Humphreymalloy1195

Low expression of tumor suppressor microRNA (miRNA) and high expression of carcinogenic miRNA promote the occurrence and progression of human cancer. Most studies show that miR-145 is a tumor suppressor miRNA, and is closely related to the clinicopathology of breast cancer. However, the results are still inconsistent. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis on the basis of eligible studies to summarize the possible correlation between miR-145 and the clinicopathology and prognosis of breast cancer. Using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Wanfang and CNKI, we searched all published papers written in either English or Chinese on miR-145 expression in breast cancer from 1990 to November 2019 for meta-analysis. We used standardized mean difference (SMD) to evaluate the differential expression of miR-145 in breast cancer tissues and adjacent normal tissues or normal breast tissues. We found that miR-145 expression was significantly lower in breast cancer tissues than that in adjacent normal tissues (SMD = -2.93, P less then 0.0001) and in healthy women (SMD = -0.52, P=0.009). miR-145 expression was lower in breast cancer patients with ER-positive (SMD = 0.65, P less then 0.001), HER-2-positive (SMD = -1.04, P less then 0.001), compared with their counterparts, respectively. In addition, breast cancer patients with low expression of miR-145 had larger tumor diameters (SMD = -1.97, P less then 0.001) and lymph node metastasis (SMD = -1.75, P less then 0.001) that are unfavorable prognostic factors. Conclusion Low miR-145 is observed in breast cancer, which is closely related to molecular subtypes and unfavorable factors of breast cancer. see more indicate that miR-145 is tumor suppressor miRNA, and may be a potential diagnostic and prognostic marker in breast cancer.

Patients with craniopharyngioma suffer from obesity and impaired bone health. Little is known about longitudinal changes in body composition and bone mineral density (BMD).

To describe body composition and BMD (change).

Retrospective longitudinal study.

Two Dutch/Swedish referral centers.

Patients with craniopharyngioma (n = 112) with a dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan available (2 DXA scans, n = 86; median Δtime 10.0 years; range 0.4-23.3) at age ≥ 18 years (58 [52%] male, 50 [45%] childhood onset).

Longitudinal changes of body composition and BMD, and associated factors of ΔZ-score (sex and age standardized).

BMI (from 28.8 ± 4.9 to 31.2 ± 5.1 kg/m2, P < .001), fat mass index (FMI) (from 10.5 ± 3.6 to 11.9 ± 3.8 kg/m2, P = .001), and fat free mass index (FFMI) (from 18.3 ± 3.2 to 19.1 ± 3.2 kg/m2, P < .001) were high at baseline and increased. Fat percentage and Z-scores of body composition did not increase, except for FFMI Z-scores (from 0.26 ± 1.62 to 1.06 ± 2.22, P < .001). Z-scores of total body, L2-L4, femur neck increased (mean difference 0.61 ± 1.12, P < .001; 0.74 ± 1.73, P < .001; 0.51 ± 1.85, P = .02). Linear regression models for ΔZ-score were positively associated with growth hormone replacement therapy (GHRT) (femur neck beta 1.45 [95% CI 0.51-2.39]); and negatively with radiotherapy (femur neck beta -0.79 [-1.49 to -0.09]), glucocorticoid dose (total body beta -0.06 [-0.09 to -0.02]), and medication to improve BMD (L2-L4 beta -1.06 [-1.84 to -0.28]).

Z-scores of BMI, fat percentage, and FMI remained stable in patients with craniopharyngioma over time, while Z-scores of FFMI and BMD increased. #link# Higher glucocorticoid dose and radiotherapy were associated with BMD loss and GHRT with increase.

Z-scores of BMI, fat percentage, and FMI remained stable in patients with craniopharyngioma over time, while Z-scores of FFMI and BMD increased. Higher glucocorticoid dose and radiotherapy were associated with BMD loss and GHRT with increase.

Prenatal dexamethasone (DEX) treatment is sometimes used in pregnancies at risk for congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) to prevent virilization in female fetuses with CAH. In boys and in fetuses not having CAH, there is no benefit of early DEX treatment and the risks of this therapy must be thoroughly investigated. High doses of prenatal glucocorticoid might alter the developmental trajectory of the brain into adulthood, even for CAH unaffected subjects treated with DEX for a short term during the first trimester.

The present study investigated brain activation during working memory performance in DEX-treated subjects compared with controls.

We tested 18 participants who were exposed to DEX during the first trimester of fetal life but did not have CAH (8 females; mean age 20.78 [standard deviation (SD), 2.67] years) and 40 control participants (24 females; mean age 20.53 [SD, 2.64]) from a single research institute. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging on a 3T scanner during a verbal and visuospatial working memory task.

We did not observe any differences in brain activity during working memory performance. However, DEX-treated subjects responded faster during the experimental condition of the verbal WM task.

First trimester DEX treatment did not seem to result in altered working memory-related brain activity at adult age. Our findings contribute to the risk-benefit assessment of prenatal DEX treatment in the context of CAH.

