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Secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC, also known as osteonectin), is a small molecule glycoprotein associated with cell secretions. The purpose of our research is to clarify the clinicopathological and prognostic significance of SPARC expression in breast cancer. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis and bioinformatics analysis using the PubMed, Web of Science, Wanfang Data, and CNKI databases. The meta-analysis showed that SPARC expression was elevated in breast cancer tissue, compared with normal tissue, while SPARC expression in tumor stromal cells was higher than that of tumor cells. The expression of SPARC was positively correlated with histological grade and TNM staging. The Kaplan-Meier plotter showed that low SPARC expression was negatively correlated with the overall, postprogression, and distant metastasis survival rates of patients. According to Oncomine database, SPARC expression was upregulated in breast cancer than normal tissues. In TCGA database, univariate analysis showed that lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and TNM staging were negatively correlated with patient prognosis in breast cancers. Cox multivariate analysis showed that age, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, and TNM staging were important factors affecting the survival time of breast cancer patients. SPARC expression can be employed as a good indicator of prognosis of breast cancer patients, which will provide new methods and ideas of preventive treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Leucine-rich α2 glycoprotein 1 (LRG1) is a novel cytokine, which is believed to be involved in the inflammatory process of a series of diseases. However, the relationship between LRG1 and spinal cord injury (SCI) has not been reported. The purpose of our study is to determine the predictive value of LRG1 for the prognosis of pediatric SCI (PSCI). Methods. This study recruited 64 patients with confirmed PSCI and 40 healthy controls at Foshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital from January 2016 to December 2020. The clinical information of all participants at the time of admission was recorded. Peripheral blood was collected, and commercial reagents were used to detect the level of serum LRG1. At the same time, the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) was used to assess the severity of PSCI. Results. All participants were divided into PSCI group (n = 64) and NC group (n = 40). There was no significant difference in clinical information (age, gender, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, sampling time from injury, white blood cells, and C-reactive protein) between the two groups (p > 0.05). According to the interquartile range of serum LRG1, we compared the motor and sensory scores of ISNCSCI and found that serum LRG1 levels were negatively correlated with the prognosis of PSCI patients (p < 0.001). The results of receiver operating curve (ROC) showed that the sensitivity, specificity, and AUC (Area Under the Curve) of serum LRG1 level in predicting the prognosis of PSCI were 68.4%, 69.1%, and 0.705, respectively. The cut-off value of serum LRG1 level predicting the prognosis of PSCI is 21.1 μg/ml. Conclusions. Serum LRG1 level is significantly increased in PSCI patients, and the elevated LRG1 level is negatively correlated with the prognosis of PSCI patients. Serum LRG1 may be a potentially useful biomarker for predicting PSCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim. The aim of this study was to explore whether letrozole and high-fat diets (HFD) can induce obese insulin-resistant polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with intestinal flora dysbiosis in a rat model. We compared the changes in the intestinal flora of letrozole-induced rats fed with HFD or normal chow, to explore the effects of HFD and letrozole independently and synergistically on the intestinal flora. Methods. Five-week-old female Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were divided into four groups: control (C) group fed with regular diet; L1 group administered with letrozole and fed with regular diet; L2 group received letrozole and fed with HFD; and HFD group fed with HFD. At the end of the experiment, ovarian morphology, hormones, metabolism, oxidative stress, and inflammatory status of all rats were studied. 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing was used to profile microbial communities, and various multivariate analysis approaches were used to quantitate microbial composition, abundance, and diversity. Results. Compared to the C group, the increased plasma fasting insulin and glucose, HOMA-IR, triglyceride, testosterone, and malondialdehyde were significantly higher in the L2 group, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was significantly lower in the L1 group and L2 group. The indices of Chao1 and the Abundance-based Coverage Estimator (ACE) (α-diversity) in the L2 and HFD groups were significantly lower than that in the C group. Bray–Curtis dissimilarity based principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) plots and analysis of similarities (ANOSIM) test showed obvious separations between the