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Qingyan Jiao,1,&ast; Yeqing Dong,2,&ast; Xiaojuan Ma,3 Shiyi Suzy Ji,4 Xinyu Liu,1 Jian Zhang,1 Xia Sun,1 Dazhi Li,1 Xingguang Luo,5 Yong Zhang1 1Unit of Bipolar Disorder, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Tianjin, 300222, People’s Republic of China; 2Institute of Mental Health, Tianjin Anding Hospital, Mental Health Center of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300222, People’s Republic of China; 3Tianjin Medical College, Tianjin, 300222, People’s Republic of China; 4Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; 5Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06511, USA&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yong Zhang, Unit of Bipolar Disorder, Tianjin Anding Hospital, 13 Liulin Road, Hexi District, Tianjin, 300222, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 22 8818 8258, Email zhangyong@tjmhc.comPurpose: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with worse cognitive functioning. We aim to examine the association between baseline cognitive functioning and the reduction rate in HDRS-17 total scores and to highlight the predictors of the reduction rate in HDRS-17 total scores in MDD with first-episode, drug-naïve (FED) patients.Patients and Methods: Ninety FED patients were recruited consecutively and evaluated using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17), the 14-item Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA-14), the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) and the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) at baseline and again at week 8.Results: Eighty-four FED patients completed the study. Comparison showed that response group had significantly higher T scores in TMT-A, BACS-SC, WMS-III, BVMT-R, MSCEI and CPT-IP, but showed significantly lower scores in FAST total scores including autonomy, occupational functioning, cognitive functioning, interpersonal relationship than non- response group (all p’s< 0.05). Partial correlation analysis also found that the reduction rate in HDRS-17 total scores could be negatively associated with autonomy, cognitive functioning and interpersonal relationship domains as well as total FAST scores, also was further positively associated with T-scores of BACS-SC, CPT-IP and MSCEI in MCCB, even when accounting for potential confounders. Furthermore, the levels of cognitive function domain, autonomy domain in FAST, and BACS-SC, CPT-IP in MCCB may predict the reduction rate in HDRS-17 total scores in FED patients (all p’s< 0.05).Conclusion: Our findings underscore significant correlations between baseline functioning and the reduction rate in HDRS-17 total scores in FED patients. Moreover, better baseline cognitive function, autonomy, speed of processing and attention/vigilance are more likely to predict patients’ response to antidepressant treatment, indicating pre-treatment better cognitive functioning may be predictors to treatment response in FED.Keywords: FED, FAST, MCCB, treatment response, the reduction rate in HDRS-17 total scores

Yongli Pan,1,&ast; Qingzheng Jiao,2,&ast; Wei Wei,3,&ast; Tianyang Zheng,4,&ast; Xinyu Yang,5 Wenqiang Xin5 1Department of Neurology, Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong, People’s Republic of China; 2Second Department of Internal Medicine, Gucheng County Hospital, Gucheng, Hebei, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Neurology, Mianyang Central Hospital, Mianyang, Sichuan, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Wenqiang XinDepartment of Neurosurgery, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Anshan Road No. 154, Tianjin, 300052, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86– 185 26201182Fax +86– 22 60362062Email xinwenqiangdr@126.comAbstract: As a crucial kind of pervasive gene, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abundant and key players in brain function as well as numerous neurological disorders, especially ischemic stroke. The mechanisms underlying ischemic stroke include angiogenesis, autophagy, apoptosis, cell death, and neuroinflammation. Inflammation plays a vital role in the pathological process of ischemic stroke, and systemic inflammation affects the patient’s prognosis. Although a great deal of research has illustrated that various lncRNAs are closely relevant to regulate neuroinflammation and microglial activation in ischemic stroke, the specific interactional relationships and mechanisms between lncRNAs and neuroinflammation have not been described clearly. This review aimed to summarize the therapeutic effects and action mechanisms of lncRNAs on ischemia by regulating inflammation and microglial activation. In addition, we emphasize that lncRNAs have the potential to modulate inflammation by inhibiting and activating various signaling pathways, such as microRNAs, NF‐κB and ERK.Keywords: ischemic stroke, long noncoding RNA, microglia, neuroinflammation

