No abstract

The aim of this study was conducted to investigate the effect of heat stress on the hair follicle population and related signalling pathways in rex rabbits. Forty‐eight rabbits were randomly divided into two groups: one group in a high ambient environment (32 ± 2°C, heat stress) and the other group with normal temperature (20 ± 2°C, control). The results show that heat stress decreased the body weight gain and feed conversion rate, rabbit hair length and hair follicle density (p < 0.05). Besides, heat stress suppressed the gene expression of noggin, insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) and IGF‐1 receptor and protein expression of phosphorylated mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) in rabbit skin (p < 0.05), while stimulated significantly the gene expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) and BMP4 (p < 0.05). Heat exposure did not alter significantly the gene expression of alkaline phosphatase, versican and hepatocyte growth factor compared with the control (p > 0.05). In conclusion, noggin‐BMP, IGF‐1 and mTOR signalling pathways may be associated with the process of heat stress‐repressing hair follicle development.

No abstract

Scrub typhus can produce multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Early recognition of the patients at risk of MODS would be helpful in providing timely management and reducing the mortality. In all, 449 children with scrub typhus were enrolled at three hospitals in Yunnan, China from January 2010 to January 2015. The patients' clinical status of organ system dysfunction was evaluated on the day of discharge from hospital by using standard criteria. The patients were classified into MODS present (64 cases, 14.3%) or MODS absent (385 cases, 85.7%). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that the prognostic factors for MODS included skin rash (odds ratio, OR = 3.3, p = 0.037), time interval form treatment to defervescence (OR = 1.2, p = 0.035), hemoglobin (OR = 0.54, p = 0.041), platelet counts (OR = 0.06, p < 0.001), aspartate-aminotransferase (OR = 4.7, p = 0.011) and total bilirubin (OR = 2.3, p = 0.013). By describing risk factors resulting in MODS in pediatric scrub typhus, our study provides clinicians with important information to improve the clinical monitoring and prognostication of MODS.

No abstract

Background: Inflammatory factors and nutritional status are critical to the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of the combination of preoperative lymphocytes, albumin, and neutrophils (LANR) in patients with resectable colorectal cancer.Methods: A total of 753 patients with pathologically diagnosed primary colorectal cancer were included in the study. The value of LANR was defined as follows: LANR, lymphocyte × albumin/neutrophil. The ROC curve, subgroup analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were used to assess the prognostic value of LANR in overall survival and progression-free survival.Results: The median age of the patients was 60 years (range 52–67 years). In overall survival, the area under the curve of LANR was 0.6276, and the HR (95% CI) was 0.551 (0.393–0.772). And in progression-free survival, the area under the curve of LANR was 0.5963, and the HR (95% CI) was 0.697 (0.550–0.884). The results indicate that preoperative LANR may be a reliable predictor of overall and progression-free survival in resectable colorectal cancer patients.Conclusions: LANR is an important prognostic indicator for patients with resectable colorectal cancer, and it can also provide a reference for clinicians and patients to choose a treatment plan.

Objective: To investigate the potential mechanism underlying the effect of lung carcinoma cell-derived exosomes on dendritic cell function. Materials and Methods: C57BL/6 (B6) mice were randomly divided into five groups: control, dendritic cell (DC), DC-NC, DC-siMALAT1, and siMALAT1. Tumor cell proliferation was measured by Ki-67 staining. LLC cells were divided into control, NC, and si-MALAT1 groups, and exosomes secreted by each group were labeled as PEX, PEXN, and PEX-si, respectively. Exosomes and autophagic vacuoles were observed by transmission electron microscopy. MALAT1 expression in LLC, A549, and Beas-2b cells was examined by RT-PCR. The expression of IFN-γ, IL-12, IL-10, and TGF-β was observed by Elisa assay. Flow cytometry was used to observe the phagocytic function of DCs, costimulatory molecule expression, and T cell proliferation and differentiation. The protein expression of p-AKT, AKT, p-mTOR, mTOR, ALIX, TSG101, and CD63 was detected by Western blot. Results: Compared with Beas-2b cells, MALAT1 expression was significantly increased in both LLC and A549 cells and in their secreted exosomes, and LLC cells showed the highest expression of MALAT1 (P < 0.05). Tumor cell proliferation and tumor volume were significantly decreased in the siMALAT1 and DC-siMALAT1 groups compared to those in the control group. DC phagocytosis, inflammatory response, costimulatory molecule expression, and T cell proliferation in the siMALAT1 and PEX-si groups were significantly enhanced (P < 0.05), while DC autophagy and T cell differentiation were reduced (P < 0.05). The levels of p-AKT, AKT, p-mTOR, and mTOR in the PEX and PEXN groups were increased compared with those in the control group, while those in the siMALAT1 and PEXsi groups were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Inhibition of MALAT1 expression in LLC-derived exosomes promoted DC function and T cell proliferation and suppressed DC autophagy and T cell differentiation, suggesting that MALAT1 inhibition may be a potential strategy for the clinical treatment of lung cancer.

No abstract