[Objective]To explore how hyperthyroidism induces ventricular remodeling via activating β-catenin/FoxO1 in rat cardiomyocytes.[Methods]Hyperthyroidism-induced ventricular remodeling rat models were established by intraperitoneal injection of levothyroxine(T4)at 0.1 mg/kg for 30 days.β-catenin inhibitor MSAB(14 mg/kg)was admin-istrated for 30 days.We used western blot to detect the expression of myocardial hypertrophy marker ANP,β-catenin and FoxO1;immunofluorescence to examine the expression and intracellular distribution of β-catenin and FoxO1.Hyperthy-roidism-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy rat models were established by treatment of triiodothyronine(T3)into cul-tured primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes for 24 hours.β-catenin siRNA(30 nmol/L)was used to down-regulate β-catenin expression in cardiomyocytes.Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to analyze the effects of β-catenin inhibition on the hyperthyroidism-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.[Results]Following Wnt/β-catenin activation,β-catenin was found increased nuclear expression,to bind to the nuclear transcriptional factors and regulate the gene ex-pression.β-catenin nuclear expression was significantly increased in the hyperthyroidism-induced ventricular remodeling rats,but no change was found in the expression of typical transcriptional factor TCF7l2.Our results revealed that inhibiting β-catenin by MSAB attenuated the hyperthyroidism-induced rat ventricular remodeling.Further analysis indicated that β-catenin/FoxO1 expression was significantly increased in hyperthyroidism-induced myocardial hypertrophy which could be attenuated by suppressing β-catenin/FoxO1 in cardiomyocytes.[Conclusions]β-catenin/FoxO1 is activated in hyperthy-roidism-induced myocardial hypertrophy and β-catenin/FoxO1 inhibition attenuates hyperthyroidism-induced cardiomyo-cyte hypertrophy.

Objective:To investigate the effects of breast milk to total milk intake ratio during hospitalization on the duration of antibiotic therapy in preterm infants less than 34 weeks of gestation.Methods:Clinical data of preterm infants ( n=1 792) less than 34 gestational weeks were retrospectively collected in 16 hospitals of Jiangsu Province Neonatal-Perinatal Cooperation Network from January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021. The days of therapy (DOT) were used to evaluate the duration of antibiotic administration. The median DOT was 15.0 d (7.0-27.0 d). The patients were divided into four groups based on the quartiles of DOT: Q 1 (DOT≤7.0 d), Q 2 (7.0 d27.0 d) groups. According to the breast milk intake ratio (breast milk intake to total milk intake during hospitalization×100%), they were also divided into four groups: very-low-ratio breastfeeding group (breast milk intake ratio≤25%), low-ratio breastfeeding group (25%75%). Univariate analysis ( Chi-square test and Kruskal-Wallis rank-sum test) was used to analyze the factors influencing DOT. Spearman correlation analysis and trend Chi-square test were used to explore the relationship between breast milk intake ratio and DOT. After using multiple imputations to address missing data, two models were constructed after adjusting for different factors, and multinomial logistic regression model was applied to evaluate the effects of the breast milk intake ratio on DOT. Finally, sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the stability of the models. Results:(1) Of the 1 792 preterm infants, there were 507 (28.3%) in the Q 1 group, 422 (23.5%) in the Q 2 group, 438 (24.4%) in the Q 3 group and 425 (23.7%) in the Q 4 group. (2) The median values of DOT in the very-low-ratio, low-ratio, medium-ratio and high-ratio breastfeeding groups were 20.0 d (11.0-31.0 d), 20.0 d (11.0-32.0 d), 13.0 d (6.0-25.8 d) and 10.0 d (4.0-21.0 d), respectively. Compared with the very-low-ratio and low-ratio breastfeeding groups, the medium-ratio and high-ratio breastfeeding groups had shorter DOT (all P<0.05). (3) After adjusting for factors with P<0.1 (prenatal glucocorticoid exposure, antimicrobial use within 24 h before delivery, gestational age at delivery, birth weight, Apgar score≤7 at 1 min, neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, infectious pneumonia and early-onset neonatal sepsis) between the DOT quartile groups, it showed that medium-ratio and high-ratio breastfeeding were protective factors in contrast to very-low-ratio breastfeeding in the Q 2, Q 3 and Q 4 groups as compared with the Q 1 group [Q 2 group: OR=0.50 (95% CI: 0.30-0.85) and OR=0.36 (95% CI: 0.26-0.51); Q 3 group: OR=0.31 (95% CI: 0.18-0.55) and OR=0.20 (95% CI: 0.14-0.29); Q 4 group: OR=0.22 (95% CI: 0.12-0.42) and OR=0.17 (95% CI: 0.12-0.26)]. Conclusion:Breast milk intake accounting for over 50% of total milk intake has a positive impact on reducing DOT in premature infants requiring antibiotics, which suggests that breastfeeding should be actively encouraged.

