Abstract. The long non-coding RNA HOX transcript antisense RNA (HOTAIR) has been found overexpressed in many human malignancies and involved in tumor progression and metastasis. However, little is known about the potential biological roles of HOTAIR in tumor escape. In the present study, the expression of HOTAIR was detected in 59 paired cervical cancer tissue samples by real-time PCR and then subjected to correlation analysis with clinical features. The effects of HOTAIR on cervical cancer cells as well as the expression of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G were studied by overexpression and RNA interference approaches. Insight into the mechanism of HOTAIR acting as competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) was gained from bioinformatic analysis and luciferase assays. HOTAIR expression was obviously increased in cervical cancer tissue. HOTAIR upregulation was associated with advanced pathological stage, histology, lymph node invasion and lymphatic metastasis, and also correlated with shorter overall survival of cervical cancer patients. Furthermore, HOTAIR overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells, while HOTAIR knockdown inhibited cell invasion and cell viability, induced apoptosis and inhibited growth in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, HOTAIR modulated human leucocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) expression by competitively binding miR-148a. Our data suggest that HOTAIR plays an important oncogenic role in cervical cancer and might serve as a marker for cervical cancer prognosis and a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Gestational hypertension is one of the complicated disorders during pregnancy; it causes the significant risks, such as placental abruption, neonatal deaths, and maternal deaths. Hypertension is also responsible for the metabolic and cardiovascular issues to the mother after the years of pregnancy. Identifying and treating gestational hypertension during pregnancy by a suitable biomarker is mandatory for the healthy mother and foetus development. Cortisol has been found as a steroid hormone that is secreted by the adrenal gland and plays a pivotal role in gestational hypertension. A normal circulating level of cortisol is involved in the regulation of blood pressure, and it is necessary to monitor the changes in the level of cortisol during pregnancy. In this work, aptamer-based colorimetric assay is demonstrated as a model with gold nanorod to quantify the level of cortisol using the coordinated aggregation (at 500 mM of NaCl) and dispersion (with 10 μM of aptamer), evidenced by the scanning electron microscopy observation and UV-visible spectroscopy analysis. This colorimetric assay is an easier visual detection and reached the limit of detection of cortisol at 0.25 mg/mL. This method is reliable to identify the condition of gestational hypertension during the pregnancy period.

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Objective: To investigate the effect of serum cortisol level on perinatal prognosis in patients with hypertensive disorder during pregnancy. Methods: In this study, different degrees of patients with hypertensive disorder during pregnancy who were admitted from August 2018 to August 2019 in our hospital were selected as the research subjects, and divided into groups according to the severity of the patients' conditions. The 120 patients were divided into gestational hypertension group, preeclampsia group and eclampsia group, with 40 cases each, and another 40 healthy pregnant women were selected. The detection of serum cortisol levels was carried out for the above 4 groups of pregnant women. Results: The serum cortisol level in the control group was (260.35 ± 10.96) nmol / L. The case number of neonatal asphyxia was 1 (2.50%), the case number of premature births was 1 (2.50%), the number of fetal growth restriction was 1 (2.50%), the number of deaths was 0, and the other three groups were higher than this. It showed as gestational hypertension <preeclampsia <eclampsia. The Apgar score of pregnant women in the control group was (9.13 ± 0.29), the ZL index was (1.07 ± 0.07), and the other three groups were lower than this. It showed as gestational hypertension> preeclampsia> eclampsia. There were significant differences between groups (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Early detection of serum cortisol levels in pregnant women is beneficial to timely improve the symptoms of gestational hypertension, thereby suppressing the effects of serum cortisol on perinatal infants and improving the prognosis of newborns.

Objective: To investigate the changes and the corresponding clinical value of serum cortisol levels in patients with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Methods: In this study, 90 patients with different degrees of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy who were admitted from August 2018 to August 2019 in our hospital were set as the research objects. 90 cases were grouped according to the diagnostic criteria in Obstetrics and Gynecology, including 30 cases in each of the hypertension group, the preeclampsia group, and the eclampsia group. Another 30 healthy pregnant women were selected as the control group. The serum cortisol levels of pregnant women in the above four groups were measured. Results: Compared with the control group, the serum cortisol levels in the other three groups were significantly increased. In perinatal outcome, compared with the control group, the three groups of patients had an increase in Apgar score, preterm birth, stillbirth rate, growth restriction rate and neonatal asphyxia rate. There were significant differences between groups (P <0.05), and showed as gestational hypertension <preeclampsia <eclampsia. Conclusion: With the exacerbation of hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, the serum cortisol level continues to increase, which has a serious adverse effect on the prognosis of the perinatal infants.