ABSTRACT Objective: Interstitial cystitis (IC)/bladder pain syndrome (BPS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause bladder pain and accompanying symptoms, such as long-term urinary frequency and urgency. IC/BPS can be ulcerative or non-ulcerative. The aim of this study was to explore the core genes involved in the pathogenesis of ulcerative IC, and thus the potential biomarkers for clinical treatment. Materials and Methods: First, the gene expression dataset GSE11783 was downloaded using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and analyzed using the limma package in R to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Then, the Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) was used for Gene Ontology (GO) functional analysis, and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) was used for pathway enrichment analysis. Finally, the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed, and key modules and hub genes were determined using the STRING and Cytoscape software. The resulting key modules were then analyzed for tissue-specific gene expression using BioGPS. Results: A total of 216 up-regulated DEGs and 267 down-regulated genes were identified, and three key modules and nine hub genes were obtained. Conclusion: The core genes (CXCL8, CXCL1, IL6) obtained in this study may be potential biomarkers of interstitial cystitis with guiding significance for clinical treatment.

ABSTRACT Background: Clinical situations in intensive care units (ICUs) change rapidly, and many factors may prolong the length of stay (LOS) of patients. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to examine the effects of implementing an electronic-ICU (e-ICU) and an informatics system in an ICU on the LOS of patients and quality of care. Methods: We evaluated the implementation of a technology electronic dashboard-ICU (TED-ICU) system to upload automatically physiological information and clinical data within the critical care unit for providing real-time information to the care team. Furthermore, TED-ICU software automatically performed Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) every 48 h. If a patient’s SOFA score decreased by more than 2 points, there was an automatic reminder for transferring patients to the general ward. We prospectively collected data for this study from the ICU before and after implementing the e-ICU. Results: In total, 2248 patients were admitted to our ICU during the study period (1147 and 1101 patients before and after TED-ICU implementation, respectively). Demographic characteristics and in-hospital mortality rates did not differ significantly between the two groups, and the LOS decreased from 7.26 to 5.53 days (p < 0.01). Conclusion: Implementing an informatics system (TED-ICU) and care bundle in ICUs can reduce the LOS.

Abstract Long-chain non-encoded RNAs (lncRNAs) are important in many life activities and can participate in the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Moreover, lncRNAs can be used as basis for developing new strategies to hinder liver cancer. To investigate the utility of lncRNAs in HCC as potential biomarkers for early detection and diagnosis, we mined genomic data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), and analyzed the gene expressions from 374 tumor patients and 50 normal patients. The abnormal expressions of 387 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs) were identified from a total of 3099 lncRNAs. Moreover, 18 modules were divided based on WGCNA, and 2 of the 18 modules were positively correlated with stage and grade, and negatively correlated with survival time. Finally, 10 lncRNAs were found and their main functions are the enhancement of cellular metabolic capacity and cell proliferation. These 10 lncRNAs may serve as novel prognostic markers and therapeutic targets, and may help guide subsequent studies on HCC.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Mycobacterium vaccae on Jagged 1 and gamma delta T17 (γδT17) cells in asthmatic mice. An asthma mouse model was established through immunization with ovalbumin (OVA). Gamma-secretase inhibitor (DAPT) was used to block the Notch signaling pathway. M. vaccae was used to treat asthma, and related indicators were measured. Blocking Notch signaling inhibited the production of γδT17 cells and secretion of cytokine interleukin (IL)-17, which was accompanied by a decrease in Jagged1 mRNA and protein expression in the treated asthma group compared with the untreated asthma group. Similarly, treatment with M. vaccae inhibited Jagged1 expression and γδT17 cell production, which was associated with decreased airway inflammation and reactivity. The Notch signaling pathway may play a role in the pathogenesis of asthma through the induction of Jagged1 receptor. On the other hand, the inhibitory effect of M. vaccae on Jagged1 receptor in γδT17 cells could be used for the prevention and treatment of asthma.

OBJECTIVES: Anemia and changes in platelets (PLT) are common in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In our study, we aimed to verify whether PLT count can independently reflect the severity of IBD. METHODS: In our hospital, 137 Crohn’s Disease (CD), 69 Ulcerative colitis (UC) patients, and 412 healthy controls were included to compare the differences in PLT count. In addition, the effect of anemia, C-reactive protein (CRP), age, CD activity index (CDAI) or Mayo on PLTs was also analyzed. If PLTs independently affected CD or UC, we used the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve to verify the diagnostic value and obtain the cut-off value of PLT. RESULTS: CD and UC patients had higher PLT than controls (p<0.001, p<0.001; respectively). In CD patients, the results showed that patients with anemia (P<0.01), Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) (p<0.001), CRP≥8 mg/L (p=0.046), and CDAI≥150 (p<0.001) had higher PLT, while in UC patients, those with anemia (p=0.018), CRP≥8 mg/L (p=0.045), and Mayo≥3 (p=0.029) had higher PLT. Univariate analysis showed that CDAI was positively correlated with PLT count (p<0.001), while hemoglobin (p=0.001) and age (p<0.001) were negatively correlated with PLT in CD. In UC patients, Mayo (p=0.001) and CRP (p<0.001) were positively correlated with PLT, while hemoglobin (p=0.002) was negatively correlated. Finally, by linear stepwise multivariate analysis, we clarified the positive relationship between PLT and CD (p<0.001) by eliminating the interference of hemoglobin, and determined the cut-off value of PLT as 298×109/L. For UC, we did not obtain similar results. CONCLUSIONS: PLT can be an indicator of disease severity in CD, while there is a lack of evidence regarding this finding in UC.

