Objective To explore the effects of microwave irradiation on the proliferation of keloid-derived fibroblasts so as to analyze the expression of collagen-1 and the activation of the signaling pathway involved.Methods Cells from a human keloid scar were cultured in vitro and randomly divided into a control group withont any intervention,a 10 mW/cm2 microwave irradiation (10-MI) group and a 20 mW/cm2 microwave irradiation (20-MI) group.Aliquots of the latter 2 groups were irradiated at their corresponding intensities for 5 min,15 min and 30 min.The growth of fibroblasts was evaluated using MTT assay.The expression of collagen-1 and changes in the phosphorylation of protein JNK were detected using western blotting.Results Compared with the control group,no significant differences in the average growth of the keloid-derived fibroblasts were observed in the 10-MI group,but significant differences were observed in the 20-MI group and among the three sub-groups irradiated for different durations.The expression of type 1 collagen was significantly down-regulated after irradiation in a time-dependent manner.After microwave radiation at 20 mW/cm2,JNK was significantly activated compared to the control group at the different time points.Conclusions Microwave irradiation at 20 mW/cm2 can significantly inhibit the proliferation of keloid-derived fibroblasts and the down-regulalion is correlated with the irradiation's duration.It can also significantly inhibit collagen-1 expression and relieve scar formation through activating the JNK signal pathway.

Objective To analyze the clinical features of,concurrence of allergic diseases in,as well as serum levels of total immunoglobulin E (IgE) and specific IgEs in,232 patients with alopecia areata (AA),and to estimate their relationship.Methods Serum samples were obtained from 232 patients with AA and 110 healthy controls from a health check-up center.Turbidimetric immunoassay and fluorescence-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed to measure total IgE and specific IgEs to common antigens in these serum samples,respectively.Statistical analysis was carried out by t test,rank sum test,and chi-square test.Results The patients showed a male/female ratio of 127 ∶ 105 with an average age of (26.4 ± 13.8) years and clinical course of (25.3 ± 42.3) months.Among these patients,89 (38.4％) suffered from severe AA,and 67 (28.9％) reported at least one allergic disease.No significant difference was found in the positive rates of serum total IgE (30.2％ vs.21.8％,P ＞ 0.05),anti-Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and-Cockroach specific IgEs or the serum levels of antiDermatophagoides pteronyssinus or-Cockroach IgE between the patients and healthy controls.The three most common specific IgEs were anti-Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus IgE (34.1％),anti-Dermatophagoides farinae IgE (31.9％) and anti-Cockroach IgE (22.5％) in patients with AA,whose serum levels were positively correlated with the level of serum total IgE separately.A significant increase was observed in the positive rates and serum levels of anti-Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and-Cockroach specific IgEs in patients with severe and diffuse AA compared with the healthy controls and patients with mild AA,as well as in those of anti-Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus specific IgE in child patients with AA compared with the healthy controls and adult patients with AA (P ＜ 0.05 or 0.01).Conclusions Dust mite allergy may be not only a pathogenic factor for severe,diffuse and childhood AA,but also a risk factor for early onset and severe type of AA.

