Comparison of different surrogate markers of muscle mass for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in patients with colorectal cancer

Background:This study compared the validity of the creatinine-to-cystatin C ratio(CCR),sarcopenia index(SI),and relative skeletalmuscle index(RSMI)as predictors of sarcopenia in patients with colorectal cancer(CRC)and explored their impact on the patient prognosis.Methods:We retrospectively studied patients with CRC who underwent surgical intervention at the Department of Colorectal and Anal Surgery,situatedwithin the First Affiliated Hospital of GuangxiMedical University.The investigation spanned from January 2015 to December 2017,encompassing a cohort of patients subject to surgical management forCRC during this period.Pearson’s correlation analysis was employed to evaluate the relationships between the CCR,SI,RSMI,and skeletal muscle index(SMI)and the patient prognosis.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were generated to evaluate the predictive precision of these biomarkers and ascertain the optimal cutoff values.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to pinpoint the independent factors linked with sarcopenia.Survival analyses,contingent on different surrogate markers of muscle mass and sarcopenia,were performed utilizing the Kaplan-Meier method alongside the log-rank test.Results:Weenrolled 815 patientswithCRC(522 male and 293 female patients)whowere eligible for the analysis.In accordancewith the guidelines set forth by the International Consensus on Sarcopenia,sarcopenia was diagnosed in a collective total of 503 patients.A Pearson’s correlation coefficient(r)analysis demonstrated that the CCR,SI,and RSMI were positively correlated with the SMI.In both male and female patients,the RSMI(male:r=0.400,P<0.001;female:r=0.640,P<0.001)was more strongly correlated with the SMI than with the CCR(male:r=0.203,P<0.001;female:r=0.192,P<0.001)or SI(male:r=0.335,P<0.001;female:r=0.285,P<0.001).In male patients,the areas under the ROC curves(AUC)for the CCR,SI,and RSMI were 0.596[(95%confidence interval(CI)=0.545-0.647)],0.648(95%CI=0.599-0.698),and 0.681(95%CI=0.629-0.733),respectively.In female patients,the AUC for the CCR,SI,and RSMI were 0.615(95%CI=0.551-0.680),0.660(95%CI=0.598-0.722),and 0.772(95%CI=0.719-0.825),respectively.A multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the CCR remained an influential factor for sarcopenia after correcting for confounding[odds ratio(OR)=0.993,95%CI=0.986-1.000,P=0.038].The SI and RSMI also remained influential factors for sarcopenia after correcting for confounding factors(OR=0.983,95%CI=0.972-0.994,P=0.002;and OR=0.401,95%CI=0.320-0.502,P<0.001,respectively).The groups characterized by low CCR and SI demonstrated notably reduced overall survival compared with their counterparts with high CCR and SI(P=0.007 and P=0.001,respectively),whereas the RSMI and sarcopenia did not exhibit a significant correlation with survival(P=0.608 and P=0.062,respectively).Conclusions:The CCR,SI,and RSMI all have predictive value for sarcopenia in patients with CRC.TheRSMI was a better predictor of sarcopenia than either the CCR or SI in both male and female patientswith CRC.However,the RSMI did not have any significant value for predicting the prognosis of patients with CRC.Subsequent prospective investigations are warranted to elucidate a superiormarker or amalgamation thereof,capable of accurately prognosticating sarcopenia and the overall prognosis in individuals diagnosed with CRC.Such studies should aim to meticulously evaluate a comprehensive array of potential markers,considering their individual and collective predictive value in delineating the clinical trajectory of CRC patients.By conducting rigorous prospective analyses,researchers can strive to uncover novel insights into the complex interplay between sarcopenia and CRC outcomes,thereby facilitating the development of more precise prognostic models and tailored therapeutic approaches.

Suppression of RNA Interference Pathway in vitro by Grass Carp Reovirus

The means of survival of genomic dsRNA of reoviruses from dsRNA-triggered and Dicer-initiated RNAi pathway remains to be defined. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Grass carp reovirus (GCRV) replication on the RNAi pathway of grass carp kidney cells (CIK). The dsRNA-triggered RNAi pathway was demonstrated unimpaired in CIK cells through RNAi assay. GCRV-specific siRNA was generated in CIK cells transfected with purified GCRV genomic dsRNA in Northern blot analysis; while in GCRV-infected CIK cells, no GCRV-specific siRNA could be detected. Infection and transfection experiments further indicated that replication of GCRV correlated with the increased transcription level of the Dicer gene and functional inhibition of in vitro synthesized egfp-siRNA in silencing the EGFP reporter gene. These data demonstrated that although only the genomic dsRNA of GCRV was sensitive to the cellular RNAi pathway, unidentified RNAi suppressor protein(s) might contribute to the survival of the viral genome and efficient viral replication.

Adolescent alcohol exposure alters DNA and RNA modifications in peripheral blood by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis

Alcohol consumption is a critical risk factor contributing to a verity of human diseases. The incidence of alcohol use disorder increases across adolescence in recent years. Accumulating line of evidence suggests that alcohol-induced changes of DNA cytosine methylation(5-methyl-2-deoxycytidine, 5 m C) in genomes play an important role in the development of diseases. However, systemic investigation of the effects of adolescent alcohol exposure on DNA and RNA modifications is still lacked. Especially, there hasn’t been any report to study the effects of alcohol exposure on RNA modifications. Similar to DNA modifications,RNA modifications recently have been identified to function as new regulators in modulating numbers of biological processes. In the current study, we systematically investigated the effects of alcohol exposure on both DNA and RNA modifications in peripheral blood of adolescent rats by liquid chromatographyelectrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-ESI-MS/MS) analysis. The developed LC-ESI-MS/MS method enabled the sensitive and accurate determination of 2 DNA modifications and 12 RNA modifications. As for the alcohol exposure experiments, the adolescent rats were intraperitoneally injected with ethanol with an interval of one day for a total 14 days. The quantification results by LC-ESI-MS/MS analysis showed that adolescent alcohol exposure could alter both DNA and RNA modifications in peripheral blood. Specifically, we observed an overall decreased trend of RNA modifications. The discovery of the significant alteration of the levels of DNA and RNA modifications under alcohol exposure indicates that alcohol consumption may increase the risk of the incidence and development of diseases through dysregulating DNA and RNA modifications.

双原位合成超低填充硼酸钙/聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯纳米复合材料及其介电储能研究

引入超低含量纳米粒子至聚合物基体能够同时改善介电常数和击穿强度,从而显著提升聚合物薄膜电容储能密度,有助于器件小型化.目前溶液共混策略中的有机溶剂回收及环境安全等诸多因素限制了超低填充聚合物纳米复合材料规模化制备及应用.本文工作提出双原位合成策略:聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯(PET)聚合与硼酸钙纳米粒子生长同步,无需任何溶剂实现0.2 wt%硼酸钙纳米粒子均匀分散于PET基体,且界面良好相容.聚酯纳米复合材料介电常数为4.91,最大储能密度为10.69 J/cm^(3),是纯PET 1.94倍.这种双原位合成策略能潜在扩展其他聚酯纳米复合体系,且能批量化制备,为探索聚酯纳米复合材料电能存储和其他应用提供理论依据.