Abstract Parthenogenetically activated oocytes cannot develop to term in mammals owing to abnormal epigenetic modifications. Methylation of the N6 position of adenosine (m6A) is a post-transcriptional epigenetic modification of RNA. To investigate the role of m6A methylation in parthenogenetic (PA) embryonic development, we analyzed METTL3, METTL14, FTO, ALKBH5, YTHDF2, IGF2BP1, and IGF2BP2 expression by quantitative real-time PCR. These genes were found dynamically expressed during the 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, and blastocyst stages of the embryo. Compared to normally fertilized embryos, the expression of these genes was perturbed in PA embryos, especially at the 8-cell stage. Furthermore, immunofluorescence was used to detect m6A expression. The results demonstrated that m6A expression decreased in the 2-cell stage, whereas it increased in the 8-cell stage of PA embryos. Taken together, these results suggest that the expression of RNA methylation-related genes was perturbed, leading to abnormal m6A modification during early development in PA embryos.

Abstract Achillinoside was isolated from methanol extract of Achillea alpina L., Asteraceae. The structure of the compound was characterized based on various spectrum data, including IR, HR-ESI-MS, 1D and 2D NMR. The cardiovascular protective effect of achillinoside was tested on H2O2-induced H9c2 cells. In our research, achillinoside could increase the cell viability dose-dependently in H2O2-induced H9c2 cells. In addition, the levels of caspase-3/9 cells were significantly decreased in H2O2 and achillinoside incubated H9c2 cells.

Abstract Purpose: To investigate the effect of intermittent vibration at different intervals on bone fracture healing and optimize the vibration interval. Methods: Ninety sheep were randomized to receive no treatment (the control group), incision only (the sham control group), internal fixation with or without metatarsal fracture (the internal fixation group), and continuous vibration in addition to internal fixation of metatarsal fracture, or intermittent vibration at 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 and 17-day interval in addition to internal fixation of metatarsal fracture (the vibration group). Vibration was done at frequency F=35 Hz, acceleration a=0.25g, 15 min each time 2 weeks after bone fracture. Bone healing was evaluated by micro-CT scan, bone microstructure and mechanical compression of finite element simulation. Results: Intermittent vibration at 7-day interval significantly improved bone fracture healing grade. However, no significant changes on microstructure parameters and mechanical properties were observed among sheep receiving vibration at different intervals. Conclusions: Clinical healing effects should be the top concern. Quantitative analyses of bone microstructure and of finite element mechanics on the process of fracture healing need to be further investigated.

Abstract The sexually dimorphic expression of H19/IGF2 is evolutionarily conserved. To investigate whether the expression of H19/IGF2 in the female porcine eye is sex-dependent, gene expression and methylation status were evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and bisulfite sequencing PCR (BSP). We hypothesized that H19/IGF2 might exhibit a different DNA methylation status in the female eye. In order to evaluate our hypothesis, parthenogenetic (PA) cells were used for analysis by qPCR and BSP. Our results showed that H19 and IGF2 were over-expressed in the female eye compared with the male eye (3-fold and 2-fold, respectively). We observed a normal monoallelic methylation pattern for H19 differentially methylated regions (DMRs). Compared with H19 DMRs, IGF2 DMRs showed a different methylation pattern in the eye. Taken together, these results suggest that elevated expression of H19/IGF2 is caused by a specific chromatin structure that is regulated by the DNA methylation status of IGF2 DMRs in the female eye.

A new zero-waste and zero-pollution composite adhesive labeled Chinese fir-based adhesive for exterior plywood was synthesized by blending alkaline Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) liquid with a small amount of phenol-formaldehyde (PF). The free phenol and free formaldehyde content of the Chinese fir-based adhesive were sharply decreased compared to normal PF resin by more than 50%. The synthetic adhesive show with excellent water resistance and environmental friendliness, which had a 28h boil-dry-boil wet bonding strength of 1,73MPa according to standard JIS K6806-2003 and a formaldehyde emission of 0,045mg/L according to standard JIS A1460-2003. The structural properties and their thermal properties of cured adhesives were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The FT-IR analysis confirmed the expected chemical structure as the Chinese fir liquid reacted with formaldehyde and phenol which occurred at the wavenumbers of 1733, 1698, 1652cm-1 and 1077, 1048 cm-1. Although the DSC results indicated that the Chinese fir-based adhesive's curing need higher temperature than the control PF resin, the higher curing temperature hardly cripple the availability of Chinese fir-based resin in the plywood production.