Objective:To construct a clinical-radiomics model based on MRI, and to explore its predictive value for biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy in prostate cancer patients.Methods:A total of 212 patients with prostate cancer who underwent radical prostatectomy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from January 2015 to December 2018 and had complete follow-up data were retrospectively analyzed. The random toolkit of Python language was used to randomly sample the patients at a ratio of 7∶3 without replacement, and they were divided into a training set (149 cases) and a test set (63 cases). The endpoint of follow-up was BCR or at least 3 years. BCR occurred in 50 patients in the training group and 21 patients in the test group. The imaging features of the main lesion area in the preoperative T 2WI, diffusion-weighted imaging and apparent diffusion coefficient map of patients in the training set were extracted, and the unsupervised K means clustering algorithm was used to screen the features. The selected features were fitted by a multivariate Cox regression model, and the radiomics model was constructed. Univariate Cox regression analyses were used to screen the main clinical risk factors associated with BCR, and the clinical-radiomics model was constructed combined with RadScore. In the test set, the time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was constructed, and the area under the curve (AUC) was calculated to evaluate the predictive efficacy of the radiomics model, clinical-radiomics model and prostate cancer risk assessment after radical resection (CAPRA-S) score for the occurrence of BCR. Harrell consistency index (C-index) was used to evaluate the model to predict BCR consistency. The calibration curve was used to evaluate the degree of variation of the model. The decision curve was used to evaluate the clinical application value of the prediction model. Results:A total of 26 radiomics features were screened to establish the radiomics model. The univariate Cox showed that the preoperative clinical features included preoperative prostate-specific antigen level (HR=1.006, 95%CI 1.002-1.009, P=0.001), Gleason score of biopsy (HR=1.422, 95%CI 1.153-1.753, P=0.001), clinical T stage (HR=1.501, 95%CI 1.238-1.822, P<0.001). The multivariate Cox showed that the RadScore was an independent predictor of BCR after radical prostatectomy (HR=51.214, 95%CI 18.226-143.908, P<0.001). The selected preoperative clinical features were combined with RadScore to construct a clinical-radiomics model. In the test set, the AUCs of the time (3 years)-dependent ROC curves of the radiomics model, the clinical-radiomics model, and the CAPRA-S score were 0.824 (95%CI 0.701-0.948), 0.841 (95%CI 0.714-0.968), and 0.662 (95%CI 0.518-0.806), respectively. The C-index of the radiomics model, clinical-radiomics model and CAPRA-S score were 0.784 (95%CI 0.660-0.891), 0.802 (95%CI 0.637-0.912) and 0.650 (95%CI 0.601-0.821), respectively. The calibration curve showed that the predicted probability and actual probability of BCR by radiomics model, clinical-radiomics model and CAPRA-S score were in good agreement (χ 2=7.64, 10.61, 6.37, P=0.465, 0.225, 0.498). The decision curve showed that the clinical net benefit of the clinical-radiomics model and the radiomics model was significantly higher than the CAPRA-S score. When the threshold probability was 0.20-0.30, 0.40-0.50, and >0.55, the clinical net benefit of the clinical radiomics model was higher than that of the radiomics model. Conclusions:The clinical-radiomics model can effectively predict the occurrence of BCR in patients with prostate cancer after radical prostate ctomy, and the prediction efficacy is better than the radiomics model and CAPRA-S score.

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Yupingfeng powder combined with second- generation antihistamines versus second-generation antihistamines for chronic urticaria(CU)systematically,and to provide evidence-based reference for clinical treatment for CU. METHODS:Retrieved from PubMed,Embase,The Cochrane Library,CJFD,VIP and CBM,RCT about therapeutic efficacy(total response rate,cure rate,recurrence rate)and safety(the incidence of ADR)of Yupingfeng combined with second-generation antihistamines(trial group)versus second-generation antihistamines(control group) in the treatment of CU were collected. The data extraction was performed for included clinical studies,and Meta-analysis was performed by using Rev Man 5.3 statistical software after quality evaluation with Cochrane Handbook 5.1.0 evaluation criteria. RESULTS:A total of 34 RCTs were enrolled,involved 3 405 patients in total. Results of Meta-analysis showed that the total response rate [OR=4.02,95%CI(3.03,5.34),P<0.001],cure rate [OR=2.25,95%CI(1.95,2.60),P<0.001] and recurrence rate [OR=0.33,95%CI(0.26,0.42),P<0.001] of trial group were significantly better than those of control group,with statistical significance. There was no statistical significance in the incidence of ADR between 2 groups [OR=0.98,95%CI(0.71,1.37),P=0.92]. CONCLUSIONS:For CU therapy,Yupingfeng powder combined with second-generation antihistamines is better than second-generation antihistamines alone in improving total response rate and cure rate,reducing recurrence rate,both have similar safety.

After the specific binding of programmed death-1 (PD-1) to programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) , the PD-1/PD-L1 complex can exert a co-suppressive/co-stimulatory immunoregulatory effect, which can inhibit the activation and proliferation of T cells and their cytokine secretion, and play a key role in tumor immunity, autoimmunity and immune tolerance. This review summarizes structures and regulatory mechanisms of the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway, aimming to facilitate the understanding of immune pathogenesis of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies complicated by malignant tumors, and to seek potential therapeutic targets and diagnostic strategies.

