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Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy among women and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths of females worldwide. It is a complex and molecularly heterogeneous disease, with various subtypes that require different treatment strategies. Despite advances in high-resolution single-cell and multinomial technologies, distant metastasis and therapeutic resistance remain major challenges for BC treatment. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-coding RNAs with more than 200 nucleotides in length. They act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to regulate post-transcriptional gene stability and modulate protein-protein, protein-DNA, and protein-RNA interactions to regulate various biological processes. Emerging evidence suggests that lncRNAs play essential roles in human cancers, including BC. In this review, we focus on the roles and mechanisms of lncRNAs in BC progression, metastasis, and treatment resistance, and discuss their potential value as therapeutic targets. Specifically, we summarize how lncRNAs are involved in the initiation and progression of BC, as well as their roles in metastasis and the development of therapeutic resistance. We also recapitulate the potential of lncRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers and discuss their potential use in personalized medicine. Finally, we provide lncRNA-based strategies to promote the prognosis of breast cancer patients in clinical settings, including the development of novel lncRNA-targeted therapies.

This study assessed the efficacy and safety between broad spectrum penicillin (P2) with or without beta-lactamase inhibitors (P2+) versus first and second generation cephalosporins (C1&C2) in the prevention of post-cesarean infections. Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in English and Chinese databases: nine RCTs were involved. Six trials compared P2+ vs C1&C2, no differences were found between interventions for endometritis, wound infection, urinary tract infection, febrile morbidity and maternal rashes. Four trials compared P2 vs C1&C2, no differences were found between interventions for endometritis, febrile morbidity, wound infection and urinary tract infection. Postoperative hospitalization was longer for women in P2 than C1&C2. Based on these results, P2/P2+ and C1&C2 may have similar efficacy on postoperative infections after cesarean section, there is no data on infant outcomes. PROSPERO Registration Number: CRD42022345721.

ObjectiveTo date, no national-scale drug usage survey for adolescents with depression has been conducted in China, and the purpose of this study was to examine the national trends in prescriptions in Chinese adolescent depression patients from 2017 to 2021.MethodsPrescribing data were extracted from the Hospital Prescription Analysis Cooperative Project. The average number of patients per year, the cost of treatment, and the prescription patterns (monotherapy vs. combination therapy) were analyzed, and subgroup analyses were conducted depending on age, sex, and drug class.ResultsThe study included 674,099 patients from 136 hospitals located in nine major areas of China. Of all patients, the proportion of adolescents increased from 1.63% in 2017 to 6.75% in 2021. Visits by adolescent depression patients increased from 1,973 in 2017 to 9,751 in 2021, and the corresponding cost increased from 607,598 Chinese Yuan in 2017 to 2,228,884 Chinese Yuan in 2021. The incidence of adolescent depression among female individuals was far beyond that among male individuals. Combination therapy was more frequent than monotherapy, and the most commonly prescribed drugs were antidepressants, antipsychotics, antiepileptics, and antianxietics. Despite the use of sertraline decreasing from 47.90 to 43.39%, it was the most frequently used drug.ConclusionIn summary, the prescriptions and cost of treatment for adolescent depression patients both increased rapidly. The widespread use of those drugs with weak clinical evidence reflects the current state of China, which should arouse our attention. The study can provide references for clinical treatment decisions and a basis for more efficient allocation of healthcare resources by the government.

The emerging cell membrane (CM)-camouflaged poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) (CM@PLGA NPs) have witnessed tremendous developments since coming to the limelight. Donning a novel membrane coat on traditional PLGA carriers enables combining the strengths of PLGA with cell-like behavior, including inherently interacting with the surrounding environment. Thereby, the in vivo defects of PLGA (such as drug leakage and poor specific distribution) can be overcome, its therapeutic potential can be amplified, and additional novel functions beyond drug delivery can be conferred. To elucidate the development and promote the clinical transformation of CM@PLGA NPs, the commonly used anucleate and eukaryotic CMs have been described first. Then, CM engineering strategies, such as genetic and nongenetic engineering methods and hybrid membrane technology, have been discussed. The reviewed CM engineering technologies are expected to enrich the functions of CM@PLGA for diverse therapeutic purposes. Third, this article highlights the therapeutic and diagnostic applications and action mechanisms of PLGA biomimetic systems for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, virus infection, and eye diseases. Finally, future expectations and challenges are spotlighted in the concept of translational medicine.

