Search

The SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged in December 2019 and then spread rapidly worldwide, particularly to China, Japan, and South Korea. Scientists are endeavoring to find antivirals specific to the virus. Several drugs such as chloroquine, arbidol, remdesivir, and favipiravir are currently undergoing clinical studies to test their efficacy and safety in the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China; some promising results have been achieved thus far. This article summarizes agents with potential efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the third most common urological cancer with highly metastatic potential. MAGI1 plays an important role in stabilization of the adherens junctions and has been confirmed to suppress invasiveness and metastasis in multiple cancers in clinic. However, its expression and anti-metastatic ability in RCC are still unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that MAGI1 was markedly decreased in the RCC and indicated poor survival. Furthermore, we found that MAGI1 suppressed the invasion and migration of human RCC cells. Mechanistic investigations revealed that MAGI1 stabilized the PTEN/MAGI1/β-catenin complex to inhibit β-catenin signaling pathway. Moreover, MAGI1 was targeted by miR-520h which was transcriptionally activated by c-Myb. Collectively, our findings suggested that MAGI1mediated tumor metastasis through c-Myb/miR-520h/MAGI1 signaling pathway in RCC.

Both calcium-independent phospholipase A2 beta (iPLA2β) and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress regulate important pathophysiological processes including inflammation, calcium homeostasis and apoptosis. However, their roles in ischemic heart disease are poorly understood. Here, we show that the expression of iPLA2β is increased during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, concomitant with the induction of ER stress and the upregulation of cell death. We further show that the levels of iPLA2β in serum collected from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and in samples collected from both in vivo and in vitro I/R injury models are significantly elevated. Further, iPLA2β knockout mice and siRNA mediated iPLA2β knockdown are employed to evaluate the ER stress and cell apoptosis during I/R injury. Additionally, cell surface protein biotinylation and immunofluorescence assays are used to trace and locate iPLA2β. Our data demonstrate the increase of iPLA2β augments ER stress and enhances cardiomyocyte apoptosis during I/R injury in vitro and in vivo. Inhibition of iPLA2β ameliorates ER stress and decreases cell death. Mechanistically, iPLA2β promotes ER stress and apoptosis by translocating to ER upon myocardial I/R injury. Together, our study suggests iPLA2β contributes to ER stress-induced apoptosis during myocardial I/R injury, which may serve as a potential therapeutic target against ischemic heart disease.

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS), known as a kind of neurological disease, is prevalent but easy to be ignored. Studies have demonstrated that massage therapy can effectively reduce the symptoms of patients with RLS and improve their quality of life. However, the efficacy of massage therapy for RLS is still controversial. Therefore, this protocol aims to evaluate the reliability of massage therapy in treating RLS in a thorough way. Methods: We will search relevant randomized controlled trials from Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, Chongqing VIP, CNKI, Wanfang, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and EMBASE, when publication status and language are not considered and the time limit ends with September 6, 2020. Two experienced researchers will use RevMan V.5.3 software to perform the selection of literature, data collection, data analysis and synthesis separately. Besides, the quality of trials involved in this study will be measured with the Cochrane bias risk assessment tool. Results: This protocol will be applied to carry out a systematic evaluation of the massage therapy purposed to treat RLS for its effectiveness and safety. Conclusion: The review will provide a credible evidence suggesting whether massage therapy is a reliable intervention for RLS. INPLASY registration number: INPLASY202090038

Background: Nowadays, there are some randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to explore the effectiveness of drug therapy for bipolar disorder with anxiety disorders. However, due to lack of sufficient data, there are currently no good treatment recommendations. The purpose of this network meta-analysis is to compare the efficacy and safety of different drugs for bipolar disorder complicated with anxiety disorders to provide evidence to support clinical practice and guidelines development. Methods: A systematic literature search will be performed in the Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science from inception to July 2020. RCTs that compared the efficacy and safety of different drugs for bipolar disorder complicated with anxiety disorders will be included. Two reviewers will independently search and select the studies, extract the data, and assess the risk of bias. We will assess the risk of bias of included RCTs using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The WinBUGS 1.4.3 software will be used to perform the network meta-analysis, and the result figures will be generated by STATA 15.0 software. In addition, we will use the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) to assess the quality of evidence. Results: This study will systematically compare the efficacy and safety of different drugs for bipolar disorder complicated with anxiety disorders. The results of this network meta-analysis will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. Conclusion: Our study will provide evidence for the drug therapy of patients with bipolar disorder complicated with anxiety disorders, and provide suggestions for clinical practice or guidelines. INPLASY registration number: INPLASY202070132.