Objective In order to explore the association between complement C3 and primary open angle glaucoma (POAG),the serum complement C3 level was detected and the polymorphism of the C3 exon gene was analyzed in patients with POAG.Methods A prospective case-control study was designed.A total of 45 patients with POAG visiting Eye &ENT hospital of Fudan University were collected from December 2014 to December 2015,and 45 age-/gender-matched healthy subjects from yearly health screening were collected as normal controls.Serum C3 concentration was detected by immunoturbidimetric assay.Meanwhile,genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes,and sequencing for C3 exons was followed with PCR to analyze the gene polymorphism.Statistical analysis was performed by use of SPSS 20.0 software.Student's t test was used to evaluate the difference of serum C3 level between two groups.Chisquare test was used to analyze the difference in the distribution of C3 exon gene polymorphism between two groups.The one-way ANOVA was utilized to analyze the difference of serum C3 level among different genotypes of C3 exon.Results The serum level of C3 in POAG (104.81 ± 29.15)mg/dl was significantly lower (t =-3.162,P =0.002) compared to controls (121.06 ± 18.39) mg/dl.There were a total of seven single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs2230201,rs2230204,rs2230205,rs428453,rs423490rs7951,rs539822147) within the C3 exon gene region,but no mutation was detected.There was no difference in the frequency and distribution of these SNPs between POAG and controls,as well as,there was also no significant difference in serum C3 level among these SNPs genotypes.Conclusions Decreased serum C3 level in POAG patients indicated that complement C3 might be involved in the pathomechanism of glaucoma.No significant abnormality of C3 exon gene was detected,so the gene polymorphism having an impact on serum C3 level could be excluded as a reason probably.

Objective:To investigate the measurement of small airways by high-resolution CT and image post-processing software. Screen and analyze the reconstructed airway parameters in order to find the best imaging biomarker parameters of small airway changes and calculate the reference value range; meanwhile, explore its influencing factors.Methods:From a water plant and a medical school, 169 cases of the general population aged 20 to 60 were selected as research objects, and questionnaire surveys and CT tests were performed, and CT data were reconstructed with image post-processing software. The reference value range of the general population was evaluated, and a linear mixed effect model was used to adjust the age, gender, height, BMI, and smoking status, and analyze the influencing factors of airway parameters.Results:The ratio of sixth-grade tracheal wall area to total tracheal area in the Left B1+2 to carina was (53.01±13.35) %, Left B9 to carina was (50.44±12.98) %, Right B1 to carina was (52.73±12.22) %, and Right B9 to carina was (52.93±11.85) %. The ratio of nineth-grade tracheal wall area to total tracheal area in the Left B1+2 to carina was (44.08±14.66) %, Left B9 to carina was (42.44±15.89) %, Right B1 to carina was (46.51±14.03) %, and Right B9 to carina is (43.54±15.87) %. BMI affect the area of the tracheal wall, all p value<0.05.Conclusion:High-resolution CT small airway morphology can make a preliminary assessment of the susceptible population of small airway-related diseases based on a range of reference values, and prevent and control it in combination with influencing factors.

Objective:To investigate the measurement of small airways by high-resolution CT and image post-processing software. Screen and analyze the reconstructed airway parameters in order to find the best imaging biomarker parameters of small airway changes and calculate the reference value range; meanwhile, explore its influencing factors.Methods:From a water plant and a medical school, 169 cases of the general population aged 20 to 60 were selected as research objects, and questionnaire surveys and CT tests were performed, and CT data were reconstructed with image post-processing software. The reference value range of the general population was evaluated, and a linear mixed effect model was used to adjust the age, gender, height, BMI, and smoking status, and analyze the influencing factors of airway parameters.Results:The ratio of sixth-grade tracheal wall area to total tracheal area in the Left B1+2 to carina was (53.01±13.35) %, Left B9 to carina was (50.44±12.98) %, Right B1 to carina was (52.73±12.22) %, and Right B9 to carina was (52.93±11.85) %. The ratio of nineth-grade tracheal wall area to total tracheal area in the Left B1+2 to carina was (44.08±14.66) %, Left B9 to carina was (42.44±15.89) %, Right B1 to carina was (46.51±14.03) %, and Right B9 to carina is (43.54±15.87) %. BMI affect the area of the tracheal wall, all p value<0.05.Conclusion:High-resolution CT small airway morphology can make a preliminary assessment of the susceptible population of small airway-related diseases based on a range of reference values, and prevent and control it in combination with influencing factors.

