Background and purpose: Mel-18 is one of the mammalian polycomb group members. A number of related researches have implied that Mel-18 may play a role in human tumorigenesis.In this study, we measured the expression of Mel-18 in gastric carcinoma cells in vivo to explore the expression and clinical significance of Mel-18 in gastric carcinoma. Methods: Real time RT-PCR was used to detect the expression of Mel-18 in cancer tissue and corresponding normal tissue in 52 cases of gastric carcinoma. The association between Mel-18 expression and the clinicopathological parameters of the tumors was analyzed. Results: The analysis revealed that there was significantly decreased expression of Mel-18 in 18 (34.62%)carcinoma tissues in comparison with para-cancer normal tissue. There was no correlation between Mel-18 expression and clinicopathological parameters, such as age, gender, tumor size and histological differentiation (P>0.05).The decrease of Mel-18 expression was significantly negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis and clinical stage (P<0.05). The expression levels of Mel-18 evaluated by the ratios of gene expression were 1.357,0.453,0.183 and 0.170 in stage Ⅰ, Ⅱ,Ⅲ and Ⅳ gastric carcinoma, respectively. They were 0.634 and 0.210 in patients without lymph node metastasis and in patients with lymph node metastasis, respectively. Expression of Mel-18,lymph node metastasis, and clinical stage were significant covariates, respectively (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our results showed that Mel-18 might play a crucial role in tumorigenesis and progression of gastric carcinoma. It is possible that Mel-18 could be used as one of the biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of gastric carcinoma.

0.05).The decrease of Mel-18 expression was signifi cantly negatively correlated with lymph node metastasis and clinical stage(P

Objective:To retrospectively analyze the early mortality and related risk factors in adult patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD).Methods:Adult MHD patients from 2008 to 2018 were enrolled and divided into training data group and validation data group. In training data group, multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of early death within 120 days after hemodialysis and establish a prediction model. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to evaluate the prediction ability of the model.Results:A total of 4 885 patients were included. The cumulative mortality within 120 days was 20.97/100 person years, and that within 365 days was 12.25/100 person years. A total of 3 603 patients in the training data group were analyzed. The following risk factors were correlated with early mortality (all P<0.05), including age at start of dialysis over 60 years old ( OR=1.792), non-chronic glomerulonephritis ( OR=2.214), cardio-cerebrovascular disease ( OR=2.695), plasma albumin less than 35 g/L ( OR=1.358), platelet count less than 120×10 9/L ( OR=2.194), serum creatinine less than 600 μmol/L ( OR=1.652), blood urea nitrogen over 30 mmol/L ( OR=1.887), blood phosphorus less than 1.13 mmol/L ( OR=1.783), pulse pressure over 55 mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) ( OR=1.656), low density lipoprotein less than 1.5 mmol/L ( OR=1.873), and blood calcium over 2.5 mmol/L ( OR=1.876). Risk prediction model was established. The other 1 282 cases in the validation data group were verified. The area under ROC curve was 0.810, with sensitivity 85.7%, and specificity 62.5%. Conclusion:The mortality rate of adult MHD patients within 120 days after dialysis is high. The established prediction model can effectively predict the risk of early death.

Objective To establish a HRM assay to screen for KRAS mutations in clinical colorectal cancer patients.Methods The sensitivity of HRM was analyzed by detecting somatic mutations in exon 2,notably codons 12 and 13 of the KRAS gene in the serial plasmid mixture samples which were mixed using the different proportions mutation plasmid and wide type plasmid of KRAS.HRM analysis was performed for KRAS on DNA insolated from a panel of 60 colorectal cancer samples derived from fresh tissues.The results were compared with the direct sequencing data.Results After the PCR amplification,the mutation results could be available by performing HRM analysis in the same tube on a real time PCR machine with HRM capability.HRM detection could identify KRAS mutation in a proportion of 10% of mutation plasmid DNA.All 60 samples identified the KRAS mutation by HRM and sequencing.17 samples were positive(28.3%) by HRM for KRAS exon 2 mutations,and 15 samples were confirmed the presence of codon 12 or 13 mutations(25.0%) and the other 2 samples were wild type by sequencing.The 60 samples detected by HRM were given 100% sensitivity with 96% specificity.Conclusions HRM is a sensitive intube methodology to screen for mutations in clinical samples.HRM will enable high-throughput screening to gene mutations to allow appropriate therapeutic choices for patients and accelerate research aimed at identifying novel mutations in human cancer.

