Situation Report -59 HIGHLIGHTS • Seven new countries/territories/areas (African Region [3], Eastern Mediterranean Region [1], European Region [1], and Region of the Americas [2]) have reported cases of COVID-19. • The number of confirmed cases worldwide has exceeded 200 000. It took over three months to reach the first 100 00 confirmed cases, and only 12 days to reach the next 100 000. Western Pacific Region 92 333 confirmed (488) 3377 deaths (20) European Region 87 108 confirmed (10 221) 4084 deaths (591) South-East Asia Region 657 confirmed (119) 23 deaths (14) Eastern Mediterranean Region 19 518 confirmed (1430) 1161 deaths (150) Region of the Americas 9144 confirmed (4166) 119 deaths (50) African Region 367 confirmed (132) 7 deaths (3)

Although the mass production of synthetic plastics has transformed human lives, it has resulted in waste accumulation on the earth. Here, we report a low-temperature conversion of polyethylene into olefins. By mixing the polyethylene feed with rationally designed ZSM-5 zeolite nanosheets at 280 °C in flowing hydrogen as a carrier gas, light hydrocarbons (C1-C7) were produced with a yield of up to 74.6%, where 83.9% of these products were C3-C6 olefins with almost undetectable coke formation. The reaction proceeds in multiple steps, including polyethylene melting, flowing to access the zeolite surface, cracking on the zeolite surface, formation of intermediates to diffuse into the zeolite micropores, and cracking into small molecules in the zeolite micropores. The ZSM-5 zeolite nanosheets kinetically matched the cascade cracking steps on the zeolite external surface and within micropores by boosting the intermediate diffusion. This feature efficiently suppressed the intermediate accumulation on the zeolite surface to minimize coke formation. In addition, we found that hydrogen participation in the cracking process could hinder the formation of polycyclic species within zeolite micropores, which also contributes to the rapid molecule diffusion. The coking-resistant polyethylene upcycling process at a low temperature not only overturns the general viewpoint for facile coke formation in the catalytic cracking over the zeolites but also demonstrates how the polyethylene-based plastics can be upcycled to valuable chemicals. In addition to the model polyethylene, the reaction system worked efficiently for the depolymerization of multiple practically used polyethylene-rich plastics, enabling an industrially and economically viable path for dealing with plastic wastes.

BackgroundThe near work and outdoor activity are the most important environmental risk factors for myopia. However, data from Chinese rural children are relatively rare and remain controversial. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of both near work and outdoor activities with refractive error in rural children in China.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 572 (65.1%) of 878 children (6–18 years of age) were included from the Handan Offspring Myopia Study (HOMS). Information from the parents on these children, as well as the parent’s non-cycloplegic refraction, were obtained from the database of the Handan Eye Study conducted in the years 2006–2007. A comprehensive vision examination, including cycloplegic refraction, and a related questionnaire, were assessed on all children.ResultsThe overall time spent on near work and outdoor activity in the children was 4.8 ± 1.6 and 2.9 ± 1.4 h per day, respectively. Myopic children spent more time on near work (5.0 ± 1.7 h vs.4.7 ± 1.6 h, p = 0.049), while no significant difference was found in outdoor activity hours (2.8 ± 1.3 h vs. 3.0 ± 1.4 h, p = 0.38), as compared to non-myopic children. In the multiple logistic analysis, in general, no association between near work and myopia was found after adjusting for the children’s age, gender, parental refractive error, parental educational level, and daily outdoor activity hours [odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10, 0.94–1.27]. However, a weak protective effect of the outdoor activity on myopia was found (OR, 95% CI: 0.82, 0.70–0.96), after adjusting for similar confounders.ConclusionsIn general, no association between near work and myopia was found, except for the high near work subgroup with moderate outdoor activity levels. A weak protective effect of outdoor activity on myopia in Chinese rural children was observed.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12886-017-0598-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Many studies have indicated that the aberrant expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) is responsible for drug resistance, which represents a substantial obstacle for cancer therapy. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the role of the lncRNA HOXA-AS3 in drug resistance and elucidate its underlying mechanisms in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cells. The role of HOXA-AS3 in drug resistance was demonstrated by the cell counting kit-8 assay (CCK-8), ethynyldeoxyuridine (EDU) assay, and flow cytometry analysis. Tumor xenografts in nude mice were established to evaluate the antitumor effects of HOXA-AS3 knockdown in vivo. Western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR were used to evaluate protein and RNA expression. RNA pull-down assays, mass spectrometry, and RNA immunoprecipitation were performed to confirm the molecular mechanism of HOXA-AS3 in the cisplatin resistance of NSCLC cells. We found that HOXA-AS3 levels increased with cisplatin treatment and knockdown of HOXA-AS3 enhance the efficacy of cisplatin in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic investigations showed that HOXA-AS3 conferred cisplatin resistance by down-regulating homeobox A3 (HOXA3) expression. Moreover, HOXA-AS3 was demonstrated to interact with both the mRNA and protein forms of HOXA3. In addition, HOXA3 knockdown increased cisplatin resistance and induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Taken together, our findings suggested that additional research into HOXA-AS3 might provide a better understanding of the mechanisms of drug resistance and promote the development of a novel and efficient strategy to treat NSCLC.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant cancers and currently the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths, worldwide. Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a major role in HCC progression. In this study, we first found that the expression of E74-like ETS transcription factor 3 (ELF3), a member of the E-twenty-six family of transcription factors, was increased in HCC tissues, and that ELF3 overexpression was associated with poor prognoses for HCC patients. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies revealed that increased ELF3 expression promoted HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, while these processes were inhibited when ELF3 was silenced. Additionally, ELF3 was found to promote EMT, which we demonstrated through decreased E-cadherin expression and increased N-cadherin and fibronectin expression. ELF3 knockdown reversed EMT via repressing ZEB1 expression through miR-141-3p upregulation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays revealed that ELF3 bound to the miR-141-3p promoter, suppressing miR-141-3p expression. Taken together, our data show that ELF3 repressed E-cadherin and promoted EMT in HCC cells by suppressing miR-141-3p, thereby activating ZEB1. Thus, ELF3 may be a potential prognostic biomarker and/or therapeutic target for HCC.

