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ObjectiveTo analyze the epidemic intensity and characteristics of influenza in Changzhou City， Jiangsu Province from 2019 to 2023， and to provide scientific evidence for the formulation of influenza prevention and control strategies.MethodsThe surveillance data of influenza surveillance sentinel hospitals in Changzhou City from April 2019 to March 2023 were collected through the China influenza surveillance information system. Influenza-like illness （ILI） cases before and after the pandemic of COVID-19 in Changzhou City were analyzed， and the differences among qualitative data were compared by using χ² test.ResultsFrom April 2019 to March 2023 the percentages of ILI cases’ medical visits in the four-influenza surveillance year were 2.57%， 1.84%， 5.38%， and 3.66%， respectively， and the positive detection rates of influenza virus were 25.71%， 0.44%， 22.78%， and 24.32%， respectively. The number of influenza outbreaks was 61， 1， 23， and 128， respectively. ILI cases were mainly among adolescent children aged 5‒14 years. The percentage of ILI cases in 2020‒2021 after the pandemic of COVID-19 was significantly lower than that in 2019‒2020 （χ2=737.342， P

Background: Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are indicated for use in preoperative planning and may complicate diagnosis and place a burden on patients with lumbar disc herniation. Purpose: To investigate the diagnostic potential of MRI-based synthetic CT with conventional CT in the diagnosis of lumbar disc herniation. Material and Methods: After obtaining prior institutional review board approval, 19 patients who underwent conventional and synthetic CT imaging were enrolled in this prospective study. Synthetic CT images were generated from the MRI data using U-net. The two sets of images were compared and analyzed qualitatively by two musculoskeletal radiologists. The images were rated on a 4-point scale to determine their subjective quality. The agreement between the conventional and synthetic images for a diagnosis of lumbar disc herniation was determined independently using the kappa statistic. The diagnostic performances of conventional and synthetic CT images were evaluated for sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy, and the consensual results based on T2-weighted imaging were employed as the reference standard. Results: The inter-reader and intra-reader agreement were almost moderate for all evaluated modalities (κ = 0.57−0.79 and 0.47−0.75, respectively). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for detecting lumbar disc herniation were similar for synthetic and conventional CT images (synthetic vs. conventional, reader 1: sensitivity = 91% vs. 81%, specificity = 83% vs. 100%, accuracy = 87% vs. 91%; P < 0.001; reader 2: sensitivity = 84% vs. 81%, specificity = 85% vs. 98%, accuracy = 84% vs. 90%; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Synthetic CT images can be used in the diagnostics of lumbar disc herniation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Oxymatrine (OMT) is one of the authentic Chinese herbal medicines which has rich and complex active ingredients. however,the relevant potential targets of oxymatrine on rheumatoid arthritis and the mechanism remains unreported. The aim of this study was to determine the regulation of oxymatrine on rheumatoid arthritis using a collagen‐induced arthritis (CIA) mice models and blood samples from RA patients. Results: Our results indicated that Tfr cells in RA patients express low levels of Blimp‐1 and CTLA‐4. Oxymatrine treatment of CIA mice alleviated joint swelling, reduced the arthritis score, and improved joint damage. While flow cytometry results showed that oxymatrine treatment reduced Tfh cells and B cells, and increased Tfr cells in the spleen of CIA mice. In addition, oxymatrine treatment significantly down‐regulated the expression of TLR9（Toll‐like Receptors 9), IL‐21, MyD88, STAT3, p‐STAT3, and CXCR5 in the synovial tissues of CIA mice, and up‐regulated the expression of Foxp3, Blimp‐1, and CTLA‐4. Conclusion: Oxymatrine can alleviate rheumatoid arthritis by regulating the TLR9‐MyD88‐STAT3 signaling pathway to maintain immune balance between Tfr‐Tfh cells. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tripartite motif containing 37 (TRIM37) has been demonstrated to function importantly during the progression of various cancers. However, the role of TRIM37 in gastric cancer (GC) remains elusive. Materials and methods: TRIM37 mRNA and protein expressions were determined by qRT-PCR, Western blot, and immunohistochemical staining in GC specimens. The effects of TRIM37 on GC cells behavior were evaluated by transwell assays in vitro and metastasis assay in vivo, respectively. Besides, qRT-PCR, Western blot, and immunofluorescence staining were employed to detect the expressions of TRIM37 and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers. Results: The present study revealed that TRIM37 mRNA or protein expression was significantly increased in GC tissues compared with that in paracancerous control tissues, and its aberrant overexpression was closely associated with clinical metastasis and poor prognosis in patients with GC. TRIM37 knockdown significantly suppressed GC cells migration and invasion in vitro, as well as metastasis in vivo. Inversely, TRIM37 overexpression exerted the opposite effects. Mechanistic studies suggested that SIP1-mediated EMT might be responsible for TRIM37-facilitated GC cells migration and invasion. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that high TRIM37 expression was associated with clinical metastasis and poor survival in patients with GC. TRIM37 promoted GC cells migration and invasion via EMT, mediated by the transcription factor SIP1, thus providing a candidate target for GC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein 4 (CPEB4) has previously been reported to be associated with biological malignancy in various cancers. However, its function in tumor growth and metastasis in gastric cancer (GC) remains obscure. Here, we explored the functional and molecular mechanisms by which CPEB4 influences GC.Materials and methods: The expression of CPEB4 was assessed using Western blot and immunohistochemistry in GC specimens. The roles of CPEB4 in GC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were investigated by cell-counting kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, and EdU assay; wound-healing assay; and transwell assay, respectively. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), Western blot, and immunofluorescence staining were performed to detect the expressions of CPEB4 and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related markers. The function of CPEB4 on GC cell growth and metastasis was also determined in vivo through establishing subcutaneous xenograft tumor and lung metastatic mice model.Results: The results revealed that the expression of CPEB4 was increased in GC tissues compared with matched normal tissues. High expression level of CPEB4 was significantly associated with clinical metastasis and unfavorable prognosis in patients with GC. Furthermore, CPEB4 silencing remarkably inhibited GC cells' proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Conversely, CPEB4 overexpression achieved the opposite effects. Mechanically, we proved that ZEB1-mediated EMT might be involved in CPEB4-facilitated GC cells' proliferation, invasion, and metastasis.Conclusion: Our findings implied that CPEB4 expression predicted a worse prognosis in patients with GC. Besides, CPEB4 contributed to GC cells' proliferation, migration, and invasion via ZEB1-mediated EMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Based on Savitzky-Golay (SG) smoothing screening, principal component analysis (PCA) combined with separately supervised linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) were used for non-destructive visible and near-infrared (Vis-NIR) detection for breed screening of transgenic sugarcane. A random and stability-dependent framework of calibration, prediction, and validation was proposed. A total of 456 samples of sugarcane leaves planting in the elongating stage were collected from the field, which was composed of 306 transgenic (positive) samples containing Bt and Bar gene and 150 non-transgenic (negative) samples. A total of 156 samples (negative 50 and positive 106) were randomly selected as the validation set; the remaining samples (negative 100 and positive 200, a total of 300 samples) were used as the modeling set, and then the modeling set was subdivided into calibration (negative 50 and positive 100, a total of 150 samples) and prediction sets (negative 50 and positive 100, a total of 150 samples) for 50 times. The number of SG smoothing points was ex- panded, while some modes of higher derivative were removed because of small absolute value, and a total of 264 smoothing modes were used for screening. The pairwise combinations of first three principal components were used, and then the optimal combination of principal components was selected according to the model effect. Based on all divisions of calibration and prediction sets and all SG smoothing modes, the SG-PCA-LDA and SG-PCA-HCA models were established, the model parameters were optimized based on the average prediction effect for all divisions to produce modeling stability. Finally, the model validation was performed by validation set. With SG smoothing, the modeling accuracy and stability of PCA-LDA, PCA-HCA were signif- icantly improved. For the optimal SG-PCA-LDA model, the recognition rate of positive and negative validation samples were 94.3%, 96.0%; and were 92.5%, 98.0% for the optimal SG-PCA-LDA model, respectively., Conclusion: Vis-NIR spectro- scopic pattern recognition combined with SG smoothing could be used for accurate recognition of transgenic sugarcane leaves, and provided a convenient screening method for transgenic sugarcane breeding.