Objective: To investigate the relationship among depression, anxiety, stress and addictive substance use behavior in secondary vocational students. Methods: Cluster sampling method and the Adolescent Health-related Behaviors Questionnaire were used to collect demographic characteristics, psychological symptoms, and addictive substance usage among 5 935 students in nine vocational schools in Chongqing, Zhaoqing, Ningbo, and Taiyuan. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between the addictive substance use behavior and psychological factors. Results: The detection rates of depression, anxiety and stress were 46.5% (n=2 762), 58.7% (n=3 483), and 29.8% (n= 1 770), respectively. The prevalence of addictive substances was 74.8% (n=4 440), traditional drugs was 0.8% (n=50), new drugs was 2.8% (n=166), other addictive drugs was 4.1% (n=241). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with the normal psychological states of secondary vocational students, the OR value of mild depression tendency alcohol and tobacco use behavior of secondary vocational students was 1.45; the OR values of mild anxiety, moderate anxiety, severe anxiety and very serious anxiety were 1.46, 1.46, 1.71, and 1.83, respectively; the traditional drugs use behaviors were 5.51, and 2.61, respectively, for the severe anxiety and very serious anxiety. Compared with the normal psychological state of secondary vocational students, the OR values of the severe anxiety and very severe anxiety were 2.56, and 2.66, respectively, for severe anxiety and very serious anxiety. Compared with normal psychological status of secondary vocational students, the OR values of mild, moderate, severe, and very severe anxiety were 2.14, 2.47, 2.39, and 3.45, respectively; all P values <0.05. Conclusion Anxiety and mild depression were risk factors of tobacco and alcohol use in secondary vocational students; severe and above anxiety were the risk factors of drug use in secondary vocational students; anxiety was the risk factor for other addictive drug use in secondary vocational students.

SAM pointed domain containing E26 transformation-specific transcription factor (SPDEF) plays dual roles in the initiation and development of human malignancies. However, the biological role of SPDEF in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remains unclear. In this study, the expression level of SPDEF and its correlation with the clinical parameters of patients with HNSCC were determined using TCGA-HNSC, GSE65858, and our own clinical cohorts. CCK8, colony formation, cell cycle analysis, and a xenograft tumor growth model were used to determine the molecular functions of SPDEF in HNSCC. ChIP-qPCR, dual luciferase reporter assay, and rescue experiments were conducted to explore the potential molecular mechanism of SPDEF in HNSCC. Compared with normal epithelial tissues, SPDEF was significantly downregulated in HNSCC tissues. Patients with HNSCC with low SPDEF mRNA levels exhibited poor clinical outcomes. Restoring SPDEF inhibited HNSCC cell viability and colony formation and induced G0/G1 cell cycle arrest, while silencing SPDEF promoted cell proliferation in vitro. The xenograft tumor growth model showed that tumors with SPDEF overexpression had slower growth rates, smaller volumes, and lower weights. SPDEF could directly bind to the promoter region of NR4A1 and promoted its transcription, inducing the suppression of AKT, MAPK, and NF-κB signaling pathways. Moreover, silencing NR4A1 blocked the suppressive effect of SPDEF in HNSCC cells. Here, we demonstrate that SPDEF acts as a tumor suppressor by transcriptionally activating NR4A1 in HNSCC. Our findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism of SPDEF in tumorigenesis and a novel potential therapeutic target for HNSCC.
Carcinogenesis ; Cell Proliferation ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Humans ; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 4, Group A, Member 1 ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck ; Transcription Factors