In allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients, reactivation of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) can cause post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), which may rapidly ...progress to multiorgan failure and even death. Development of EBV PTLD correlates very closely with use of anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) and type of transplant. To assess the incidences and clinical features of EBV DNAemia and PTLD in the setting of stem cell transplantation using unmanipulated G-CSF-primed allogeneic peripheral blood stem cells as graft, we performed a retrospective analysis of stem cell transplantation from HLA-matched sibling donors (MSD-SCT,
n
= 90) or HLA-haploidentical related donors (HID-SCT,
n
= 110) in patients with hematological malignancies. All of HID-SCT recipients and 27.8% of MSD-SCT recipients received an ATG-containing conditioning regimen. One-year cumulative incidence of EBV DNAemia was 44.1%, ranging from 4.8% in MSD-SCT recipients not using ATG to 20.0% in MSD-SCT recipients using ATG, and 73.7% in HID-SCT recipients. Risk factors for EBV reactivation included use of ATG (
p =
0.008), male donor (
p =
0.034), and cytomegalovirus DNAemia (
p <
0.001). One-year incidence of EBV PTLD was 11.9%, ranging from 1.8% in recipients of MSD-SCT not using ATG to 4.4% in recipients of MSD-SCT using ATG, and 23.5% in recipients of HID-SCT. Risk factors for PTLD after HID-SCT included in fludarabine-containing conditioning regimen (
p
= 0.010), cytomegalovirus DNAemia (
p
= 0.036), and patient’s age < 40-yr (
p
= 0.032). Two-year non-relapse mortality was higher for patients with EBV DNAemia than those without EBV DNAemia (35.8% vs. 15.3%,
p =
0.002). One-year relapse-free survival and overall survival among patients with PTLD were 40.2% and 44.9%, respectively, as opposed to 63.4% and 68.4% among patients without PTLD (both
p
< 0.05). In multivariate analyses, EBV DNAemia predicted a lower risk of relapse (
p =
0.025), while PTLD was a marginally significant predictor of relapse (
p =
0.092). This study identified patients at risk of EBV reactivation and PTLD after unmanipulated allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.
In the revision on the genus
Impatiens
L. in China, we found that there were synonyms amongst some species.
Impatiens procumbens
Franch. morphologically resembled
I. reptans
Hook.f.,
I. crassiloba
...Hook.f.,
I. ganpiuana
Hook.f.,
I. atherosepala
Hook.f. and
I. rhombifolia
Y.Q.Lu & Y.L.Chen. After a thorough morphological study, based on original literature, type specimens and field surveys, it was found that the above six species of
Impatiens
had no substantial differences in morphological characters and there was continuity in geographical distribution. Therefore, we determined that
I. reptans
,
I. crassiloba
,
I. ganpiuana
,
I. atherosepala
and
I. rhombifolia
are the synonyms of
I. procumbens
. At the same time, we present the color photographs, supplementary descriptions of morphology, and geographical distribution. The lectotype of
I. procumbens
and
I. reptans
are also designated here.
Impatiens liupanshuiensis
(Balsamianceae), belonging to I. subgen. Impatiens, is recognised as a new species from Guizhou, China and it is described and illustrated. It is morphologically similar to
...I. xanthocephala
W.W. Sm. in its yellow flowers, extremely small basal lobes on lateral united petals, broadly-dolabriform distal lobes and funnelform lower sepal. However, it is distinctive in the number of lateral sepals, teeth on the margin of lateral sepals, the recurvature of the dorsal petal, the number of lateral veins, the shape and size of the lamina and the type of lamina margin. A detailed description of the new species and colour photographs are provided. Its geographical distribution and morphology are also compared to similar species.
