Purpose This study was conducted to explore the clinical value of noninvasive assessment of bedside ultrasound in the diagnosis of lung lesions of Coronavirus Disease-19. Methods In this retrospective study, 30 patients with Coronavirus Disease-19 admitted to our hospital from January 18 to February 5, 2020, were selected as the research subjects. All cases were examined by lung ultrasound and CT. Lung lesions were reviewed by blinded observers, with imaging scores being used to analyze the ultrasound findings of lung lesions in patients with Coronavirus Disease-19 and with chest CT being used as the reference standard. The clinical value of ultrasound in the noninvasive assessment of lung lesions was evaluated. Results Lung ultrasound signs in patients with Coronavirus Disease-19 were mainly manifested as interstitial pulmonary edema (90.0 %, 27/30) and pulmonary consolidations (20.0 %, 6/30). The lung lesions were mainly distributed in the subpleural and peripheral pulmonary zones. The lower lobe and the dorsal region had a greater tendency to be involved. There was moderate agreement (Kappa = 0.529) between the noninvasive assessment of bedside ultrasound for lung lesions in patients with Coronavirus Disease-19 and CT. The ultrasound scores to evaluate mild, moderate and severe lung lesions exhibited sensitivity of 68.8 % (11/16), 77.8 % (7/9), 100.0 % (2/2), specificity of 85.7 % (12/14), 76.2 % (16/21), 92.9 % (26/28), and diagnostic accuracy of 76.7 % (23/30), 76.7 % (23/30), 93.3 % (28/30), respectively. The follow-up dynamic ultrasound examination showed that the condition of all patients worsened gradually, with the ultrasound scores of lung lesions increasing to varying degrees. Conclusion Though the diagnostic efficacy of bedside ultrasound is relatively low for mild to moderate patients, it is high for severe patients. Bedside ultrasound has important clinical significance for noninvasive assessment and dynamic observation of lung lesions in patients with Coronavirus Disease-19, which is worth further consideration.
Multifarious biological functions of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported in various cancers including bladder cancer (BCa). This study aims to determine the biological role of a certain lncRNA in BCa. Consistent with the data of The Cancer Genome Atlas database, it was validated that lncRNA HLA complex group 22 (HCG22) was weakly expressed in BCa samples and lowly expressed HCG22 was closely correlated with low overall survival of the BCa patient. To verify the role of HCG22 in BCa progression, functional experiments were carried out in two representative BCa cells (J82 and T24) and the negative effects of HCG22 expression on the cell proliferation, migration, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition were identified. Mechanistically, polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 (PTBP1), which was highly expressed in BCa tissues and cell lines, was negatively regulated by HCG22 and the PTBP1-mediated Warburg effect was also obstructed by HCG22. Furthermore, HCG22 modulated the expression of PTBP1 through destabilizing human antigen R (HuR). And functional rescue assays confirmed that HCG22 functioned in bladder cancer through downregulating PTBP1. In conclusion, the present study revealed that HCG22 inhibited BCa progression via the HuR/PTBP1 axis, opening new prospects for potent therapeutic regimens for BCa patients. K E Y W O R D S bladder cancer, HCG22, HuR, PTBP1
Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignant tumor in China. Advanced treatment like transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization (TACE) has prolonged the lives of many HCC patients. However, the prognosis of most HCC patients remains unsatisfactory. Recently, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been gradually unveiled to exert considerable functions in cancer. Promising circRNAs in HCC remains to be further elucidated. Methods: Gene expression was assessed by qRT-PCR and western blot. The function of circ-DENND4C in HCC was estimated by both in vitro and in vivo experiments. The location of circ-DENND4C in HCC cells was determined by subcellular fractionation and FISH assays. The association among molecules were analyzed through RNA pull down, RIP and luciferase reporter assays. Results: circ-DENND4C (DENN domain containing 4C), an oncogene identified in breast cancer, was overexpressed in HCC cells. Also, circ-DENND4C exerted pro-tumor functions in HCC through activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Importantly, circ-DENND4C could augment transcription factor 4 (TCF4) expression to activate Wnt/β-catenin signaling via sequestering miR-195-5p. Moreover, following rescue assays disclosed that circ-DENND4C mediated malignant phenotypes in HCC cells via up-regulating TCF4 through sponging miR-195-5p. Conclusion: circ-DENND4C boosted TCF4 expression to modulate malignant behaviors of HCC cells via activating Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which might offer a promising target for HCC treatment.
Background: To summarise the ultrasound manifestations of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) patients with lung lesions and explore the clinical value of bedside ultrasound in the identification of patients at risk of progression to severe disease.Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 31 patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to our hospital from January 18 to February 5, 2020. Lung ultrasounds were performed in all cases to evaluate the ultrasound manifestations of the patient's lung lesions and to determine the lung ultrasound scores (LUS). The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used for the multifactor analysis of 7 candidate parameters, including the LUS and the oxygenation index (PaO 2 /FiO 2 ). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive value of the LUS.Results: Lung ultrasound images of COVID-19 patients mainly reflected the presence of interstitial pulmonary lesions (90.3%, 28/31). The lung lesions were primarily distributed in the subpleural and peripheral pulmonary zones. Multivariate analyses identified the oxygenation index, the LUS, and the lymphocyte count as factors related to the progression to severe-critical disease in COVID-19 patients (P<0.05). With a cut-off value of 9.5, the area under the ROC curve was 0.910. The LUS showed a sensitivity and specificity of 81.3% and 93.0%, respectively (P≤0.001), with an overall accuracy of 75%. Conclusions:The lung ultrasound findings in COVID-19 patients were mainly and specifically manifested as interstitial lesions involving the peripheral zones of the lung. In addition, ultrasound imaging could predict the likelihood of COVID-19 patients progressing to severe disease, thereby allowing for early intervention.Thus, lung ultrasounds have great clinical value in monitoring and evaluating COVID-19 patients.