Objective To investigate how the neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) affect the proliferation and migration of mouse MC38 colorectal cancer cells and its mechanism. Methods Spleen neutrophils were extracted in mouse, followed by collection of NETs after ionomycin stimulation in vitro. The proliferation of MC38 cell was detected by CCK-8 assay, and migration ability were detected by Transwell^TM and cell scratch assay, after co-incubation with MC38 cells. The mRNA expression of cellular matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) and MMP9 were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, and the expression of MMP2, MMP9 and focal adhesion kinase (FAK), phosphorylated FAK protein were detected by Western blot. After silencing MMP9 using small interfering RNA (siRNA), the effect of NETs on the proliferation and migration ability of MC38 cells and the altered expression of related molecules were examined by previous approach. Results NETs promoted the proliferation and migration of MC38 cells and up-regulated the MMP9 expression and FAK phosphorylation. Silencing MMP9 inhibited the promotion of MC38 proliferation and migration by NETs and suppressed FAK phosphorylation. Conclusion NETs up-regulates MMP9 expression in MC38 cells, activates FAK signaling pathway and promotes tumor cell proliferation and migration.
Animals ; Mice ; Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/metabolism* ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2/metabolism* ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9/metabolism* ; Extracellular Traps/metabolism* ; Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; RNA, Small Interfering/genetics* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/genetics* ; Cell Line, Tumor

Objective:To analyze the expression and clinical significance of reticulocalbin 3 (RCN3) in colon cancer by bioinformatics database and biological experiments.Methods:Colon cancer HT29 and SW620 cells and colon normal mucosal cells FHC were cultured. The expression of RCN3 in cells was verified by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot. The expression data of RCN3 in normal colon tissue and colon cancer tissue were obtained by Ualcan database. The co-expressed gene information of RCN3 from LinkedOmics database was obtained, and the biological processes and related functions of these RCN3 co-expressed genes through were analyzed by gene ontology analysis (GO) enrichment analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. The protein-protein interaction network of RCN3 related coding genes was constructed by using STRING database. Finally, the relationship between the expression of RCN3 and the clinical prognosis of patients with colon cancer was compared and analyzed according to GEPIA, Ualcan and Linked Omics biological database.Results:Western blot and qRT-PCR results showed that the mRNA and protein expression of RCN3 in HT29 and SW620 colon cancer cells was significantly higher than those in FHCcells ( all P<0.05). The analysis of biological database showed that the expression level of RCN3 in colon cancer tissue was higher than that in normal colon tissue ( P<0.05). GO enrichment analysis showed that RCN3 co-expression genes were mainly involved in the composition of extracellular matrix and extracellular domain structure, the binding process of extracellular matrix and multiple receptors, and the biological processes related to tumor development such as cell adhesion, immune response, and angiogenesis through extracellular domain structure. KEGG pathway analysis showed that RCN3 co-expression genes were mainly involved in ECM receptor interaction, cytokine receptor interaction, chemokine signaling pathway, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase protein kinase B (PI3K-Akt) signaling pathway, phagosome signal, IgA related intestinal immune network signal, these signaling pathways always related to tumor invasion, migration and inflammatory immune response. The protein-protein interaction network analysis showed that the coding protein genes that directly interacted with RCN3 protein that included PRDX6, NOSIP, PCSK6, IMMP1L, PRRG2, FBXO47, FCGRT, FKBP9, PCDHGA12, and PNMAL1, which were mainly involved in the occurrence and development of colorectal cancer, liver cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer. Survival curve analysis showed that the overall survival rate of colon cancer patients with high expression of RCN3 was significantly lower than that of patients with low expression of RCN3 ( P<0.05). Conclusions:RCN3 is highly expressed in colon cancer tissues and cells, which is closely related to the occurrence, development and prognosis of colon cancer. It can be used as one of the markers for early screening and prognosis prediction of colon cancer.

Objective:The characteristics of women with false elevated testosterone were analyze and the literature was reviewed to provide reference for clinical laboratory identification of false elevated testosterone.Methods:The characteristics of three patients with false elevated testosterone in Peking Union Medical College Hospital were analyzed retrospectively, and the results of different detection platforms and methods for the determination of testosterone levels were compared. International and domestic literatures related to false elevation of testosterone and detection methods of testosterone were searched for a comprehensive analysis from PUBMED and CNKI.Results:The levels of testosterone in 3 female patients were elevated by immunoassay and normal by mass spectrometry. They were excluded from the diagnosis of hyperandrogenemia. A total of 38 literatures related to testosterone detection were retrieved, of which 9 case reports of pseudohyperandrogenemia, among which 12 cases of pseudohyperandrogenemia were reported in 2 domestic literatures in 2021. All cases were confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Previous studies have clearly indicated that the result of routine immunoassay in clinical laboratory for the determination of female testosterone have poor correlation with the results of LC-MS/MS, with varying degrees of deviation.Conclusions:Immunoassay tests for female testosterone is susceptible to interference and lead to elevated false results. It is suggested that clinical laboratories evaluate the detection methods used and establish a identification program, and confirm samples with suspected pseudoelevated testosterone elevation using other immune platforms or LC-MS/MS.

