Out of the boxes,out of the silos: The need of interdisciplinary collaboration to reduce poor-quality medical products in the supply chain

In this paper, we argue that understanding and addressing the problem of poor-quality medical products requires a more interdisciplinary approach than has been evident to date. While prospective studies based on rigorous standardized methodologies are the gold standard for measuring the prevalence of poor-quality medical products and understanding their distribution nationally and internationally, they should be complemented by social science research to unpack the complex set of social, economic, and governance factors that underlie these patterns. In the following sections, we discuss specific examples of prospective quality surveys and of social science studies, highlighting the value of cross-sector partnerships in driving high-quality, policy-relevant research in this area.     

鼻咽癌患者血清中miR-141-3p和miR-155-3p的表达水平及其临床意义北大核心

目的:探讨鼻咽癌患者血清中miR-141-3p及miR-155-3p的表达水平及临床意义。方法:选取2017年01月至2020年09月我院收治的95例鼻咽癌患者和45例健康对照组作为研究对象,采用实时荧光定量PCR法检测miR-141-3p及miR-155-3p表达水平。应用受试者工作特征(receiver operating characteristic, ROC)曲线分析血清中miR-141-3p及miR-155-3p表达水平对鼻咽癌的诊断价值。Pearson相关分析分析鼻咽癌患者血清中miR-141-3p与miR-155-3p表达水平的相关性。结果:鼻咽癌组血清中miR-141-3p(3.25±1.28 vs 0.64±0.17)及miR-155-3p(1.47±0.83 vs 0.35±0.08)表达水平均明显高于对照组(P均<0.001)。鼻咽癌患者血清中miR-141-3p及miR-155-3p表达水平升高与临床分期高、分化程度低、淋巴结转移及远处转移相关(P均<0.001)。ROC曲线显示,血清中miR-141-3p及miR-155-3p表达水平诊断鼻咽癌的最佳截断值分别为2.18、0.97,两项联合诊断鼻咽癌的曲线下面积(0.940,95%CI:0.877~0.998)最大,其敏感度和特异度为97.0%和86.2%。相关分析显示,鼻咽癌患者血清中miR-141-3p与miR-155-3p表达水平呈正相关(r=0.853,P<0.001)。结论:鼻咽癌患者血清中miR-141-3p及miR-155-3p表达水平明显升高,有望作为鼻咽癌诊断的潜在标志物。     

BMP/TGF-β signaling as a modulator of neurodegeneration in ALS

This commentary focuses on the emerging intersection between BMP/TGF-β signaling roles in nervous system function and the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease state. Future research is critical to elucidate the molecular underpinnings of this intersection of the cellular processes disrupted in ALS and those influenced by BMP/TGF-β signaling, including synapse structure, neurotransmission, plasticity, and neuroinflammation. Such knowledge promises to inform us of ideal entry points for the targeted modulation of dysfunctional cellular processes in an effort to abrogate ALS pathologies. It is likely that different interventions are required, either at discrete points in disease progression, or across multiple dysfunctional processes which together lead to motor neuron degeneration and death. We discuss the challenging, but intriguing idea that modulation of the pleiotropic nature of BMP/TGF-β signaling could be advantageous, as a way to simultaneously treat defects in more than one cell process across different forms of ALS.     

Antitumor effects of dioscin in A431 cells via adjusting ATM/p53-mediated cell apoptosis,DNA damage and migration

Skin cancer is the deadliest type of malignant disease and causes primary mortality worldwide. Dioscin, which exists in medicinal plants, has potent anticancer effects. However, its effects on skin cancer remain unknown. In the present study, the activity and mechanism of dioscin on the human skin cancer A431 cell line were investigated, MTT, colony formation, Transwell, wound-healing, TUNEL, Comet, immunofluorescence and western blot assays were used to assess the effects of dioscin on A431 cells. The results of MTT, colony formation, Transwell and wound-healing assays revealed that dioscin suppressed proliferation, colony formation and invasion of the cancer cells. TUNEL and comet assays demonstrated that dioscin exhibited significant effects on cell apoptosis and DNA damage. Investigations into the mechanism revealed that the expression levels of phosphorylated Ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) were considerably activated by dioscin, which significantly upregulated the expression levels of p53 to activate mitochondrial apoptosis signaling. Furthermore, the expression levels of BAX, cleaved caspase-3/9 and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase were upregulated, and the expression levels of BCL-2 were downregulated by dioscin. Additionally, dioscin markedly downregulated the expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2), MMP9, RHO and cdc42, which are all associated with tumor invasion. In addition, p53-small interfering RNA transfection experiments indicated that dioscin exhibited excellent activity against skin cancer in vitro by decreasing p53 expression. Overall, the present results suggested that dioscin inhibited skin cancer cell proliferation via adjusting ATM/p53-mediated cell apoptosis, migration and DNA damage, which should be considered as a potential option for future treatments of skin cancer.     

血清p53抗体异常高水平对消化道肿瘤的早期诊断价值分析

目的:探讨血清p53抗体异常高水平对消化道肿瘤的早期诊断的价值。方法:选取2016年3月至2019年3月来我院检查确诊为消化道肿瘤的患者80例为消化道肿瘤组,选取来我院健康体检的67例健康志愿者为健康对照组。通过酶联免疫吸附实验检测血清中人体抑癌基因p53及其抗体水平;通过RT-qPCR检测血清中细胞凋亡相关基因Bcl-2、Bax和Caspase-3蛋白表达量。采用Pearson相关性分析明确消化道肿瘤p53、p53抗体水平和Bcl-2、Bax、Caspase-3蛋白表达水平的关系。结果:消化道肿瘤组p53水平降低,p53抗体水平异常升高(P<0.05)。与健康对照组相比,消化道肿瘤组Bcl-2表达量增加,Bax和Caspase-3蛋白表达量降低(P<0.05)。消化道肿瘤p53水平与Bcl-2蛋白表达水平呈负相关关系,与Bax、Caspase-3蛋白表达水平均呈正相关关系;p53抗体水平和Bcl-2蛋白表达水平呈正相关关系,与Bax、Caspase-3蛋白表达水平均呈负相关关系(P<0.05)。结论:消化道肿瘤患者血清p53抗体异常高水平,可作为临床辅助诊断消化道肿瘤的可靠指标之一。     

Colitis and colorectal tumors should be further explored and differentiated

The original article by Yuichi et al explored whether the Japan Narrow-Band Imaging Expert Team classification and the pit pattern classification are suitable for diagnosing neoplastic lesions in patients with ulcerative colitis. In this letter, we offer some other perspectives. Risk factors for colorectal tumors include type 2 diabetes. Among genetic factors, the deletion or mutation of some genes, such as the p53 gene, can lead to colorectal tumors. There are significant gender differences in the occurrence and development of colorectal tumors. Some non-genetic factors, such as smoking, are also associated with the development of colorectal tumors. These all suggest that colorectal tumors are not only caused by ulcerative colitis, and we suggest further exploration and differentiation between colitis and colorectal tumors.