Impatiens bijieensis
X.X. Bai & L.Y. Ren,
sp. nov.
from northwest Guizhou Province, China, is described and illustrated. This new species is distributed discontinuously in Jiulongshan, Dafang County ...and Dajiucaiping, Hezhang County, both of which are in the Wumeng Mountain area, a karst plateau landform. The new species is morphologically similar to
I. pterosepala
Hook.f.,
I. lasiophyton
Hook.f. and
I. leptocaulon
Hook.f. in height and flower shape and it especially resembles
I. lasiophyton
in pilosity. However, it differs in its deep purplish-red flower, 2-lobed lower sepal apex and cylindrical capsule. A detailed description, colour photographs and a provisional IUCN Red List assessment are provided along with discussions of its geographical distribution, ecology and morphological relationships with other similar species.
Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been reported to suppress immune function. However, previous studies on prenatal exposure to PFASs and allergic disorders in offspring ...provided inconsistent results. We aimed to examine the association between prenatal exposure to PFASs and childhood atopic dermatitis (AD) in offspring up to 24 months of age.
A prospective birth cohort study involving 1056 pregnant women was conducted in two hospitals in Shanghai from 2012 to 2015. Prenatal information was collected by an interview with the women and from medical records. Fetal umbilical cord blood was collected at birth. Cord blood plasma PFASs were measured. Children were followed at 6, 12 and 24 months and information on the development of AD was recorded. AD was diagnosed by 2 dermatologists independently based on the questionnaires. Multiple logistic regression was used to compute odds ratio (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for the association between AD and each PFASs, adjusting for potential confounders.
A total of 687 children completed a 2-year follow-up visit and had PFASs measurement. AD was diagnosed in 173 (25.2%) children during the first 24 months. In female children, a log-unit increase in perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was associated with a 2.1-fold increase in AD risk (AOR 2.07, 95% CI 1.13-3.80) after adjusting for potential confounders. The corresponding risk was 2.22 (1.07-4.58) for perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA). The highest PFOA quartile was significantly associated with AD (2.52, 1.12-5.68) compared with the lowest quartile. The highest quartile of PFNA, perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS) were associated with AD with AOR (95% CI) being 2.14 (0.97-4.74), 2.14 (1.00-4.57), and 2.30 (1.03-5.15), respectively. Additionally, the second quartile of perfluorododecanoic acid (PFDoA) was associated with a 3.2-fold increase in AD risk (3.24, 1.44-7.27). However, no significant associations were found in male children.
Prenatal exposure to PFOA, PFDA, PFDoA and PFHxS significantly increased the risk of childhood AD in female children during the first 24 months of life. In addition, the associations between AD with prenatal exposure to PFNA were close to statistical significance.
Herein reported is the first two-dimensional coordination polymer capable of undergoing thermally induced and photoinduced valence tautomeric transitions.
The Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) underwater volcano triggered giant atmospheric shock waves propagating around the world. These shock waves were the major factor for the changes in numerous ...geophysical parameters. A novel multi-instrumental array is located ~ 10,275 km northwest of the HTHH volcano. Most instruments of the array were installed within ~ 400 m
2
for monitoring vibrations and perturbations in the lithosphere, atmosphere, and ionosphere. The multiple instruments captured the eruption-associated disturbances with various scales ranging from minutes to hours over the certain location, simultaneously, which offer an excellent opportunity for investigating the geosphere coupling. The primary phenomena of the eruption-associated disturbances are the long-period changes (period of ~ 2 h) in the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) and the magnetic field in the upper atmosphere (above 100 km altitude), indicating the interactions of the ionospheric electrodynamics. The secondary phenomena included the wind disturbances at ~ 3000 m altitude, which contribute to short-period changes (periods of up to ten minutes) in air pressure, ground vibrations, and atmospheric electric field. The near-surface disturbances propagate upward with a near acoustic speed that causes short-period variations in the geomagnetic field and TEC. The primary changes in ionospheric electrodynamics, wind disturbance in the lower atmosphere, and its upward propagation, as well as the resonance, enrich our understanding of the geosphere coupling.
