Objective To screen out and validate the abnormally expressed circular RNAs (circRNAs) in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) by comparing the circRNA microarray results of iCCA tissue and adjacent tissue, and to investigate their potential mechanism in iCCA. Methods Tumor tissue specimens were collected from three patients with iCCA who were admitted from July to December, 2019, and microarray hybridization was used to measure the differential expression of circRNAs between iCCA tissue and adjacent tissue. A total of 15 patients with iCCA who were treated during the same period of time were enrolled, and quantitative real-time PCR was used for validation of differentially expressed circRNAs. A bioinformatics analysis was performed to identify the downstream molecules of differentially expressed circRNAs, and quantitative real-time PCR was used for validation of potential molecules. The paired samples t -test was used for comparison of continuous data between groups, and the chi-square test or the Fisher's exact test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. Results With 1.5-fold as the cut-off value for differential expression, there were 171 upregulated circRNAs and 104 downregulated circRNAs in iCCA tissue compared with the adjacent tissue. With 3-fold as the cut-off value for differential expression, there were 10 upregulated circRNAs (circRNA_002172, circRNA_002144, circRNA_001588, circRNA_000166, circRNA_000585, circRNA_000167, circRNA_402608, circRNA_006853, circRNA_001589, and circRNA_008882) and 3 downregulated circRNAs (circRNA_406083, circRNA_104940, and circRNA_006349) compared with the adjacent tissue. Pathologically confirmed iCCA tissue samples and adjacent tissue samples were collected from 15 patients, and quantitative real-time PCR was used for the validation of differentially expressed circRNAs; the results showed that circRNA_000585 was significantly upregulated in iCCA tissue ( t =3.607, P =0.003). Further bioinformatics analysis showed that circRNA_000585/miR-615-5p/AMOT/YAP might be the potential pathway involved in the pathogenesis of iCCA, and quantitative real-time PCR showed that for this pathway, miR-615-5p was significantly downregulated in iCCA ( t =5.724, P < 0.001) and AMOT and YAP were significantly upregulated in iCCA ( t =2.664 and 2.986, P =0.019 and 0.009 8). Conclusion Abnormal expression of various circRNAs is observed in iCCA, among which circRNA_000585 is significantly upregulated in iCCA and may play an important role in the pathogenesis of iCCA via the circRNA_000585/miR-615-5p/AMOT/YAP pathway.

BACKGROUNDAcute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) is a common condition, which affects not only the quality of life of patients but also their prognosis. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of an inhaled salbutamol sulfate solution and an inhalation suspension of the glucocorticoid budesonide that were atomized with heliox to treat patients with AECOPD.

METHODSTwenty-three patients with AECOPD were divided into a treatment group (He/O2 = 70%/30%) and a control group (N2/O2 = 70%/30%). The salbutamol sulfate and budesonide were administered by inhalation twice a day for 7 days. Vital signs, arterial blood gas levels, pulmonary function and the levels of serum myostatin (sMSTN) were measured and lung vibration imaging was performed.

RESULTSWe found that the PaO2 and PaCO2 values were not significantly different between the two groups at the various time points (P > 0.05). There were also no significant differences in any of the parameters of pulmonary function between the two groups. However, after baseline correction, the increase rate of the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), the forced vital capacity (FVC), and the maximum minute ventilation (MVV) appeared to be significantly increased at some time points compared with the baseline (before treatment) in both groups (P < 0.05). Although the values of quantitative lung distribution (QLD) for different regions and the levels of sMSTN were slightly different between the two groups, the repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that there were no significant differences between the two groups or within any group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAlthough the use of heliox as a driving gas can improve symptoms and benefit patients with AECOPD, the heliox treatment group did not have significant differences in arterial blood gases, lung function, lung vibration response imaging or the levels of sMSTN compared with the control group. (Chinese Clinical Trial Register Center ChiCTRTRC-00000273).

Administration, Inhalation ; Aged ; Albuterol ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Budesonide ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Drug Interactions ; Female ; Helium ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Oxygen ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Prospective Studies ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; drug therapy