Traditional culture-dependent method and PCR-DGGE were adopted to investigate the amount of microorganism and bacterial diversity in rhizospheric soil of transgenic Bt cotton in four provinces of Yellow River basin at four growth stages, i.e., 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after sowing. In the same province and at the same growth stage, no significant difference was observed in the amount of microorganism in rhizospheric soils of transgenic and non-transgenic Bt cottons. Within the same province the amount of microorganism was mainly affected by growth stage; while in different provinces, it was greatly affected by regional conditions. In the four provinces, the bacterial diversity in rhizospheric soil of transgenic Bt cotton was abundant; and in the same province and at the same growth stage, there were no significant differences in the Shannon index, evenness, and richness of bacteria in rhizospheric soils of transgenic and non-transgenic Bt cottons. In different provinces, the bacterial diversity in rhizospheric soils was dependent on regional conditions, but the difference was rather small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract As the malignancy with the highest global incidence, breast cancer represents a significant threat to women’s health. Recent advances have shed light on the importance of mitochondrial function in cancer, particularly in metabolic reprogramming within tumors. Recognizing this, we developed a novel risk signature based on mitochondrial-related genes to improve prognosis prediction and risk stratification in breast cancer patients. In this study, transcriptome data and clinical features of breast cancer samples were extracted from two sources: the TCGA, serving as the training set, and the METABRIC, used as the independent validation set. We developed the signature using LASSO-Cox regression and assessed its prognostic efficacy via ROC curves. Furthermore, the signature was integrated with clinical features to create a Nomogram model, whose accuracy was validated through clinical calibration curves and decision curve analysis. To further elucidate prognostic variations between high and low-risk groups, we conducted functional enrichment and immune infiltration analyses. Additionally, the study encompassed a comparison of mutation landscapes and drug sensitivity, providing a comprehensive understanding of the differing characteristics in these groups. Conclusively, we established a risk signature comprising 8 mitochondrial-related genes—ACSL1, ALDH2, MTHFD2, MRPL13, TP53AIP1, SLC1A1, ME3, and BCL2A1. This signature was identified as an independent risk predictor for breast cancer patient survival, exhibiting a significant high hazard ratio (HR = 3.028, 95%CI 2.038–4.499, P

OBJECTIVE: To identify the hospital admission data set that best captures the incidence of acute poisoning in rural Sri Lanka. METHODS: Data were collected on all acute poisoning cases admitted to 34 primary and 1 referral hospital in Anuradhapura district from September 2008 to January 2010. Three admission data sets were compared with the "true" incidence of acute poisoning to determine the systematic bias inherent to each data set. "True" incidence was calculated by adding all direct admissions (not transfers) to primary hospitals and to the referral hospital. The three data sets were: (i) all admissions to primary hospitals only; (ii) all admissions to the referral hospital only (direct and referrals), and (iii) all admissions to both primary hospitals and the referral hospital ("all admissions"). The third is the government's routine statistical method but counts transfers twice, so for the study transferred patients were counted only once through data linkage. FINDINGS: Of 3813 patients admitted for poisoning, 3111 first presented to a primary hospital and 2287 (73.5%) were later transferred to the referral hospital, where most deaths (161/177) occurred. All data sets were representative demographically and in poisoning type, but referral hospital data yielded a more accurate case-fatality rate than primary hospital data or "all admissions" data. Admissions to primary hospitals only or to the referral hospital only underestimated the incidence of acute poisoning by about 20%, and data on "all admissions" overestimated it by 60%. CONCLUSION: Admission data from referral hospitals are easily obtainable and accurately reflect the true poisoning incidence.