Chenglei Liu1 ,* Yue Xing2 ,* Qiong Jiao,3 Qingcheng Yang,4 Wenbin Yu,5 Yuncheng Li6 ,* Xiaofeng Tao,1 Weiwu Yao7 1Department of Radiology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Orthopaedics, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 5Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education), Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Peking University Cancer Hospital & Institute, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Radiology, Shanghai Tongren Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Weiwu YaoDepartment of Radiology, Shanghai Tongren Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail yaoweiwuhuan@163.comXiaofeng TaoDepartment of Radiology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail cjr.taoxiaofeng@vip.163.comBackground: Dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma (DC) is an extremely uncommon malignant bone tumor with dismal survival outcomes. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the preoperative neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has the ability to predict overall survival (OS) in DC patients.Materials and Methods: Twenty-three DC patients with surgical resection were retrospectively reviewed between 2008 and 2015. The clinical pathological information and survival data were collected for analysis. The cut-off point for NLR was defined by receiver operating curve (ROC). The impact of NLR level on OS between two groups was compared using Kaplan–Meier curves with the Log-rank test. The association between NLR and OS was calculated by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional models.Results: From the ROC analysis, the optimal NLR cut-off point was 3.11. Patients with high NLR had a worse OS than low NLR (p = 0.003, Log-rank test). In univariate analysis, a significant association was observed between high NLR and poor OS (Hazard ratio (HR) 4.62, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.48– 14.34, p = 0.008). After adjustment of co-variables, high NLR had more than 4 times the risk of mortality (HR 4.01, 95% CI 1.12– 14.26, p = 0.032).Conclusion: Preoperative NLR in peripheral blood is an easily accessible and cost-effective prognostic biomarker in DC patients. A prospective study with large sample size is warranted.Keywords: dedifferentiated chondrosarcoma, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, outcome, prognostic factor

Lin Cheng,1 Qiong Jiao,2 Yuchen Jin,1 Hao Fu,1 Huizhen Zhang,2 Libo Chen1 1Department of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pathology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Libo ChenDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, 600 Yishan Road, Shanghai 200233, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-21-24058871Fax +86-21-64941720Email lbchen@sjtu.edu.cnAbstract: Preclinical studies have demonstrated that Apatinib, major targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), could inhibit the proliferation of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) cells in vitro and in vivo. The efficacy and safety in ATC patients, however, remains unknown. Here, we report the case of a 93-year-old female with advanced ATC who initially treated with Apatinib. The tumor shrank notably 4 weeks after the initiation of therapy, which sustained for more than 30 weeks. The cervical CT illuminated a stable disease with a best response of 19.7% of the primary lesion and shrinkage of the metastatic lymph node. Adverse events, including hypertension, dental ulcer, hand-foot syndrome, fatigue, and anorexia, were observed and lightened with supportive treatment and dose reductions. The overall survival of the patient was 41 weeks. This is the first report describing the effectiveness of the VEGFR-2 inhibitor for the treatment of advanced ATC, warranting clinical trials to further ascertain its utility in this challenging setting.Keywords: anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, Apatinib

Guoli Shao,1,* Shufeng Ji,1,* Aiguo Wu,1 Cuiping Liu,2 Mengchuan Wang,1 Pusheng Zhang,1 Qingli Jiao,1 Yuzhan Kang2 1Department of General Surgery, 2Department of Critical Care Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: The recent discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) and their extracellular presence suggest a potential role of these regulatory molecules in defining the metastatic potential of cancer cells and mediating the cancer–host communication. This study aims to improve the sensitivity of miRNA detection via DNAzyme-based method and enhance the selectivity by using the DNAzyme-based probe to reduce nonspecific amplification. Methods: The miRNA probes were chemically synthesized with a phosphate at the 5' end and purified by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Exosomal RNA from peripheral blood was isolated. Carboxylated magnetic microsphere beads (MBs) were functionalized with streptavidin (SA) according to a previously reported method with some modification. T capture probe-coated SA-MBs (DNA-MBs) were also prepared. The fluorescent spectra were measured using a spectrofluorophotometer. Results: We designed an incomplete DNAzyme probe with two stems and one bubble structure as a recognition element for the specific detection of miRNA with high sensitivity. The background effects were decreased with increase of the added of DNA-MBs and capturing times. Therefore, 20 minutes was selected as the optimal concentration in the current study. The fluorescence intensity increases as the hybridization time changed and reached a constant level at 40 minutes, and 1 µM is the optimum signal probe concentration for self-assembled DNA concatemers formation. In the presence of miRNA, the fluorescence of the solution increased with increasing miRNA concentration. There is no obvious fluorescence in the presence of 10 mM of other nontarget DNA. Conclusion: A simple, rapid method with high performance has been constructed based on identified circulating miRNA signatures using miRNA-induced DNAzyme. This assay is simple, inexpensive, and sensitive, enabling quantitative detection of as low as 10 fM miRNA. Keywords: DNAzyme, miRNAs, breast cancer, detection