Objective:To evaluate the association of maternal nutrition status in the first trimester with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and macrosomia.Methods:378 pregnant women who took prenatal care in Shunyi Women′s and Children′s Hospital of Beijing Children′s Hospital were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were collected at first prenatal visit (<12 gestation weeks) to measure the level of hemoglobin and iron status indexes including serum iron, ferritin, transferrin, total iron binding capacity, iron saturation, transferrin saturation. The incidence of GDM and macrosomia were collected and Logistic regression was used to evaluate the associations of maternal nutrients status in the first trimester with GDM and macrosomia.Results:The incidence rate of GDM was16.9%,the incidence of anemia and iron deficiency in the first trimester were2.4% and 2.5%, respectively. After adjustment for variables such as maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, family history of diabetes, and parity, Logistic regression showed that in the first trimester, iron saturation>50% ( OR=0.238, 95% CI 0.068-0.831), transferrin saturation>50% ( OR=0.08, 95% CI 0.010-0.677) were protective factors of GDM; iron saturation 25%-50% ( OR=0.361, 95% CI 0.143-0.908); transferrin saturation 25%-50% ( OR=0.383, 95% CI 0.165-0.891); ferritin>30 ng/ml ( OR=0.418, 95% CI0.186-0.939) were protective factors of macrosomia. Conclusion:Maternal iron status in the first trimester might be associated with GDM and macrosomia. Thus, maternal iron status assessment in the first trimester is necessary.

Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy is an emerging immunotherapy that has allowed for major breakthroughs in the treatment of hematological neoplasms. However, little progress has been made in the treatment of solid tumors, primarily due to the difficulty in homing to tumor tissues by CAR-T cells during treatment. The complex tumor microenvironment and the barrier function of tumor tissues prevent CAR-T cells from contacting tumor cells, thereby preventing them from exerting their antitumor ac-tivity. This review article summarizes not only the progress made in the study of homing disorders of CAR-T cells in the treatment of solid tumors but also the current methods to overcome these disorders.

BACKGROUND: Accurate serum total thyroxine (TT4) measurement is important for thyroid disorder diagnosis and management. We compared the performance of six automated immunoassays with that of isotope-diluted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (ID-LC-MS/MS) as the reference method. We also evaluated the correlation of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) with TT4 measured by ID-LC-MS/MS and immunoassays. METHODS: Serum was collected from 156 patients between October 2015 and January 2016. TT4 was measured by immunoassays from Abbott (Architect), Siemens (ADVIA Centaur XP), Roche (E601), Beckman-Coulter (Dxi800), Autobio (Autolumo A2000), and Mindray (CL-1000i), and by ID-LC-MS/MS. Results were analyzed using Passing-Bablok regression and Bland-Altman plots. Minimum requirements based on biological variation were as follows: a mean bias of ≤4.5% and total imprecision (CV) of ≤3.7%. RESULTS: All immunoassays showed a correlation >0.945 with ID-LC-MS/MS; however, the slope of the Passing-Bablok regression line varied from 0.886 (Mindray) to 1.23 (Siemens) and the intercept from −12.8 (Siemens) to 4.61 (Mindray). Only Autobio, Beckman-Coulter, and Roche included the value of one in the 95% confidence interval for slope. The mean bias ranged from −10.8% (Abbott) to 9.0% (Siemens), with the lowest value noted for Roche (3.5%) and the highest for Abbott (−10.8%). Only Abbott and Roche showed within-run and total CV ≤3.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Though all immunoassays correlated strongly with ID-LC-MS/MS, most did not meet the minimum clinical requirement. Laboratories and immunoassay manufacturers must be aware of these limitations.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Mass Spectrometry ; Methods ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyrotropin ; Thyroxine

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most resistant malignancy to several treatment strategies. In recent years, the morbidity and mortality of GC has stayed high. Surgical resection remains the main treatment option for GC at present. Although chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and traditional Chinese medicine are used as adjuvant therapies after surgery, the prognosis and five-year survival rate are still low. Currently, there is no effective method for early diagnosis of GC and thus most patients are diagnosed only when the advanced symptoms appear. Exosomes contain and transfer DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, and other biological macromole-cules. Several studies have found that exosomes are involved in tumor processes including cell proliferation and metastasis. In particu-lar, the abundant biological macromolecules present in the exosomes reflect the progress of tumor development thereby enabling them as non-invasive diagnostic markers. This provides a new idea for diagnosing GC in early stages. In this review, the contribution of exosomes to GC metastasis and the applications of exosomes in early GC diagnosis are briefly summarized.

A 72-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital due to chronic cough, expectoration and dyspnea for 10 years,aggravated with intermittent fever for 1 month. She was diagnosed as acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis,chronic pulmonary heart disease,cardiac function class IV,bilateral lower extremity venous thrombosis and thrombocytopenia. The application of antico-agulant drugs and coagulant drugs in the patient needed to be well weighed with the methods of the bleeding score system combined with clinical assessment of actual risk of bleeding. The interactions of drugs harmful to the patient should be considered and the prognosis of the patient should also be evaluated with careful clinical thought to reduce the patient's risk.