Chemotherapy is currently the mainstay of systemic management for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), but chemoresistance significantly impacts patient outcomes. Our research indicates that Doxorubicin (Dox)-resistant TNBC cells exhibit increased glycolysis and ATP generation compared to their parental cells, with this metabolic shift contributing to chemoresistance. We discovered that ALKBH3, an m¹A demethylase enzyme, is crucial in regulating the enhanced glycolysis in Dox-resistant TNBC cells. Knocking down ALKBH3 reduced ATP generation, glucose consumption, and lactate production, implicating its involvement in mediating glycolysis. Further investigation revealed that aldolase A (ALDOA), a key enzyme in glycolysis, is a downstream target of ALKBH3. ALKBH3 regulates ALDOA mRNA stability through m¹A demethylation at the 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR). This methylation negatively affects ALDOA mRNA stability by recruiting the YTHDF2/PAN2-PAN3 complex, leading to mRNA degradation. The ALKBH3/ALDOA axis promotes Dox resistance both in vitro and in vivo. Clinical analysis demonstrated that ALKBH3 and ALDOA are upregulated in breast cancer tissues, and higher expression of these proteins is associated with reduced overall survival in TNBC patients. Our study highlights the role of the ALKBH3/ALDOA axis in contributing to Dox resistance in TNBC cells through regulation of ALDOA mRNA stability and glycolysis.

Objective:To compare oxytocin combined with ergometrine with oxytocin alone in terms of primary prophylaxis for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) at the time of cesarean section (CS).Methods:This was a multicenter double-blind randomized controlled interventional study comparing ergometrine combined with oxytocin and oxytocin alone administered at CS. From December 2018 to November 2019, a total of 298 parturients were enrolled in 16 hospitals nationwide. They were randomly divided into experimental group (ergometrine intra-myometrial injection following oxytocin intravenously; 148 cases) and control group (oxytocin intra-myometrial injection following oxytocin intravenously; 150 cases) according to 1∶1 random allocation. The following indexes were compared between the two groups: (1) main index: blood loss 2 hours (h) after delivery; (2) secondary indicators: postpartum blood loss at 6 h and 24 h, placental retention time, incidence of PPH, the proportion of additional use of uterine contraction drugs, hemostatic drugs or other hemostatic measures at 2 h and 24 h after delivery, the proportion requiring blood transfusion, and the proportion of prolonged hospital stay due to poor uterine involution; (3) safety indicators: nausea, vomiting, dizziness and other adverse reactions, and blood pressure at each time point of administration.Results:(1) The blood loss at 2 h after delivery in the experimental group [(402±18) ml] was less than that in the control group [(505±18) ml], and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). (2) The blood loss at 6 h and 24 h after delivery in the experimental group were less than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (all P<0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the incidence of PPH, the proportion of additional use of uterine contraction drugs, hemostatic drugs or other hemostatic measures at 2 h and 24 h after delivery, the proportion requiring blood transfusion, and the proportion of prolonged hospital stay due to poor uterine involution (all P>0.05). (3) Adverse reactions occurred in 2 cases (1.4%, 2/148) in the experimental group and 1 case (0.7%, 1/150) in the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). The systolic blood pressure within 2.0 h and diastolic blood pressure within 1.5 h of drug administration in the experimental group were higher than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05), but the blood pressure of the two groups were in the normal range. Conclusion:The use of ergometrine injection in CS could reduce the amount of PPH, which is safe and feasible.