Objective To investigate the preoperative psychological distress in the primary caregivers of glioma patients and its influencing factors and to determine the relationship between preoperative psychological states of glioma patients and their caregivers. Methods Using a mixed methods design, the caregivers of patients with malignant glioma were interviewed and completed questionnaires about anxiety/depression and family function during preoperative period. Results Caregivers of glioma patients had different types of psychological distress before surgery. A total of 46 caregivers (36.5 %) had preoperative psychological depression or anxiety symptom; 30 caregivers (23.8 %) had depression symptoms, 39 caregivers (31.0 %) had anxiety symptoms, and 23 (18.3 %) had both preoperative anxiety and depression symptoms. Female gender was an influential factor for both preoperative depression and anxiety symptoms in caregivers, surgical information was a risk factor for caregivers' preoperative depression symptoms and residence was a risk factor for caregivers' preoperative anxiety symptoms. The preoperative psychological states of patients was positively correlated with the preoperative anxiety and depression symptoms of caregivers. Conclusion The rural female caregivers are more likely to experience psychological distress before surgery, and the preoperative psychological states of patients was positively correlated with the psychological distress in caregivers.

Drugs that are specifically efficacious against SARS-CoV-2 have yet to be established. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have garnered considerable attention for their potential to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Increasing evidence obtained from completed clinical studies indicates the prospects for chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. More randomized control clinical studies are warranted to determine the feasibility of these two drugs in treating COVID-19.

Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) is a rare neoplasm that is characterized by smooth muscle cell proliferation within venous vessels. The aim of this study is to investigate the clinicopathological features, immunophenotypes, and MED12 gene mutations in IVL. Nine cases of IVL from the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University were collected, and the clinicopathological features were reviewed. The immunohistochemical expressions of p16, phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN), alpha thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome X-linked (ATRX), retinoblastoma 1 (RB1), fumarate hydratase (FH), and p53, were evaluated. The mutation status of MED12 gene exon 2 was detected by Sanger sequencing. All the 9 patients were women ranging from 32 to 58 years, and uterine leiomyomas were identified in 5 patients. Immunohistochemical staining showed that all IVL and leiomyoma samples were positive for estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor, but negative for CD34. IVL displayed similar immunostaining patterns with their uterine counterparts with focal p16 immunostaining. FH, PTEN, ATRX, and RB1 were variably positive, and p53 and Ki-67 positive rates were less than 5% in all cases. Two novel genetic variations at MED12 exon 2, a synonymous mutation c.141C>T (p.Asn47=), and an in-frame deletion mutation c.133_147del15 (p.Phe45_Pro49del) were identified in two IVL cases. One missense mutation c.131G>A (p.Gly44Asp) was identified in one uterine leiomyoma. The remaining 11 tumor samples (7 IVL cases and 4 uterine leiomyomas) showed no mutations at MED12 exon 2. Our results showed two novel MED12 mutations in IVL. The MED12 mutations are different between IVL and uterine leiomyoma. These findings indicate that IVL is a unique entity and different from uterine leiomyoma.

Cancer is a major public health issue in China, and effective anticancer drugs remain a huge unmet need. Generic drugs have long been the main products of pharmaceutical companies in China. In this decade, research on and development of innovative drugs has greatly advanced thanks to policy reforms and economic growth. Five innovative anticancer drugs - anlotinib, pyrotinib, fruquintinib, sintilimab, and toripalimab - that were developed by Chinese domestic pharmaceutical companies were approved by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) of China in 2018. Several novel anticancer drugs such as avitinib, flumatinib, zanubrutinib, and ensartinib may also receive approval for marketing in China in the near future. There are unprecedented opportunities for development of innovative drugs in China. In the future, innovative drug development in China is poised to shift from "me too" or "me better" drugs to "first-in-class" or "best-in-class" drugs.

