Int J Med Sci
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Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) represents a novel onco-therapeutic approach that has demonstrated its efficacy in many types of tumors. The efficacy of CAP is dose-dependent that determines the panel of tumors feasible for receiving CAP treatment under a certain parameter configuration. Identifying markers for easy and fast prognosis of tumors' sensitivity in response to CAP exposure is of critical value towards optimized therapeutic outcome, the lack of which has largely limited the translation of CAP into clinics. ⋯ Yet we warrant the use of hsa_circRNA_0040462 as an onco-therapeutic target given its double-edged roles on breast cancer progression, i.e., suppressive on the growth and promotive on the migrative ability of triple negative breast cancer cells. Our study for the first time focused on markers prognostic of CAP's efficacy and tumors' sensitivity to CAP treatment under a certain parameter configuration, and reported hsa_circRNA_0040462 as a sensor of cells' response to CAP treatment. Also, the uncovered dual roles of hsa_circRNA_0040462 further advanced our knowledge on the complex yet critical regulatory functionalities of circular RNAs in cancer progression.
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Background: Left ventricular (LV) global area strain (GAS) is a novel index derived from resting 3D speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE), and its clinical significance has rarely been studied. We examined the association of LV GAS and exercise capacity in a health check-up population. Methods: We recruited 94 symptom-free participants (52.2 ± 11.7 years, 62.8% male) without substantial structural heart disease or coronary heart diseases who were undergoing a routine health examination. ⋯ LV GAS3d (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.10-1.39, P < 0.001) was an independent predictor of impaired exercise capacity and the optimal cut-off value was -19.96% at a sensitivity of 77.8% and at a specificity of 92.1%. LV GAS3d could improve the discriminatory power of exercise capacity in individuals with early mitral filling velocity to average mitral annulus velocity ratio (E/e') ≥ 8. Conclusions: LV GAS3d was significantly associated with exercise time and exhibited incremental predictive value on E/e' for exercise capacity in participants undergoing treadmill exercise test.
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Background: The most common spinal disorder in elderly is lumbar spinal canal stenosis (LSCS). Previous studies showed that ligamentum flavum hypertrophy (LFH) with fibrosis as the main pathological change is one of the pathogenic factors leading to LSCS. Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) is known to have an intimate relationship with fibrosis in various tissues. ⋯ Meanwhile, pEGFR, TGF-β1, pSmad3, collagen I and collagen III protein expression was significantly enhanced in LF cells after exogenous EGF exposure, which can be notably blocked by erlotinib. In addition, pSmad3, collagen I and collagen III protein expression was blocked by TGF-β1-neutralizing antibody. Conclusions: EGF promotes the synthesis of collagen I and collagen III via the TGF-β1/Smad3 signaling pathway, which eventually contributes to LFH.
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Background: About 10% of gastric cancer (GC) has been described to be Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) positive. Previous researches have described the association between EBV and GC. However, the association of EBV with atrophic gastritis (AG) is underrecognized. ⋯ There was no significant association between EBV and H. pylori co-infection with increased risk of AG (P>0.05). Conclusion: EBV infection significantly increased the risk of AG, especially in H. pylori-negative patients. The circulating EBV DNA had a potential in predicting the risk of atrophic gastritis.
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Background: Previous microarray analysis on peripheral blood leukocytes from three patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) showed that elevated expression of membrane bound o-acyltransferase domain containing 7(MBOAT7) relative to control. To further verify these findings, we investigated more patients and explored the possible mechanisms in vitro. Objective: To study alterations in MBOAT7 expression in leukocytes after AMI, and to explore the relationship between MBOAT7 and lipid metabolism pathways in hepatocytes in vitro. ⋯ Triglyceride levels increased after MBOAT7 silencing (118.40 ± 2.26 vs 70.54 ± 0.25 for control, P<0.0001), as did those of cholesterol (628.30 ± 8.89 vs 544.70 ± 11.04, P = 0.0041) but were not altered on MBOAT7 overexpression. Conclusion: MBOAT7 did not affect the metabolism of triglycerides in hepatocytes through fatty acid synthesis and decomposition pathways. The MBOAT7 level in the peripheral blood can be used as a marker for acute myocardial infarction but cannot be used as a single therapeutic target to regulate lipid metabolism.