【Objective】 To investigate the expression of transcription factor POU domain class 2 transcription factor 2 (POU2F2) in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and human renal cancer cell lines (786-O and ACHN) and its effects on the cells’ biological behaviors such as proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. 【Methods】 The mRNA expressions of POU2F2 in ccRCC tissues, adjacent normal tissues, cell lines 786-O and ACHN were detected with real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The protein expression of POU2F2 in ccRCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were detected with immunohistochemistry. The effects of knockdown of POU2F2 on the mRNA and protein expressions of epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT)-related tumor markers were detected with qRT-PCR and Western blot. 【Results】 The mRNA expression of POU2F2 in ccRCC tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues, and was correlated with patients’ gender, WHO/ISUP nuclear grade and TNM stage. The protein expression of POU2F2 was significantly higher in ccRCC tissues than in adjacent normal tissues, and was correlated with tumor pathological grade and TNM stage. The mRNA expression of POU2F2 was significantly decreased in 786-O cells after sh-POU2F2-1013 plasmid transfection (P<0.05); the proliferation ability, clonal formation rate, migration ability and invasion ability were significantly reduced (P<0.05). Knockdown of POU2F2 down-regulated the mRNA and protein expressions of MMP2, MMP9 and Twist in 786-O cells, while up-regulated E-ca expression. 【Conclusion】 The mRNA expression of POU2F2 was significantly up-regulated in ccRCC tissues and renal cancer cells. Knockdown of POU2F2 inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of cells in vitro, and slowed or inhibited the occurrence and development of renal cancer.

Recent studies have revealed great functional and structural heterogeneity in the ribbon-type synapses at the basolateral pole of the isopotential inner hair cell (IHC). This feature is believed to be critical for audition over a wide dynamic range, but whether the spatial gradient of ribbon morphology is fine-tuned in each IHC and how the mitochondrial network is organized to meet local energy demands of synaptic transmission remain unclear. By means of three-dimensional electron microscopy and artificial intelligence-based algorithms, we demonstrated the cell-wide structural quantification of ribbons and mitochondria in mature mid-cochlear IHCs of mice. We found that adjacent IHCs in staggered pairs differ substantially in cell body shape and ribbon morphology gradient as well as mitochondrial organization. Moreover, our analysis argues for a location-specific arrangement of correlated ribbon and mitochondrial function at the basolateral IHC pole.
Animals ; Artificial Intelligence ; Cochlea/metabolism* ; Hair Cells, Auditory, Inner ; Mice ; Mitochondria ; Synapses/metabolism*

