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Background & Aims: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the leading causes of tumour‐related death. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanism of HCC by studying the function of circ_GLIS2. Methods: Human HCC specimens and cell lines were used. Sanger sequencing, actinomycin D and RNase R treatment were performed to validate circular RNA features of circ_GLIS2. qRT‐PCR, western blotting, immunostaining, and IHC were employed to examine levels of circ_GLIS2, GLIS2 mRNA, and EMT‐related markers. CCK‐8, colony formation, flow cytometry, wound healing assay, and transwell assays were performed to evaluate cancer cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion. RIP and RNA pull‐down assay were used to validate EIF4A3/GLIS2 mRNA interaction. MSP was performed to measure the methylation status of GLIS2 promoter. Nude mouse xenograft model was used to examine tumour growth and metastasis in vivo. Results: Circ_GLIS2 and linear GLIS2 mRNA were reduced in human HCC tissues and cells. Their low levels correlated with a poor survival rate of HCC patients. Overexpression of circ_GLIS2 and GLIS2 suppressed HCC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but promoted cell apoptosis. GLIS2 promoter region was hypermethylated in HCC cells. EIF4A3 was directly bound with GLIS2 mRNA and promoted circ_GLIS2/GLIS2 expression. Moreover, overexpression of circ_GLIS2 restrained HCC tumour growth and metastasis in vivo. Conclusion: Circ_GLIS2 suppresses HCC growth and metastasis by inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, but promoting cell apoptosis. These findings provide molecular insights into the mechanism of HCC and indicate that circ_GLIS2 could serve as a diagnosis marker or therapeutic target for HCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalence and outcomes of patients who had re-activation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after discharge remain poorly understood. We included 126 consecutively confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 2-month follow-up data after discharge in this retrospective study. The upper respiratory specimen using a reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction test of three patients (71 years [60–76]) were positive within 11–20 days after their discharge, with an event rate of 19.8 (95%CI 2.60–42.1) per 1,000,000 patient-days. Moreover, all re-positive patients were asymptomatic. Our findings suggest that few recovered patients may still be virus carriers even after reaching the discharge criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant–fungal associations are frequently key drivers of plant invasion success. Foliar fungi can benefit their invasive hosts by enhancing growth promotion, disease resistance and environmental stress tolerance. However, the roles of foliar fungi may vary when a given invasive plant faces different stresses. In this study, we designed three independent experiments to evaluate the effects of a foliar fungus, Colletotrichum sp., on the growth performance of the invasive plant Ageratina adenophora under different soil conditions, as well as the responses of A. adenophora to the foliar fungal pathogen Diaporthe helianthi and to herbivory. We found that the soil type was the most influential factor for the growth of A. adenophora. The role of the foliar fungus Colletotrichum sp. varied in the different soil types but generally adversely affected leaf development in A. adenophora. Colletotrichum sp. may be a weak latent foliar pathogen that can enhance the pathogenicity of D. helianthi on leaves of A. adenophora and marginally reduce signs of herbivory by natural insects in the wild on A. adenophora seedlings. In general, the benefits of the foliar fungus Colletotrichum to the fitness of A. adenophora are not significant in the context of this experimental design. However, our data highlight the need to consider both aboveground and belowground biota in different soil habitats when evaluating the effects of foliar fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]