MicroRNAs (miRs) play important roles in tumor progression. miR-936 has been reported to suppress cell invasion and proliferation of glioma and non-small cell lung cancer. Nevertheless, the function ...of miR-936 in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) remains undiscovered. Hence, our study was to investigate the role of miR-936 in LSCC. In our present research, we have testified that miR-936 was substantially downregulated in LSCC tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, miR-936 could inhibit proliferation, migration and invasion, and improve the sensitivity to doxorubicin and cisplatin of LSCC cells. Additionally, luciferase reporter assays were performed to confirm that GPR78 was a novel target of miR-936, and the protein expression of GPR78 was obviously inhibited by miR-936 in LSCC cells. In summary, our study indicates that the miR-936/GPR78 axis could be both a diagnostic marker and a therapeutic target for LSCC.
Abstract
Background
Preterm birth (PTB, < 37 completed weeks’ gestation) is one of the global public health concerns. Epidemiologic evidence on the potential impact of perfluoroalkyl substances ...(PFAS) on PTB is still limited and inconsistent. We aimed to investigate the associations between prenatal PFAS exposure and PTB among singleton live births.
Methods
We studied 2849 mother-infant pairs in the Shanghai Birth Cohort (SBC) from 2013 to 2016. Ten PFAS in maternal plasma in early pregnancy (gestational age, median (interquartile range): 15 (13–16) weeks) were measured. Primary outcomes were duration of gestation, PTB, spontaneous PTB and clinically indicated PTB. A linear regression model was used to assess the associations between ln-transformed PFAS and duration of gestation (in weeks). Logistic regression models were applied to estimate the relative risks of these outcomes.
Results
The incidence of overall PTB was 4.8% (95% confidence limit: 4.0–5.6%,
n
= 136) in this study population. In the linear regression analyses, PFAS were not associated with the duration of gestation after controlling for potential confounders. In the multiple logistic models, no significant associations were observed between PFAS and overall PTB, spontaneous or indicated PTB.
Conclusion
In this prospective cohort study, we did not observe significant associations between maternal plasma PFAS concentrations in early pregnancy and gestational length, overall PTB, spontaneous or indicated PTB.
ObjectiveLupus nephritis (LN) is a major complication and cause of death among patients with SLE. This research used in vivo and in vitro experiments to explore the therapeutic potential of metformin ...in kidney injury from LN-induced inflammation.MethodsIn vivo study, 8-week-old MRL/MpJ-Faslpr/J (MRL/lpr) mice were randomly divided into two groups (n=12 each): daily administration of 0.3 mg/mL metformin in drinking water and control (water only). Body weight and urinary samples were measured biweekly. Mice were sacrificed after 8-week treatment to harvest serum, lymph nodes, spleen and kidneys. In vitro study, human kidney-2 (HK-2) cells were pretreated with 1 mM metformin for 1 hour and then stimulated with 20 µg/mL lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or 10 ng/mL tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) for another 48 hours. Protein was collected for subsequent analysis.ResultsWe found that metformin administration improved renal function in MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice, measured by decreased urea nitrogen and urinary proteins. Metformin reduced immunoglobulin G and complement C3 deposition in glomeruli. The treatment also downregulated systemic and renal inflammation, as seen in decreased renal infiltration of F4/80-positive macrophages and reduced splenic and renal MCP-1 (monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) and TNF-α, and renal IL-1β (interleukin 1β) expression. Metformin administration decreased renal expression of necroptosis markers p-RIPK1 (phosphorylated receptor-interacting protein kinase 1) and p-MLKL, along with tubular injury marker KIM-1 (kidney injury molecule-1) in lupus mice. In addition, metformin alleviated the necroptosis of HK-2 cells stimulated by LPS and TNF-α, evidencing by a decrease in the expression of necroptosis markers p-RIPK1, p-RIPK3 and p-MLKL, and the inflammasome-related markers NLRP3 (NLR family pyrin domain containing 3), ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD), caspase-1. Mechanistically, metformin treatment upregulated p-AMPK (phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase) and downregulated p-STAT3 (phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) expression in the kidneys. Moreover, AMPKα2 knockdown abolished the protective effects of metformin in vitro.ConclusionsMetformin alleviated kidney injury in LN though suppressing renal necroptosis and inflammation via the AMPK/STAT3 pathway.
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