Objective:To analyze the risk factors for postoperative one-year mortality in elderly patients with femoral intertrochanteric fracture following multidisciplinary treatment (MDT) by intramedullary nailing.Methods:The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed of the 158 elderly patients with femoral intertrochanteric fracture who had undergone MDT by proximal femoral intramedullary nailing between January 2018 and August 2020 at Department of Orthopedics, Trauma Center, Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University. There were 41 males and 117 females with an average age of 82.5 years (from 65 to 95 years). By the modified Evans classification, there were 15 cases of type Ⅰ, 16 cases of type Ⅱ, 35 cases of type Ⅲ, 81 cases of type Ⅳ, and 11 cases of type Ⅴ. The one-year mortality was documented in the patients after surgery. To screen for risk factors, univariate analysis was conducted of gender, age, body mass index (BMI), modified Evans classification of fractures, time from injury to operation, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) and comorbidities, as well as preoperative hemoglobin (Hb), serum albumin (ALB) and total lymphocyte count (TLC). The factors with P<0.05 were included in the multivariate logistic regression model analysis to determine the risk factors. Results:A total of 13 patients died within one year after surgery, yielding a mortality of 8.2% (13/158). Univariate analysis showed significant differences in age, body mass index, modified Evans classification of fractures, CCI and Hb between the surviving and dead patients ( P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age >85 years ( OR=0.122, 95% CI: 0.018 to 0.834, P=0.032), BMI>23.9 kg/m 2 ( OR=0.083, 95% CI: 0.013 to 0.510, P=0.007), CCI≥3 points ( OR=0.051, 95% CI: 0.090 to 0.275, P=0.001) and preoperative Hb<90 g/L ( OR=4.733, 95% CI: 1.036 to 21.624, P=0.045) were the independent risk factors for postoperative one-year mortality in the elderly patients with intertrochanteric fracture following MDT by proximal femoral intramedullary nailing. Conclusions:After MDT by proximal femoral intramedullary nailing of femoral intertrochanteric fractures, the geriatric patients with an age >85 years, BMI>23.9 kg/m 2, CCI≥3 points and Hb<90 g/L are likely to die. Therefore, special care should be taken for them.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical effect of laparoscopy, choledochoscopy, and duodenoscopy combined with T-tube-free drainage in the treatment of gallstones with common bile duct stones. MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 564 patients with gallstones and common bile duct stones who were admitted to Department of General Surgery, Pudong New Area People’s Hospital, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences, from December 2017 to December 2019. According to the surgical procedure, the patients were divided into laparoscopic transcystic common bile duct exploration (LTCBDE) group with 191 patients, three endoscopies+laparoscopic common bile duct exploration and primary suture (LBEPS) group with 138 patients, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)+endoscopic sphincterotomy (EST)/endoscopic papillary balloon dilation (EPBD)+laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) group with 235 patients. The three groups were analyzed in terms of the general data including sex, age, bile duct diameter, and stone size/number, and surgical condition and complications were compared between groups. A one-way analysis of variance was used for comparison of normally distributed continuous data between groups, and the Kruskal-Wallis H test was used for comparison of non-normally distributed continuous data between groups; the chi-square test was used for comparison of categorical data between groups. ResultsThere were significant differences between the LBEPS group, the ERCP+EST/EPBD+LC group and the LTCBDE group in hospital costs, drainage volume, time to first flatus, length of hospital stay and time to extraction of drainage tube (F=416.40, 7.80, 33.99, 143.70, and 13.08, P＜0.001, P=0.020, P＜0.001, P＜0.001, and P＜0.001). Compared with the LBEPS group and ERCP+EST/EPBD+LC groups, the LTCBDE group had significantly lower hospital costs and a significantly longer time to first flatus, and significantly shorter length of hospital stay and time to extraction of drainage tube(all P＜0.05). No serious complication was observed after surgery, and there was no significant difference in the incidence rate of complications between the three groups (P＞0.05). All patients were discharged successfully after surgery. ConclusionThe three minimally invasive surgical procedures combined with T-tube-free drainage achieve the goal of little trauma and pain, fast postoperative recovery, and few serious complications, among which LTCBDE has the lowest treatment costs and the best postoperative recovery.

Objective:To investigate the expression of Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1(PDK1), phosphorylated Pyruvate dehydrogenase (p-PDH) and Pyruvate kinase isozyme type M2 (PKM2) based on Warburg effect pathway in cervical cancer tissues, and explore the roles of these molecules on prognosis and recurrence after postoperative radiation.Methods:The expressions of PDK1, p-PDH and PKM2 in primary tissues of 102 patients with cervical cancer were detected by immunohistochemistry, including 63 patients receiving postoperative radiation. The expression of the three molecules on prognosis and the efficacy of postoperative radiation on cervical cancer were analyzed separately and corporately.The level of mRNA were verified by using the 300 patients from GEO database. Kaplan-Meier method and COX proportional hazards regression model were used for univariate and multivariate analysis.Results:High expression of PDK1 and all the three indicators (PDK1 high/p-PDH high/PKM2 high) were positively correlated with pelvic lymphnode metastasis ( χ2=10.890, 7.407, P<0.05). PDK1 high/p-PDH high/PKM2 high, Federation International of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging, pelvic lymph node metastasis and postoperative radiation could affect the overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) ( P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that PDK1 high /PDH high/PKM2 high, FIGO staging and postoperative radiation were the independent prognosis factors for OS and DFS( P<0.05). The verification result of the GEO dataset showed that PDK1 high/PDH high/PKM2 high was the risk factor for DFS( P<0.05). Pathological type, pelvic lymph node metastasis and PDK1 high/p-PDH high/PKM2 high could affect the DFS of those patients with postoperative radiation ( P<0.05). In addition, the multivariate analysis showed that pathological type and PDK1 high /p-PDH high/PKM2 high were the independent prognosis factors for DFS( P<0.05). Conclusions:The patients of PDK1 high /p-PDH high/PKM2 high phenotype have poor prognosis and DFS with postoperative radiation, which may be a high-risk group with poor prognosis and high recurrence rate after postoperative radiotherapy of stageⅠ-Ⅱ B cervical cancer.This study provides a novel strategy for stratified treatment of cervical cancer.