Background and aims Reg4 is a recently discovered member of the regenerating gene family with distinctive expression profiles in primary cancers. To date, the physiological function of Reg4 is poorly understood. Previously, the authors found that Reg4 was markedly upregulated during acute pancreatitis (AP). The aim of this study was to investigate the role of Reg4 in experimental pancreatitis. Methods AP was induced in C57BL/6 mice by administration of either l-arginine or caerulein, and Reg4 expression was assessed by immunofluorescence, reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR and western blot analyses. Recombinant human Reg4 protein (rReg4), heat-inactivated Reg4, neutralising antibody and vehicle were also administered to mice by subcutaneous injection. The severity of AP was determined by measuring amylase and lipase activities in the serum and histological grading. The effect of rReg4 on cell death was examined and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), p-EGFR, Akt, p-Akt, Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expression were assessed by western blot analysis of isolated murine acinar cells treated with l-arginine. Results Reg4 mRNA and protein were markedly upregulated during arginine-induced pancreatitis. Reg4 was widely expressed in residual acinar cells around the islets and regenerating metaplastic epithelium. rReg4 could protect against arginine-induced necrosis of acinar cells both in vivo and in vitro. This protective effect was also confirmed in the caerulein-induced murine model of AP. It was shown that arginine induced expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, while rReg4 upregulated Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expression by activating the EGFR/Akt pathway. The upregulation of Bcl-xL correlated inversely with cell necrosis in isolated pancreatic acinar cells. Conclusions The data suggest that Reg4 may protect against acinar cell necrosis in experimental pancreatitis by enhancing the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL via activation of the EGFR/Akt signalling pathway.

Early growth response 1 (EGR1) is a multifunctional transcription factor; Positive and negative functions of EGR1 in various tumors rely on the integrated functions of various genes it regulates. In this study, we observed the role of EGR1 in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and identified genes that influence cell fate and tumor development. Various assays showed that EGR1 arrested cell mobility, inhibited migration, and induced apoptosis. Microarray analysis revealed that 100 genes, including CDKN1C, CDC27 and PRKDC, changed their mRNA expressions with the increase of EGR1 and contributed to intervention of tumor progression. Bioinformatics analysis and promoter analysis indicated that an EGR1 binding site was situated in the promoter of KRT18 (also named CK18) and KRT18 could assist in inhibition of NSCLC development. The expression level of EGR1 and KRT18 in NSCLC clinical cases was investigated by immunohistochemistry, in which the protein expression of KRT18 was found to be significantly associated with EGR1 and lymph node metastasis. The results collectively confirm that EGR1 functions as a tumor suppressor in NSCLC. This study is the first to report KRT18 expression is directly regulated by EGR1, and contributes to decrease malignancy of NSCLC.

HGF is a potential locus associated with high myopia in the Han Chinese population. This is the first study reporting the association of an HGF gene polymorphism with high myopia.