Background : Post-stroke insomnia (PSI) is a serious problem which has significant adverse effects on the subsequent recovery of patients and the quality of their daily life. Massage is effective in improving the quality of sleep for stroke patients displaying no significant adverse reactions. Up to now, however, there are still no systematic studies conducted to provide compelling evidence for its effectiveness in treating PSI. Allowing for this, this project is purposed to make a thorough summary of the efficacy of massage therapy in treating PSI and the safety of this practice. Methods : Without considering the status of publication and language, a meticulous search will be conducted, covering the Web of Science, the Cochrane Library search, PubMed, EMBASE, Chinese biomedical literature database, Chongqing VIP Database for Chinese Technical Periodicals, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang. All randomized controlled trials of PSI will be retrieved. The deadline is set as October 23, 2020. The team will be comprised of 2 experienced researchers who will apply RevMan V.5.3 software to conduct literature selection, data collection, data analysis, and data synthesis, respectively. In addition, the Cochrane risk Assessment tool will be taken as the top choice to evaluate the quality of the trials involved in this study. Results : The effectiveness and safety of massage therapy intended for PSI will be subject to a systematic evaluation under this program. Conclusion : It will be substantiated in this review whether massage therapy is a reliable intervention for PSI by examining the evidence collected.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) offer great potential as biomarkers for the early detection and prognosis of cancer, and the discovery of miRNAs associated with gastric cancer is required. In the present study, the differences in the plasma expression levels of miR-141 between patients with gastric cancer and healthy controls, and the role of miR-141 in gastric cancer cell oncogenesis were investigated. A follow-up study of 164 patients with gastric cancer who underwent tumor resection was conducted, and comparisons with healthy control subjects were drawn. To investigate the biological functions of miR-141, a series of in vitro and in vivo assays were conducted, including proliferation, wound-healing and Transwell assays, and a xenograft tumor model. The results demonstrated that miR-141 expression was significantly decreased in tumor tissues compared with in healthy tissues (P

Objective To investigate the effects and mechanisms of action of auricular electroacupuncture (AEA) on visceral pain induced by colorectal distension (CRD). Methods Twenty-nine female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: control; untreated CRD; CRD+AEA; and CRD+sham electroacupuncture (SEA). An electromyogram (EMG) was recorded for 120 min in the conscious state. After a 30 min baseline recording, CRD was performed in untreated CRD, AEA and SEA groups and lasted for 90 min. AEA and SEA were started at 30 min and lasted for 30 min. The EMG was recorded and analysed to evaluate the severity of visceral pain, indicated by the magnitude of the vasomotor response (VMR). mRNA expression of the 5-hydroxytryptamine 1a (5-HT1a) receptor was measured separately in the colon and raphe nuclei using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR. Results No differences were seen in the baseline EMG among the four groups (p>0.05). During pre-stimulation, VMR magnitude in the CRD, AEA and SEA groups increased compared with that in the control group (p1a receptor in both the colon and raphe nuclei was lower in AEA but not SEA groups compared with the CRD group (pConclusions AEA can ameliorate CRD-induced visceral pain in rats, and increase mRNA expression of the 5-HT1a receptor peripherally (in the colon) and centrally (in the raphe nuclei), suggesting a serotonergic mechanism of action.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), a member of the zinc-dependent metalloproteinase gene family, plays a vital role in cancer invasion, metastasis, and progression. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to explore the clinical significance of MMP-2 expression in endometrial cancer. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were systematically searched up to September 30, 2017, supplemented by manual searches of bibliographies. Two reviewers independently identified articles, extracted data, assessed quality, and cross-checked the results. Meta-analysis was conducted to explore the difference in the positive rate of MMP-2 expression between patients with endometrial cancer and those with endometriosis or normal endometrium, and to investigate the associations of MMP-2 expression with clinicopathologic characteristics of patients with endometrial cancer. Weighted mean differences and risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for continuous and dichotomous variables, respectively. Results: Totally 20 studies were selected for this systematic review and meta-analysis. Compared with those with endometriosis or normal endometria, the positive rate of MMP-2 expression is significantly higher in patients with endometrial cancer (RR = 2.31, 95% CI: 1.78–3.00, P