Purpose: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are essential regulators in the development of ovarian cancer (OC). Nonetheless, the function of lncRNA DNM3 opposite strand/antisense RNA (DNM3OS) in OC remains unclear. This work aimed to investigate the biological roles and underlying mechanisms of DNM3OS in OC. Materials and Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was conducted to examine DNM3OS, microRNA (miR)-193a-3p, and mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAP3K3) mRNA expression in OC tissues and cell lines. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was employed to analyze the relationship between DNM3OS expression and the prognosis of OC patients. Cell counting kit-8, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine, and transwell experiments were conducted to monitor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, respectively. Western blot was applied to examine epithelial-mesenchymal transition associated protein (E-cadherin and N-cadherin) expression. Luciferase reporter gene and RNA immunoprecipitation experiments were performed to confirm the relationships among DNM3OS, miR-193a-3p, and MAP3K3. Pearson’s correlation analysis was adopted to analyze the correlations among DNM3OS, miR-193a-3p, and MAP3K3 mRNA. Results: DNM3OS expression was remarkably increased in OC tissues and cell lines, which was associated with the unfavorable prognosis of the patients. DNM3OS overexpression enhanced OC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; suppressed E-cadherin protein expression; and facilitated N-cadherin protein expression, while the transfection of miR-193a-3p mimics had the opposite effects. DNM3OS directly interacted with miR-193a-3p, and miR-193a-3p targeted MAP3K3 by directly binding to 3'UTR.DNM3OS could up-regulate the expression of MAP3K3 via repressing miR-193a-3p expression. Conclusion DNM3OS, as an oncogenic lncRNA, increases the malignancy of OC cells via regulation of an miR-193a-3p/MAP3K3 axis.

Purpose: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are essential regulators in the development of ovarian cancer (OC). Nonetheless, the function of lncRNA DNM3 opposite strand/antisense RNA (DNM3OS) in OC remains unclear. This work aimed to investigate the biological roles and underlying mechanisms of DNM3OS in OC. Materials and Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was conducted to examine DNM3OS, microRNA (miR)-193a-3p, and mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAP3K3) mRNA expression in OC tissues and cell lines. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was employed to analyze the relationship between DNM3OS expression and the prognosis of OC patients. Cell counting kit-8, 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine, and transwell experiments were conducted to monitor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, respectively. Western blot was applied to examine epithelial-mesenchymal transition associated protein (E-cadherin and N-cadherin) expression. Luciferase reporter gene and RNA immunoprecipitation experiments were performed to confirm the relationships among DNM3OS, miR-193a-3p, and MAP3K3. Pearson’s correlation analysis was adopted to analyze the correlations among DNM3OS, miR-193a-3p, and MAP3K3 mRNA. Results: DNM3OS expression was remarkably increased in OC tissues and cell lines, which was associated with the unfavorable prognosis of the patients. DNM3OS overexpression enhanced OC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion; suppressed E-cadherin protein expression; and facilitated N-cadherin protein expression, while the transfection of miR-193a-3p mimics had the opposite effects. DNM3OS directly interacted with miR-193a-3p, and miR-193a-3p targeted MAP3K3 by directly binding to 3'UTR.DNM3OS could up-regulate the expression of MAP3K3 via repressing miR-193a-3p expression. Conclusion DNM3OS, as an oncogenic lncRNA, increases the malignancy of OC cells via regulation of an miR-193a-3p/MAP3K3 axis.

Objective To analyze the effects of rapid rehabilitation surgical procedures on recovery and stress response in patients undergoing hepatectomy.Methods Retrospective analysis of 60 patients with liver resection in Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University from January 2012 to December 2015,40 males and 20 females.According to the rehabilitation method,it was divided into intervention group (n=30) and control group (n=30).The operation time,intraoperative blood loss,postoperative complications,and interleukin-6 (IL-6),C-reactive protein (CRP),and white blood cell count (WBC) on days 1st,3rd,and 5 th before and after surgery were compared between the two groups.Results Both groups completed the operation successfully.There was no significant difference in intraoperative blood loss and operation time between the two groups (P＞0.05).The duration of postoperative ventilation and postoperative hospitalization in the intervention group was less than that in the control group,and the incidence of postoperative complications (23.3％ vs.50.0％) and the first and second day after surgery were lower than those in the control group,with statistically significant differences (P＜0.05).On the first,third and fifth days after surgery,IL-6 and CRP in the intervention group were lower than those in the control group,respectively (64.96± 24.10) μg/L vs.(286.74±67.98) μg/L,(60.52±18.31)μg/L vs.(162.33±52.62) μg/L,(31.61± 9.42) μg/L vs.(77.44±24.54)μg/L and (24.64±17.45) mg/L vs.(41.46±20.79) mg/L,(81.11± 36.58) mg/L vs.(117.23±44.80) mg/L,(44.90±22.31) mg/L vs.(65.27±38.05) mg/L,the differences were statistically significant (P＜0.05).Conclusion The concept of rapid rehabilitation surgery applied to patients with hepatectomy can reduce postoperative stress response,reduce postoperative complications,and accelerate the recovery process.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of galectin-3 in inducing the differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into hepatocyte- like cells and explore the involvement of the signaling pathways in the induced cell differentiation.