First trimester DEX treatment did not seem to result in altered working memory-related brain activity at adult age. Our findings contribute to the risk-benefit assessment of prenatal DEX treatment in the context of CAH.Geminiviruses constitute one of the largest families of plant viruses and they infect many economically important crops. The proteins encoded by the single-stranded DNA genome of these viruses interact with a wide range of host proteins to cause global dysregulation of cellular processes and help establish infection in the host. Geminiviruses have evolved numerous mechanisms to exploit host epigenetic processes to ensure the replication and survival of the viral genome. link2 Here, we review our current knowledge of diverse epigenetic processes that have been implicated in the regulation of geminivirus pathogenesis, including DNA methylation, histone post-transcriptional modification, chromatin remodelling, and nucleosome repositioning. In addition, we discuss the currently limited evidence of host epigenetic defence responses that are aimed at counteracting geminivirus infection, and the potential for exploiting these responses for the generation of resistance against geminiviruses in crop species.

A comprehensive characterization of racial/ethnic variations in vitamin D metabolism markers may improve our understanding of differences in bone and mineral homeostasis and the risk of vitamin D-related diseases.

Describe racial/ethnic differences in vitamin D metabolism markers and their associations with genetic ancestry.

In a cross-sectional study within the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), we compared a comprehensive panel of vitamin D metabolism markers across self-reported racial/ethnic groups of Black (N = 1759), White (N = 2507), Chinese (N = 788), and Hispanic (N = 1411). We evaluated associations of proportion African and European ancestry with this panel of markers in Black and Hispanic participants using ancestry informative markers. Latent class analysis evaluated associations between patterns of vitamin D measurements with race/ethnicity.

Compared with Black participants, White participants had significantly higher serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D and fibroblast hydroxyvitamin D production, and be attributable, at least partly, to genetic ancestry.Automated image analysis methods have shown potential for replicating expert interpretation of histology and endoscopy images, which traditionally require highly specialized and experienced reviewers. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnosis, severity assessment, and treatment decision-making require multimodal expert data interpretation and integration, which could be significantly aided by applications of machine learning analyses. This review introduces fundamental concepts of machine learning for imaging analysis and highlights research and development of automated histology and endoscopy interpretation in IBD. Proof-of-concept studies strongly suggest that histologic and endoscopic images can be interpreted with similar accuracy as knowledge experts. Encouraging results support the potential of automating existing disease activity scoring instruments with high reproducibility, speed, and accessibility, therefore improving the standardization of IBD assessment. Though challenges surrounding ground truth definitions, technical barriers, and the need for extensive multicenter evaluation must be resolved before clinical implementation, automated image analysis is likely to both improve access to standardized IBD assessment and advance the fundamental concepts of how disease is measured.Structured cis-regulatory RNAs have evolved across all domains of life, highlighting the utility and plasticity of RNA as a regulatory molecule. link3 Homologous RNA sequences and structures often have similar functions, but homology may also be deceiving. The challenges that derive from trying to assign function to structure and vice versa are not trivial. Bacterial riboswitches, viral and eukaryotic IRESes, CITEs, and 3' UTR elements employ an array of mechanisms to exert their effects. Bioinformatic searches coupled with biochemical and functional validation have elucidated some shared and many unique ways cis-regulators are employed in mRNA transcripts. As cis-regulatory RNAs are resolved in greater detail, it is increasingly apparent that shared homology can mask the full spectrum of mRNA cis-regulator functional diversity. Furthermore, similar functions may be obscured by lack of obvious sequence similarity. Thus looking beyond homology is crucial for furthering our understanding of RNA-based regulation.Some microRNAs (miRs or miRNAs) have been reported to function as tumor suppressors in gallbladder cancer (GBC). However, the specific effect of miR-205-5p on GBC remains unclear. The objective of the present study was to unravel the effects of miR-205-5p on the drug resistance in GBC. For this purpose, the expression of miR-205-5p and protein kinase C ϵ (PRKCE) was quantified in the peripheral blood sample harvested from GBC patients and healthy volunteers. Then the relationship between miR-205-5p and PRKCE was validated. After isolating the GBC stem cells, ectopic expression and depletion experiments were conducted to analyze the effect of miR-205-5p and PRKCE on cell proliferation, drug resistance, apoptosis, and colony formation rate as well as the expression of apoptotic factors (Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), and cleaved caspase 3). Finally, the mouse xenograft model of GBC was established to verify the function of miR-205-5p in vivo. Intriguingly, our results manifested that miR-205-5p was down-regulated, while PRKCE was up-regulated in peripheral blood samples and stem cells of patients with GBC. Moreover, miR-205-5p targeted PRKCE and negatively regulated its expression. The overexpression of miR-205-5p or silencing of PRKCE inhibited the drug resistance, proliferation, and colony formation rate while promoting apoptosis of GBC stem cells. Additionally, the overexpression of miR-205-5p attenuated drug resistance to gemcitabine but promoted the gemcitabine-induced cell apoptosis by inhibiting the PRKCE in vivo. Overall, an intimate correlation between miR-205-5p and PRKCE is a key determinant of drug resistance of GBC stem cells, thus, suggesting a novel miR-205-5p-based clinical intervention target for GBC patients.