To better understand the influence of the aluminum content on the performance of aluminized explosives, experiments in concrete and cylinder tests were performed. Three types of RDX-based aluminized explosives, in which the mass ratio of aluminum content was 0%, 15%, and 30% were considered in this paper. The shock wave pressures of the aluminized explosives in the affected concrete bodies were measured using manganin pressure sensors. The acceleration ability was obtained using a high-speed camera and a rotating mirror streak camera. The peak pressure attenuation characteristics of the explosives with various aluminum contents indicated that a higher aluminum content is associated with a slower peak pressure attenuation of the shock wave. In addition, the results of the cylinder tests and the metal-rod acceleration tests revealed the influence of the aluminum content on the acceleration ability of explosives in three different time periods. The test data presented in this paper verified the relationship between the aluminum content and explosive performance, which is of great significance for optimizing the properties of aluminized explosives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel of GaxGe(4-x)Sb64S128-40AgI glass system was prepared by melting quenching in the synthesis range of 0 = x = 4. The structure property, thermal behavior and electrical conductivity of the prepared glasses were investigated with the different Ge/Ga ratios. From the XRD pattern, there is no crystal precipitated from the sample material, and a slightly gallium element doping induced [GaS4] tetrahedral structure units and edge-shared [Ge(Ga)S(4-x)Ix] mixed structure facilitated the transport of ion channels. The glass conductivity overall increased with the addition of gallium content, glass with x=1 presented the highest conductivity of 9.18 × 10-6 S/cm at room temperature. These phenomenon and results offer a new thought to explore metal-doped sulfur solid electrolytes in batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a heterogeneous disease, characterized by excess T helper (Th) 22 activation in Asian AD. Inducible T‐cell costimulator (ICOS) is crucial for T‐cell activation and differentiation. However, the role of ICOS in AD and its effect on Th22 cells remain unclear. Objectives: To gain a better understanding of the role of ICOS and ICOS ligand (ICOSL) in the pathogenesis of Asian AD and its underlying mechanisms. Methods: We quantified ICOS and ICOSL expression in Han Chinese patients with AD and healthy controls (HC). Then, we assessed the proliferation and the production of the Th22 chemokines CCR4 and CCR10 by ICOSL‐stimulated AD peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) as well as their effects on keratinocyte filaggrin production. Finally, we explored the link between ICOS‐expressing Th22 cells and disease activity and IgE levels in our patients with AD. Results: Our patients with AD showed higher levels of ICOS‐expressing Th22 cells as well as ICOSL‐expressing CD19+ B cells and CD14+ monocytes compared with HC. ICOSL increased the proliferation and expression of CCR4 and CCR10, and of interleukin (IL)‐22 in AD PBMCs. ICOSL treatment also significantly increased the downregulation of filaggrin expression by keratinocytes cocultured with PBMCs from patients with AD. Finally, blood levels of ICOS+ Th22 cells and ICOSL+ B cells in this AD cohort were correlated with disease activity as assessed by the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis index and with total IgE levels. In Han Chinese patients with AD, circulating Th22 cells, serum levels of IL‐22 and IL‐22+ cells in lesional skin were all markedly increased. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that ICOS/ICOSL expression and effects are linked to Th22 skewing and the pathogenesis of Han Chinese AD, which suggests ICOSL and ICOS as well as Th22 cells and IL‐22 as new and promising therapeutic targets. What's already known about this topic? In Asian patients, atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by excess T helper (Th) 22 activation.Inducible T‐cell costimulator (ICOS) is crucial for T‐cell activation and differentiation. What does this study add? This study demonstrates that circulating Th22 cells, serum levels of interleukin (IL)‐22 and IL‐22+ cells are all markedly increased in lesional skin in Han Chinese patients with AD.In Han Chinese patients with AD, ICOS and ICOS ligand (ICOSL) drive Th22 skewing and increase filaggrin downregulation, and ICOS+ Th22 cells and ICOSL+ B cells are linked to disease activity. What is the translational message? ICOS+ Th22 cells and ICOSL+ B cells are potential clinical biomarkers of disease activity in Han Chinese patients with AD.ICOS‐ and ICOSL‐targeted treatment approaches may benefit Han Chinese patients with AD. Respond to this article [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]