Objective:To explore the effect of conducting core stability training (CST) on an unstable supporting surface using thoracolumbar fracture patients with an incomplete spinal cord injury.Methods:Forty thoracolumbar fracture patients with incomplete spinal cord injury were randomly divided into an experiment group and a control group, each of twenty. Both groups received 30 minutes of CST five times per week for 8 weeks. The patients in the control group were trained on a stable supporting surface while those in the experiment group used an unstable surface. Evaluations were conducted before and after the 8-week intervention. Gait and static balance data were collected and analyzed using 3D motion analysis software and an EAB-100 active balancer.Results:After the intervention, the average stride length and comfortable walking speed of the experimental group were both significantly better than the control group′s averages. Moreover, the path length, circumferential area, rectangular area and effective value area of the Romberg rate were all significantly better, on average, in the experiment group, as was the average displacement of the deflection center with the eyes closed in static balance.Conclusions:An unstable supporting surface is superior to a stable one for conducting CST after thoracolumbar fracture with incomplete spinal cord injury. The effect may be due to improved nonvisual postural control.

Objective To examine the dosimetric advantages of three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT)-guided interstitial brachytherapy (BT) for target volume and surrounding normal tissue in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer,and to provide a simple and effective clinical treatment approach.Methods A total of 52 patients who had poor tumor response to external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) with a residual tumor greater than 5 cm at the time of BT were included.The patients were treated by 3D CT-guided interstitial BT using a hybrid applicator comprised of uterine tandem and free metal needles.The high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV),intermediate-risk clinical target volume (IR-CTV),and organs at risk (OAR) were contoured.The total dose,including external beam radiotherapy and high dose-rate BT,was biologically normalized to conventional 2 Gy fractions (EQD2).D90and D100for both HR-CTV and IR-CTV,and D2 ccfor the bladder,rectum,and sigmoid were analyzed.Results The mean D90value for HR-CTV was 88.4±3.5 Gy.The D2 ccfor the bladder,rectum,and sigmoid were 81.1±5.6,65.7±5.1,and 63.1±5.4 Gy,respectively.D2 cc≤90 Gy for the bladder and D2 cc≤70 Gy for the sigmoid were observed in all the patients.D2 cc≤70 Gy for the rectum was observed in 89% of patients.Conclusions 3DCT-guided interstitial BT has a significant dosimetric advantage for target volume accompanied by few minor complications,and thereby may be clinically feasible for treating locally advanced cervical cancer.However,its long-term efficacy and possible toxicities will require further clinical observation.

Objective: To investigate the contamination levels and dietary intakes of seven mycotoxins in Chinese diets. Methods: In Chinese Total Diet Study, food aggregation was based on the food consumption of local residents, thus generating the sampling scheme. According to the sampling scheme, the food items were sampled at three survey points in each province and then mixed in the same proportion. The mixed dietary samples were prepared after being cooked and processed. The samples comprised of 13 categories of food: cereals, beans, potatoes, meat, eggs, aquatic products, milk, vegetables, fruits, saccharides, beverages and drinking water, alcohol, and condiments. Condiments were used in cooking, so there were in total 12 varieties of samples for determination. Altogether, the study included 240 mixed dietary samples from 20 provinces with 12 varieties. The contamination levels of the seven mycotoxins, including sterigmatocystin (SMC), citrinin (CIT), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), moniliformin (MON), gliotoxin (GLIO), mycophenolateacid (MPA) and verruculogen (Verru), were analyzed by UPLC-MS/MS method, and dietary intakes of residents were estimated as well. Results: Among the detected seven mycotoxins, MPA,GLIO and Verru were not detected. The content range of CPA in beans was 0.47-1.57 μg/kg and in alcohol was 0.19-2.26 μg/kg, and the detection rate of CPA was 7.1% (17/240). The content of SMC in aquatic products of Guangxi, in saccharides of Beijing, and in beverages of Liaoning was 2.88 μg/kg, 0.01 μg/kg, and 0.53 μg/kg, respectively. The content range of SMC in aquatic products was 0.70-1.76 μg/kg, and the detection rate was 2.9% (7/240). In addition, the content of CIT in fruit of Sichuan was 5.31 μg/kg, and the content of MON in milk of Jilin was 3.60 μg/kg. According to the dietary exposure analysis, the exposure levels of the seven mycotoxins in China's general population were low. MPA, GLIO and Verru were not detected, and the exposure range of the other four mycotoxins were 0.000-8.132 (CIT), 0.000-27.448 (SMC), 0.000-3.026 (CPA), and 0.000-62.847 ng·kg^-1·d^-1 (MON), respectively. Conclusion In the detected seven mycotoxins, CPA, SMC, CIT and MON were detected only in the individual diet in some areas with a low dietary exposure level. However, the contamination level of CPA in alcohol merits attention.