METHODSThe third passage of cultured rat femoral BMSCs were treated with 0.5 μg/mL galectin-3, 20 ng/mL hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) or both to induce their differentiation, with untreated rat BMSCs and hepatocytes as controls. At 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of induction, the cells were examined for morphological changes followed by glycogen staining, quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting. Gene microarray technique was used to examine the mRNA expression profile of the BMSCs induced with galectin-3. The BMSCs were also induced with galectin-3 in combination with XMU-MP-1, a Hippo signaling pathway inhibitor, after which Western blotting was performed to detect the expressions of YAP, P-YAP, ALB, AFP and CK-18 in the cells.

RESULTSThe cells isolated from the femoral bone marrow of SD rats showed a consistent surface marker phenotype with the BMSCs. Induction with galectin-3, HGF, or both all resulted in gradual morphological changes of the BMSCs into hepatocyte-like cells, and the cells with a combined induction for 28 days showed the highest morphological similarity with hepatocytes. The cells induced with galectin-3, HGF, or their combination for 28 days all showed increased positivity rate of glycogen staining, which was the highest in the cells with combined induction ( < 0.05) without significant difference between the cells induced with galectin-3 and HGF alone ( > 0.05). Induction with galectin-3 and HGF alone both increased the expressions of AFP, ALB and CK-18 mRNAs in the cells, and their expression levels were similar between the cells at 28 days ( > 0.05). Galectin-3 and HGF did not show an interactive effect on the mRNA expressions of AFP (=0.236, =0.640) or ALB (=50.639, =0.000), but had a synergistic effect on CK-18 mRNA expression (=50.639, =0.000). The protein expressions of AFP, ALB and CK18 were also increased in the induced cells but not detected in the cells without induction. Gene microarray results revealed 27 up-regulated genes and 62 down-regulated genes in galectin-3-induced BMSCs involving TGF-β, PI3K-Akt and Hippo signal pathways. Induction with galectin-3 and galectin-3+XMU-MP-1 increased YAP expression in the cells, and galectin-3+XMU-MP-1 was more efficient to induce the differentiation of the BMSCs.

CONCLUSIONSGalectin-3 can induce the differentiation of rat BMSCs into hepatocyte-like cells, and the combination with HGF increases the efficiency of induced differentiation of the cells. TGF-β, PI3K-Akt and Hippo pathways are involved in the induced differentiation of the BMSCs, and inhibiting Hippo pathway can improve the induction efficiency.

Objective To investigate the prevalence of iron deficiency(ID)and iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pregnant women in urban areas of China. Methods The study was a national cross-sectional survey conducted from September 19th, 2016 to November 20th, 2016. According to the classification of the National Bureau of Statistics, all survey sites were set up in 6 regions of the country. Pregnant women were continuously selected using multistage stratified sampling. A total of 12 403 pregnant women were collected and examined for serum ferritin and hemoglobin levels. Results The median serum ferritin level during pregnancy was 20.60 μg/L(11.78-36.98 μg/L), the hemoglobin level was(118±12)g/L. With the progress of pregnancy, the levels of serum ferritin and hemoglobin decreased gradually. The median serum ferritin levels in the first, second trimester and third trimester were 54.30 μg/L(34.48-94.01 μg/L), 28.60 μg/L(16.40-50.52 μg/L), and 16.70 μg/L(10.20-27.00 μg/L)respectively(P<0.01). The mean hemoglobin levels were(127 ± 10)g/L,(119 ± 11)g/L and(117 ± 11)g/L respectively(P<0.01). The prevalence of ID in urban pregnant women was 48.16%(5 973/12 403), and IDA prevalence was 13.87% (1 720/12 403). The prevalence of IDA in the first, second trimester and third trimester were 1.96% (20/1 019), 8.40%(293/3 487)and 17.82%(1 407/7 897), respectively(P<0.01). The prevalence of standardized ID and IDA were significantly different in various regions of China(P<0.01). The standardized prevalence of ID were relatively higher in East China and Northeast China, 57.37% and 53.41% respectively, while it was the lowest in Southwest China, 30.51%. The standardized prevalence of IDA in South Central, Northwest, and East China were relatively high, 21.30%, 16.97% and 17.53% respectively, and the standardized prevalence of IDA in Southwest China was the lowest, 5.44%,the differents in various regions were significant(all P<0.01). Conclusion The current phenomenon of ID and IDA in pregnant women is still very common,and nutrition and health care during pregnancy should be strengthened.

