app 1-20 times per week and>20 times per week were higher comparing with those who logged onto the app<1 time per week (OR=1.22, 95%CI: 1.02-1.46; OR=1.69, 95%CI: 1.38-2.06, respectively); MSM who completed college or higher education had lower probability of medium and high HIV infection risk, comparing with those who only had high school education level (OR=1.25, 95%CI:1.09-1.43) or junior or below education level (OR: 1.27, 95%CI: 1.05-1.53); MSM who did not conduct HIV test in past year had lower risk of medium and high HIV infection risk comparing with MSM who conducted HIV test in past year (OR=0.87, 95%CI: 0.77-0.99), and those who reported their HIV infection status unclear had higher probability of medium and high HIV infection risk than MSM who reported their HIV infection status negative (OR: 1.63, 95%CI: 1.44-1.86). Conclusion The proportion of MSM who were in medium and high HIV infection risk score was high in Beijing. Lower level of education, high frequency of social media use, conducted HIV test in past year, and unclear of their own HIV infection status were associated with medium and high level of HIV infection risk.

Objective:To investigate the mechanism of downregulated programmed cell death 10 ( PDCD10) expression mediating glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) resistance to temozolomide (TMZ). Methods:U87, LN229 and T98g cell lines were transfected with PDCD10 small interfering RNA or negative small interfering RNA. TMZ-resistant cell lines were constructed using 300 μmol/L TMZ (transfected T98g cell line) and 150 μmol/L TMZ (transfected U87 and LN229 cell lines), respectively: TMZ-resistant U87 cell line transfected with PDCD10 small interfering RNA (shPDCD10-U87-RG cells), TMZ-resistant U87 cell line transfected with negative small interfering RNA (EV-U87-RG cells), shPDCD10-T98g-RG cells, EV-T98g-RG cells, shPDCD10-LN229-RG cells and EV-LN229-RG cells. Flow cytometry and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to detect the transfection efficiency of TMZ-resistant cell lines and PDCD10 expressions; MTT assay and colony formation assay were used to verify the drug-resistant ability of TMZ-resistant cell lines. Bioinformatics analysis was performed to detect the correlations of PDCD10 with key genes ( MSH6 and PMS2) in mismatch repair (MMR) system, and drug resistant mechanism was explored by detecting the cell cycle and neurosphere formation ability of drug-resistant cells. Results:(1) qRT-PCR showed that compared with that in EV-U87-RG cells, the PDCD10 expression in shPDCD10-U87-RG cells was statistically down-regulated by (32.85±1.14)% ( t=2.925, P=0.049); compared with that in EV-T98g-RG cells, the PDCD10 expression in shPDCD10-T98g-RG cells was significantly down-regulated by (57.17±1.81)% ( t=3.179, P=0.043); compared with that in EV-LN229-RG cells, the PDCD10 expression in shPDCD10-LN229-RG cells was significantly down-regulated by (33.68±1.34)% ( t=3.085, P=0.045). (2) MTT assay showed that compared with the EV-U87-RG cells, the shPDCD10-U87-RG cells had significantly increased viability ( P<0.05); compared with the EV-T98g-RG cells, the shPDCD10-T98g-RG cells had significantly increased viability ( P<0.05). Among the same kind of cells, the viability 3 d after wash-out was significantly increased compared with that at 72 h after TMZ treatment ( P<0.05). Colony formation assay showed that cell lines with down-regulated PDCD10 expression had higher tumorigenic ability. (3) Compared with EV-U87-RG cells and EV-T98g-RG cells, cells with down-regulated PDCD10 expression (shPDCD10-U87-RG cells and shPDCD10-T98g-RG cells) escaped from TMZ-induced G2/M arrest, resulting in TMZ resistance. (4) Bioinformatics analysis revealed that the PDCD10 expression was positively correlated with MSH6 and PMS2 expressions ( r=0.262, P<0.001; r=0.327, P<0.001); qRT-PCR indicated that downregulated PDCD10 expression caused decreased MSH6 and PMS2 expressions, which disrupted the MMR system. (5) Compared with that by EV-U87 cells, number of neurospheres formed by shPDCD10-U87 cells was significantly increased ( P<0.05); compared with that by EV-U87-RG cells, number of neurospheres formed by shPDCD10-U87-RG cells was significantly increased ( P<0.05). Conclusion:PDCD10 affects the therapeutic sensitivity of GBM to TMZ by arresting cell cycle, disrupting MMR system, and increasing cell stemness.