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9% vs. 82.0%, respectively (p = 0.102). Laparoscopic surgery for colon cancer is an acceptable surgical approach in elderly patients.MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as gene expression switches, and participate in diverse pathophysiological processes of spinal cord injury (SCI). Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) can alleviate pathological injury and facilitate functional recovery after SCI. However, the mechanisms by which OECs restore function are not well understood. This study aims to determine whether silencing miR-199a-5p would enhance the beneficial effects of the OECs. In this study, we measured miR-199a-5p levels in rat spinal cords with and without injury, with and without OEC transplants. Then, we transfected OECs with the sh-miR-199a-5p lentiviral vector to reduce miR-199a-5p expression and determined the effects of these OECs in SCI rats by Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor scores, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and histological methods. We used western blotting to measure protein levels of Slit1, Robo2, and srGAP2. Finally, we used the dual-luciferase reporter assay to assess the relationship between miR-199-5p and Slit1, Robo2, and srGAP2 expression. We found that SCI significantly increased miR-199a-5p levels (P less then 0.05), and OEC transplants significantly reduced miR-199a-5p expression (P less then 0.05). Knockdown of miR-199a-5p in OECs had a better therapeutic effect on SCI rats, indicated by higher BBB scores and fractional anisotropy values on DTI, as well as histological findings. Reducing miR-199a-5p levels in transplanted OECs markedly increased spinal cord protein levels of Slit1, Robo2, and srGAP2. Our results demonstrated that transplantation of sh-miR-199a-5p-modified OECs promoted functional recovery in SCI rats, suggesting that miR-199a-5p knockdown was more beneficial to the therapeutic effects of OEC transplants. These findings provided new insights into miRNAs-mediated therapeutic mechanisms of OECs, which helps us to develop therapeutic strategies based on miRNAs and optimize cell therapy for SCI.The association between the polymorphism of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and risk of radiation pneumonitis has been extensively investigated; however, conclusive results were unavailable. Eligible studies were identified from the database of Medline, Web of Science, EMBASE, and CNKI (China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database) up to September 2019. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were used to assess the strength of the relationship. The results showed that there were associations between TGF 869 T/C (rs1982073) and risks of radiation pneumonitis. Subgroup analyses showed that TGF 869 T/C was associated with risk of radiation pneumonitis in Caucasians (OR [95% CI] 0.45 [0.31 to 0.67] for C carriers vs. TT). In addition, subgroup analyses also suggested that the C allele was associated with decreased risks of radiation pneumonitis among hospital-based case-control studies (0.56 [0.39 to 0.82] for C carriers vs. TT). Meanwhile, C allele was also suggested to be associated with decreased risk of radiation pneumonitis among PCC (0.60 [0.38 to 0.96] for C carriers vs. TT). Especially, C allele was also found to be associated with decreased risk of radiation pneumonitis from the participants with lung cancer (0.57 [0.37 to 0.90] for C carriers vs. TT). Our meta-analysis shows that T allele in TGF 869 T/C is significantly associated with the increased risk of radiation pneumonitis, especially for Caucasians, and for the participants with lung cancer.Objectives The theory of "Cognitive Reserve" assumes that premorbid factors such as high educational and occupational attainment may enable a better way of coping with brain damage. It has been suggested that more stimulating lifestyles, including more complex work environments, may provide a buffer against cognitive decline in later life. This study aimed to investigate the association between occupational history and cognitive decline in a large cohort of Italian oldest-old.Methods 392 individuals (266 women/126 men, mean age 93 ± 3 years) enrolled in the "Mugello study" provided information about their work history. learn more Jobs were classified in nine categories, according to the level of expertise required to perform them, as suggested by the Italian National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT). In addition, socio-demographic characteristics, comorbidities, level of independence, depression, and cognitive status were assessed. The presence of dementia was established based on cognitive status and independence in performing four selected instrumental activities of daily living (ability to manage telephone, transportation, medications, and budget).Results Neither work complexity (p = 0.995) nor work duration (p = 0.701) showed a significant effect on the likelihood of presenting a lower cognitive profile or developing dementia (p = 0.385 and p = 0.096, for work complexity and work duration, respectively).Conclusion In the observed sample of oldest-old individuals, cognitive decline did not seem to be influenced by cognitive reserve as assessed through the evaluation of cognitive status and level of independence. It is conceivable that in this population, the decline of the brain reserve has a preponderant role in the definition of the cognitive profile.BACKGROUND Fetal aortic valvuloplasty (FAV) may prevent progression of midgestation aortic stenosis to hypoplastic left heart syndrome. However, FAV has well-established risks, and its survival benefit remains unknown. Our primary aim was to determine whether FAV for midgestation aortic stenosis increases survival from fetal diagnosis to age 6 years. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed a retrospective analysis of 143 fetuses who underwent FAV from 2000 to 2017 and a secondary analysis of the Pediatric Heart Network Single Ventricle Reconstruction trial. Using these results, we developed a decision model to estimate probability of transplant-free survival from fetal diagnosis to age 6 years and postnatal restricted mean transplant-free survival time. FAV was technically successful in 84% of 143 fetuses with fetal demise in 8%. Biventricular circulation was achieved in 50% of 111 live-born infants with successful FAV but in only 16% of the 19 patients with unsuccessful FAV. The model projected overlapping probabilities of transplant-free survival to age 6 years at 75% (95% CI, 67%-82%) with FAV versus 72% (95% CI, 61%-82%) with expectant fetal management, resulting in a restricted mean transplant-free survival time benefit of 1.