Objective To study the correlation between the clinical characteristics of HCC patients with different phenotype circulating tumor cells in the peripheral blood.Methods 77 patients with HCC and 21 patients with benign liver diseases treated at Zhujiang Hospital of Southern Medical University from April 2015 to December 2016 were retrospectively studied.The CanPatrolTM System was adoptedto detect epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype CTCs in the peripheral blood.This study aimed to clarify whether the epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype CTCs were specifically originated from the tumorand to investigate the correlation between CTCs and the clinical features of the patients.Results Using epithelial and mesenchymal markers,the CTCs were divided into three subtypes:epithelial,mesenchymal and mixed CTCs.No epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype CTCs were detected in patients with benign liver diseases.The positivity rates of epithelial,mixed and mesenchymal CTCs in the peripheral blood of 77 patients with HCC were 37.7％ (29/77),74.0％ (57/77) and 50.6％ (39/77),respectively.The positivity rates of epithelial-mesenchymal phenotype CTCs in patients with HCC were significantly higher than the group of patients with benign liver diseases (P ＜ 0.05).The positivity rates of epithelial CTCs were significantly correlated with AFP,number of tumor and portal vein tumor thrombus (P ＜ 0.05).The positivity rates of mixed CTCs were significantly correlated with portal vein tumor thrombus,tumor differentiation and BCLC stage (P ＜ 0.05).The positivity rates of mesenchymal CTCs were significantly correlated with tumor size,portal vein tumor thrombus,tumor differentiation and BCLC stage (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions The positivity rates of epithelial,mixed and mesenchymal CTCs were closely related to different aspects of clinical characteristics of patients with HCC.These CTCs may serve as indicatorsto evaluatethe progress of HCC.

Objective To evaluate the value of fast track surgery (FTS) in laparoscopic hepatectomy.Methods The clinical data of 142 patients undergoing laparoscopic liver resection from January 2014 to January 2016 were analyzed retrospectively.74 patients received fast track surgery treatment (FTS group) and 68 patients received traditional treatment methods (control group).Results Compared with control group,FTS group had a shorter operative time and less blood lose (t =2.279,t =2.432,P ＜0.05),quicker postoperative intestinal function recovery (t =3.548,P ＜ 0.05),a shorter postoperative hospitalization time (t =2.821,P ＜ 0.05),a lower hospitalization cost (t =2.507,P ＜ 0.05),a lower postoperative VAS scores (t =3.394,t =3.176,t =7.079,P ＜ 0.05) in 3 post-op successive days.There were 3 patients with major post-op complications in FTS group (4.05％,3/74) compared with 4 cases in control group (5.88％,4/68) (x2 =0.253,P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion The application of fast track surgery in laparoscopic liver resection is safe and effective,and helpful in reducing patients' inhospital cost.

The clinical data of 32 patients with giant hepatic hemangioma (GHH) who underwent radiofrequency ablation(RFA)treatment in the PLA General Hospital and Affiliated Peace Hospital of Changzhi Medical College from June 2011 to May 2016 were retrospectively analyzed, including 26 cases treated with laparoscopy-guided RFA and 6 cases treated with ultrasound-guided percutaneous transhepatic RFA+laparoscopy. A Total of 41 lesions were ablated, the diameters of lesions ranged from 2.0 to 12.0 cm. The RFA time ranged from 18 to 72 min and the volume of intraoperative bleeding varied from 5 ml to 150 ml. The incidence of postoperative complications was 56％, which mainly were fever and hemoglobinuria. Patients were followed up for 12 to 60 months; the lesions were incompletely ablated in 3 cases. Radiofrequency ablation is an effective and safe method for the treatment of giant hepatic hemangiomas .