L2 group and C group, between the HFD group and C group, and between the L2 and HFD groups. At the phylum level, Firmicutes and ratio of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes (F/B ratio) were increased in the L2 group; Bacteroidetes was decreased in the L2 and HFD groups. No significant differences in bacterial abundance between the C group and L1 group were observed at the phylum level. Based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) analysis, the bacterial genera (the relative abundance > 0.1%, LDA > 3, p < 0.05) were selected as candidate bacterial signatures. They showed that the abundance of Vibrio was significantly increased in the L1 group; Bacteroides and Phascolarctobacterium were enriched in the HFD group, and Bacteroides, Phascolarctobacterium, Blautia, Parabacteroides, Akkermansia [Ruminococcus]_torques_group, and Anaerotruncus were enriched in the L2 group. Conclusion. The effect of letrozole on intestinal flora was not significant as HFD. HFD could destroy the balance of intestinal flora and aggravate the intestinal flora dysbiosis in PCOS. Letrozole-induced rats fed with HFD have many characteristics like human PCOS, including some metabolic disorders and intestinal flora dysbiosis. The dysbiosis was characterized by an increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, an expansion of Firmicutes, a contraction of Bacteroidetes, and the decreased microbial richness. Beta-diversity also showed significant differences in intestinal microflora, compared with control rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Cognitive impairment is considered to be an important complication of spinal cord injury (SCI), but its underlying mechanism remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to explore whether serum CCL21 can be used as a potential biomarker of cognitive impairment in SCI. Methods. In Neck-Shoulder and Lumbocrural Pain Hospital, Shandong First Medical University & Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, hospitalized or treated acute SCI patients were included in the study as the SCI group (SCI). At the same time, a normal control group (NC) matching the age and sex of the SCI group was recruited in the outpatient clinic. Once the two groups were enrolled, their demographics and clinical characteristics were collected immediately. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum CCL21 levels within 24 hours of admission. Three months later, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used to test the cognitive function of the population. Results. A total of 84 SCI patients and 49 NC populations were eligible for inclusion in the study. There was no significant statistical difference in the demographics and clinical characteristics (age, gender, BMI, TG, LDL-C, FBG, SBP, and DBP) between the two groups (p > 0.05). Compared with the NC group, the SCI group had a higher serum CCL21 level (p < 0.001) and a lower MoCA score (p < 0.001). Serum CCL21 level in SCI was negatively correlated with MoCA score (p = 0.023). Multivariable analyses showed that serum CCL21 level is an independent prognostic factor of cognitive impairment in SCI. Conclusions. MoCA score has a linear relationship with serum CCL21 quartile, and SCI cognitive function has a negative correlation with serum CCL21. Serum CCL21 is an independent risk factor for cognitive impairment after SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Interleukin-37 (IL-37) is a new cytokine that naturally inhibits inflammation. Inflammation plays an important role in acute spinal cord injury (SCI). The purpose of this study is to check whether serum IL-37 can be used as a clinical predictor of SCI. Methods. All subjects underwent venipuncture within 24 hours of enrollment to obtain peripheral blood and then centrifuged to obtain serum. The concentration of serum IL-37 was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). One month after the injury, the American Spinal Cord Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale was used for neurological examination. Results. A total of 148 people were included in the study, including 52 normal controls (NC) and 96 patients with acute SCI within 24 hours of onset. The comparison of clinical baseline data (age, gender, BMI: body mass index, smoking, alcohol drinking, CHD: coronary heart disease, HBP: high blood pressure, and DM: diabetes mellitus) between the two groups was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). However, the serum IL-37 concentration of SCI patients was significantly higher than that of the NC group, and the difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). And with the aggravation of SCI grade, the level of IL-37 increased significantly (p < 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis further showed that serum IL-37 concentration is negatively correlated with AISA motor score (r = − 0.327 , p < 0.05). Conclusion. The serum IL-37 concentration of SCI patients is significantly increased, and it is closely related to the recovery of motor function. We proved for the first time that serum IL-37 has prognostic value in patients with SCI. In addition, serum IL-37 may be used as a prognostic biomarker for SCI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]