Objective To investigate the dosimetric difference between inverse planning simulated annealing(IPSA)and manual optimized plan for isodose line in interstitial brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer and to provide a better optimization method for clinical application. Methods A total of 104 patients with cervical cancer were enrolled in this study. They received pelvic external beam radiotherapy and interstitial brachytherapy in five fractions. Both IPSA and manual optimized plan for isodose line were used to optimize the dose in each fraction. Dose volume parameters of the two plans were compared to analyze the dosimetric outcome by paired t-test. Results There were no significant differences in mean D 90and D 100for high-risk clinical target volume(HR-CTV)and D 90for intermediate-risk clinical target volume(IR-CTV)between the two groups(P>0.05). The IPSA group had a significantly higher D 100for IR-CTV than the manual optimized group(58.36±2.06 Gy vs. 53.99±2.17 Gy, P=0.025). For organs at risk,the IPSA group had a significantly lower mean rectum D 2ccand a significantly higher bladder D 2ccthan the manual optimized group(68.53± 2.85 Gy vs. 71.77± 1.79 Gy, P=0.002;80.49± 3.36 Gy vs. 78.71± 2.64 Gy,P=0.034). There was no significant difference in sigmoid D 2ccbetween the two groups(P>0.05). The IPSA group had significantly higher relative dose homogeneity index(HI)and conformity index (CI)of radiation dose for target volume than the manual optimized group(P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in overdose volume index(OI)between the two groups(P= 0. 1 0 7).Conclusions Compared with manual optimized plan for isodose line, IPSA can improve the dose distribution of tumor tissue,reduce mean rectum D 2cc,and increase CI and HI,so it is a preferable optimized treatment planning method in clinical application.

The inhibition effects of the extracts of five Verbenaceae herbs, Clerodendrum fortunatum L. , Clerodendrum japonicum(Thunb. )Sweet, Clerodendrum philippinum Schauer var. simplex Moldenke, Callicarpa longissima(Hemsl. )Merr. and Pygmaeopremna herbacea, were investigated by cell hemolysis model in vitro on classical and alternative complement activation pathways. The water extracts of Pygmaeopremna herbacea, the water extract and the ethanol extract of Clerodendrum fortunatum L. , the water extract and the ethanol extract of Callicarpa longissima(Hemsl. )Merr. , the ethanol extracts of Clerodendrum japonicum(Thunb. )Sweet and Clerodendrum philippinum Schauer var. simplex Moldenke showed inhibition cell hemolysis effects on the classical pathway. Their CH50 values were 0. 092±0. 008, 0. 074±0. 008, 0. 088±0. 006, 0. 134±0. 017, 0. 123±0. 010, 0. 380±0. 080, and 0. 200±0. 015 g/L, respectively. The water extracts of Pygmaeopremna herbacea and Callicarpa longissima(Hemsl. )Merr. and the ethanol extract of Clerodendrum fortunatum L. showed inhibition cell hemolysis effects on alternative pathway. Their AP50 values were 0. 533±0. 033, 0. 758±0. 031, and 0. 362±0. 029 g/L, respectively. Five Verbenaceae herbs appear good anticomplementary effects in vitro. The ethanol extract of Clerodendrum fortunatum L. showed the best inhibitory activity.