Objective:To build the evaluation index system of traditiond Chinese medicine(TCM) service capacity in county-level TCM hospitals, for references to improve the TCM service capability in China.Methods:Based on the " structure-process-result" evaluation model, a preliminary screening index system for the evaluation of TCM service capacity in county-level TCM hospitals was established by analyzing relevant literature and policies; Two rounds of Delphi expert consultation were made to screen the evaluation indexes; The combination weighting method based on both expert scoring method and entropy weight method was used to determine the index weight.Results:The evaluation index system of TCM service capacity of county-level TCM hospitals was finally incorporated into 3 first-level indicators, 9 second-level indicators and 33 third-level indicators. The top five third-level indicators in terms of comprehensive weight were the person time of TCM preventive care in the year(12.02%), the person time of manual reduction diagnosis and treatment(9.03%), the person time of acupuncture and moxibustion(6.55%), the proportion of income from inpatient TCM services in medical income(5.87%) and the person time of massage(5.34%).Conclusions:From the perspective of the whole process of TCM service, the evaluation index system of TCM service capacity of county-level TCM hospitals reflectd the health service capacity of county-level TCM hospitals, highlighted the characteristics of TCM.

Objective To analyze the impact of hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication and its coded X gene (HBx) expression on cell gene expression profile,especially the immune related gene expression level changes.Methods Overexpressed HBx gene was transiently transfected through lenti-virus and pcDNA3,the RNA-Seq and RT-qPCR methods were used to detect the expression levels of immune related genes,which were verified in HBV replication cell line.Results This study found that the HBV replication and HBx expression suppressed the expression of immune checkpoint PD-1 ligand gene (PD-L1/CD274) in a dose-dependent manner,while the expression of H-box mutant in HBx gene lost this inhibition effect.Conclusion HBV/HBx possesses the ability for inhibiting PD-L1/CD274 ligand gene expression,may relieve the checkpoint of antigen-specific T cell activation in viral infection acute stage,activates cytotoxic T cells,which may cause that T cell attack and clear highly replicated cells,helps virus to enter the lower replication status,and reaches the balance status between virus-host and lays a basis of HBV chronic infection.

KDM5B is a histone H3K4me2/3 demethylase. The PHD1 domain of KDM5B is critical for demethylation, but the mechanism underlying the action of this domain is unclear. In this paper, we observed that PHD1KDM5B interacts with unmethylated H3K4me0. Our NMR structure of PHD1KDM5B in complex with H3K4me0 revealed that the binding mode is slightly different from that of other reported PHD fingers. The disruption of this interaction by double mutations on the residues in the interface (L325A/D328A) decreases the H3K4me2/3 demethylation activity of KDM5B in cells by approximately 50% and increases the transcriptional repression of tumor suppressor genes by approximately twofold. These findings imply that PHD1KDM5B may help maintain KDM5B at target genes to mediate the demethylation activities of KDM5B.
Binding Sites ; genetics ; Crystallography, X-Ray ; Gene Expression Regulation ; HEK293 Cells ; Histones ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Humans ; Jumonji Domain-Containing Histone Demethylases ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Lysine ; chemistry ; metabolism ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Methylation ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Models, Molecular ; Mutation ; Nuclear Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Peptides ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; Protein Binding ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; Repressor Proteins ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism

Objective:To investigate the clinical effects of robot-assisted minimally invasive percutaneous pedicle screwing in the treatment of multi-segmental thoracolumbar burst fractures without neurological dysfunction.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted of the 24 patients who had been treated at Department of Orthopaedics, Hospital Affiliated to Inner Mongolia Medical University for multi-segmental thoracolumbar fractures from January 2019 to December 2020. They were randomly divided into a robot group ( n=12) in which the minimally invasive percutaneous pedicle screwing was assisted by a surgical robot and a manual group ( n=12) in which the minimally invasive percutaneous pedicle screwing was performed manually. There were 8 males and 4 females in the robot group, aged from 35 to 74 years; there were 7 males and 5 females in the manual group, aged from 36 to 69 years. The clinical effects were evaluated by comparing the 2 groups in terms of operation time, fluoroscopy frequency, fluoroscopy time, intra-operative needle adjustments, intra-operative blood loss, screwing accuracy, and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores, anterior vertebral height ratios and sagittal cobb angles at preoperation, postoperative 3 days and the last follow-up. Results:There was no statistically significant difference in the preoperative general data between the 2 groups, showing comparability ( P>0.05). A total of 128 screws were implanted in the robot group and 126 ones in the manual group. In the robotic group, operation time [(129.2±10.5) min], fluoroscopy frequency [(8.5±2.1) times], fluoroscopy time [(9.8±1.9) s], guide needle adjustments [(2.3±1.4) times], and intraoperative blood loss [(65.3±9.8) mL] were significantly less than those in the manual group [(153.8±18.1) min, (39.8±5.1) times, (43.9±4.8) s, (18.6±2.6) times and (96.8±10.9) mL] (all P<0.05). Regarding the screwing accuracy evaluated using CT scanning, the robot group was significantly higher (93.75%, 120/128) than the manual group (84.92%, 107/126) ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in VAS score, anterior vertebral height ratio or sagittal cobb angle at postoperative 3 days or the last follow-up ( P>0.05). The VAS scores, anterior vertebral height ratios and sagittal cobb angles at postoperative 3 days and the last follow-up were significantly improved than the preoperative values in all patients ( P<0.05). There was no supplementary surgery or screw loosening in either of the 2 groups. Conclusion:In the treatment of multi-segmental thoracolumbar fractures, robot-assisted percutaneous pedicle screwing can achieve satisfactory clinical effects, because, compared with traditional open surgery, it has exhibited advantages of less operation time, lower radiation exposure, less intraoperative blood loss, and higher screwing accuracy.

Objective:To explore the type and composition of thalassemia gene variation in children in Ningbo City, and to analyze its correlation with erythrocyte parameters.Methods:From January 2019 to December 2020, 785 children who underwent thalassemia gene testing in Ningbo Women and Children's Hospital were selected as the retrospective research subjects to analyze the type and composition of thalassemia gene variation in local children. A total of 238 thalassemia gene mutation carriers and 100 healthy children (control group) who underwent physical examination during the same period were selected for routine blood test to analyze the correlation between thalassemia gene mutation types and serological indexes.Results:Among the 785 children who underwent thalassemia gene testing, 571 were confirmed as carriers of thalassemia gene mutation, with a detection rate of 72.7%, including 228 cases of α-thalassemia, 337 cases of β-thalassemia, and 6 cases of αβ-complex type thalassemia. It covered 17 variant types and 25 gene combinations. There were significant differences in red blood cell count (RBC), hematokrit (HCT), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and red blood cell distribution width (RDW) between the control, α-thalassemia and β-thalassemia groups ( H/ F = 125.03, 86.24, 141.06, 192.99, 121.46, 198.63, 178.06, P < 0.001). And there were statistically significant differences in HCT, Hb, MCH, MCV and RDW among the four common genotypes (-- SEA/αα, β IVS-Ⅱ-654/β N, β CD41-42/β N and β CD17/β N) in this test ( F = 5.03, 3.34, 6.24, 10.33, 6.83, P < 0.05). Conclusion:The genotypes of children with thalassemia in Ningbo City are diverse, and the erythrocyte parameters are different among different genotypes.

Nearly a quarter of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and remains long-term asymptomatic infection. Rv2626c is a latent infection-related protein regulated by DosR of M. tuberculosis. In this study, the Rv2626c protein was prokaryotically expressed and purified, and its immunobiological characteristics were analyzed using RAW264.7 cells and mice as infection models. SDS-PAGE and Western blotting analysis showed that the Rv2626c-His fusion protein was mainly expressed in soluble form and specifically reacted with the rabbit anti-H37RV polyclonal serum. In addition, we found that the Rv2626c protein bound to the surface of RAW264.7 macrophages and up-regulated the production of NO. Moreover, the Rv2626c protein significantly induced the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1, and induced strong Th1-tendency immune response. These results may help to reveal the pathogenic mechanism of M. tuberculosis and facilitate the development of new tuberculosis vaccine.
Animals ; Mice ; Rabbits ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genetics* ; Tuberculosis ; Antigens, Bacterial ; Cytokines ; Immunity, Cellular