Background: Tenofovir (TDF) has a detrimental effect on bone mineral density (BMD), while nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is associated with a lower BMD. Objective: To help understand the mutual effects of NAFLD and TDF on BMD, this study was designed to explore the potential association between NAFLD and BMD in HIV-infected patients receiving long-term TDF-based antiretroviral therapy (ART). Method: A total of 89 HIV-infected patients who received TDF-based ART for more than three years were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. We measured BMD using an ultrasonic bone density apparatus, and liver ultrasonography was performed to determine the severity of the fatty liver. The association of NAFLD with BMD was examined using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: Patients with NAFLD showed a worse BMD status than those without NAFLD. The incidences rates of osteopenia (42.86% versus 25.93%) and osteoporosis (17.14% versus 3.70%) were significantly higher in HIV-infected patients with NAFLD than in those without NAFLD. After multivariate adjustment, the odds ratio (OR) for patients with NAFLD exhibiting a worse BMD status compared with those without NAFLD was 4.49 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.42, 14.15). Conclusion: Based on our results, NAFLD was significantly associated with a worse BMD status, including osteopenia and osteoporosis, in HIV patients after receiving long-term TDF-based ART. Furthermore, we may want to avoid using TDF for ART in HIV-infected patients with NAFLD.
Background: Patients with coronavirus disease-19 are susceptible to cardiac complications, and cardiac ultrasound is the preferred noninvasive method for clinical cardiac structure and function assessment. Methods: We performed a retrospective study of 34 patients with COVID-19 and analyzed their clinical data, biochemistry test results [creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), cardiac troponin I (cTnI) and C-reactive protein (CRP)], and parameters of cardiac ultrasound [left atrium (LA), left ventricular end-diastolic dimensions (LVDD), right atrium (RA), right ventricle (RV), main pulmonary artery (MPA), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), tricuspid valve (TV), pulmonic valve (PV) and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PASP)]. We classified the patients based on their clinical symptoms (mild, moderate, severe, and critical groups), and compared the parameters. CK-MB and cardiac ultrasound parameters are presented as mean ± standard deviation and compared using the one-way ANOVA. CTnI is presented as counts (percentages) and compared using the χ 2 test, CRP is presented as [M (P 25 , P 75 )] [median (interquartile range)] and compared using nonparametric tests (Kruskal-Wallis test).Results: As the disease progressed, the parameters of both biochemical blood tests and cardiac ultrasound changed regularly, manifested as enlargement of the LA, LVDD, RA, RV, and MPA and increased PASP, CRP, CK-MB, and cTnI. Of these parameters, CRP, LA, LVDD, MPA, and PASP of the severe group were more notably elevated than in the mild and moderate groups (P<0.05). The critical group more showed markedly increased CK-MB, cTnI, and RA than the other groups (P<0.05), and CRP, LA, LVDD, RV, MPA, and PASP rose more sharply than in the mild and moderate groups (P<0.05).Conclusions: As COVID-19 progressed, patients developed an enlarged heart with expanded pulmonary arteries and elevated PASP. Bedside ultrasound can be used as a noninvasive assessment of these changes and for guidance of clinical treatment.
PURPOSE: This study was conducted to explore the value of noninvasive assessment of bedside ultrasound in diagnosing cardiac changes of COVID-19. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study in 34 patients with COVID-19 and analyzed their clinical data, biochemistry test results (creatine kinase-MB [CK-MB], cardiac troponin I [cTnI] and C-reactive protein [CRP]), and parameters of cardiac ultrasound (left atrium [LA], left ventricular end-diastolic dimensions [LVDD], right atrium [RA], right ventricle [RV], main pulmonary artery [MPA], left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF], tricuspid valve [TV], pulmonic valve [PV] and pulmonary artery systolic pressure [PASP]). We classified the patients based on their clinical symptoms: mild, moderate, severe, and critical groups, and compared the parameters. RESULTS: As the disease progressed, the parameters of both biochemical blood tests and cardiac ultrasound changed regularly, manifested as enlargement of LA, LVDD, RA, RV, and MPA and increase of PASP, CRP, CK-MB, and cTnI. Of these parameters, CRP, LA, LVDD, MPA, and PASP of the severe group were more notably elevated than those of the mild and the moderate groups (p<0.05). The critical group increased more markedly in CK-MB, cTnI, and RA than the other groups (p<0.05), and rose more sharply in CRP, LA, LVDD, RV, MPA, and PASP than the mild and the moderate groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: As the disease progressed, the patients had the enlarged heart with expanded pulmonary arteries and elevated PASP. Bedside ultrasound can be a noninvasive assessment of the above changes and a guidance of clinical treatment.
The authors have retracted this article because they found that, in repeated experiments, the results could not be reproduced. The authors believe that this may be due to a potential contamination of the HepG2 liver cancer cell line with T24 bladder cancer cell line. The data reported in this article are therefore unreliable.All authors agree to this retraction.
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