Background. Gastric cancer (GC), a highly prevalent gastric cancer, has high-risk mortality. Thus, investigating strategies to counteract its growth is important to provide theoretical guidance for its prevention and treatment. It has been pointed out that abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) serves as noninvasive biomarkers for GC. This present study probed into the role of miR-622 and the NUAK family SNF1-like kinase 1 (NUAK1). Methods. Five mRNA datasets (GSE64916, GSE118916, GSE122401, GSE158662, and GSE159721) and one miRNA dataset (GSE128720) from the Gene Expression of Omnibus (GEO) database were used to analyze the differentially expressed miRNAs and mRNA in GC and noncancer samples. Further, western blot, real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR), reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay kit experiments, and wound healing assay, together with in vivo experiments, were performed. Results. miR-622 was downregulated, and NUAK1 was upregulated in GC, and NUAK1 was a potential target of miR-622. Knocking down NUAK1 decreased GC cell proliferation and migration but increased oxidative stress in vitro and inhibited the development of tumor in vivo, while miR-622 acted to suppress the action of NUAK1 through the miR-622/NUAK1/p-protein kinase B (Akt) axis, thereby inhibiting the occurrence of GC. Conclusion. miR-622 and NUAK1 demonstrated potential for being targets and biomarkers for GC treatment.

ObjectiveExtracranial vertebral artery dissection (EVAD) is one of the main causes of stroke in young and middle-aged patients. However, the diagnosis is challenging. This study aimed to identify the characteristics of EVAD on color duplex ultrasonography (CDU) and high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (hrMRI), hoping to improve the accuracy and determine the relative contribution of vessel findings and clinical factors to acute ischemic events.MethodsPatients with unilateral EVAD were recruited and divided into ischemia and non-ischemia groups. Clinical features of patients and the lesion location; a variety of signs which indicate dissection, including the presence of an intimal flap, double lumen, intramural hematoma, dissecting aneurysm, intraluminal thrombus, and irregular lumen; and other quantitative parameters of each dissected segment on CDU and hrMRI were reviewed, respectively. Multiple logistic regression was performed to explore the association between clinical, imaging characteristics, and ischemic events in patients with unilateral EVAD.ResultsNinety-six patients with unilateral EVAD who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled during a six-year period. Overall, 41 cases (42.7%) were confirmed as ischemic stroke (n = 40) or transient ischemic attack (n = 1) during the 48 h after the onset of symptoms. Men, infections during the last week, and smoking were more common in the ischemia group. Intraluminal thrombus and occlusion on CDU were more prevalent in patients with cerebral ischemia than in those without (36.6 vs. 5.5%; p < 0.001, and 39.0 vs. 9.1%; p = 0.001, respectively). On hrMRI, intraluminal thrombus and occlusion were also more frequent in the ischemia group than in the non-ischemia group (34.1 vs. 5.5%; p < 0.001, and 34.1 vs. 9.1%; p = 0.003, respectively). In addition, lesion length on hrMRI was significantly longer for patients with ischemia (81.5 ± 41.7 vs. 64.7 ± 30.8 mm; p = 0.025). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, male gender, infections during the last week, and the presence of intraluminal thrombus on CDU and hrMRI were independently associated with acute ischemic events.ConclusionMale sex, infections during the last week, and the presence of intraluminal thrombus due to dissection are associated with an increased risk of ischemic events in patients with unilateral EVAD.

Background Hemodialysis (HD) patients are at risk for sarcopenia (SP) and bone loss, which may impact falls and bone fragility and lead to poor prognosis. Patients with HD and those with osteoporosis (OP) are still underdiagnosed and untreated. The aims of the present study were to evaluate the factors that affect bone mineral density (BMD) loss in HD patients, and explore traditional and novel approaches to manage chronic kidney disease–mineral-bone disorder (CKD-MBD). Methods Patients who underwent regular HD at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were retrospectively evaluated. According to the WHO osteoporosis criteria, patients were categorized into three groups: normal BMD, osteopenia, and osteoporosis. Demographic and clinical data, skeletal muscle mass, and bone turnover markers(BTM) were compared between the three groups. The correlation between bone density and muscle mass was calculated, and related risk factors were analyzed. Results This study enrolled 130 HD patients, 36 patients were diagnosed with sarcopenia (27.7%), 44 patients were diagnosed with osteopenia (33.8%), 19 patients were diagnosed with osteoporosis (14.6%), and 23 patients were diagnosed with osteosarcopenia (17.7%). The SMI was positively correlated with the BMD of the lumbar spine ( r = 0.23, p < 0.01) and femoral neck ( r = 0.22, p < 0.05). In ordinal logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) for low BMD was high for patients with sarcopenia (OR = 5.894, 95% CI 1.592–21.830, p < 0.01), older age (OR = 1.095, 95% CI 1.041–1.153, p < 0.001), higher TRACP-5b levels (OR = 1.597, 95% CI 1.230–2.072, p < 0.01), and lower 25-OH vitamin D levels (OR = 0.631, 95% CI 0.544–0.733, p < 0.001). Conclusion The preservation of skeletal muscle mass could be important to prevent a BMD decrease in HD patients. Adequate intake of vitamin D and control of TRACP-5b levels will help reduce the occurrence and progression of osteopenia/sarcopenia in HD patients.

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Background Vulnerable plaques with ruptured fibrous cap were prone to produce emboli and cause distal arterial embolism. The identification of vulnerable plaque in humans before it becomes symptomatic has been elusive to date. Inflammation related ratio of leukocytes and their subtypes had been proved that they can predict cardiovascular diseases, while we aimed to explore the correlation between those and vulnerable carotid plaque. Methods Ischemic stroke patients admitted to the Department of Neurology were analyzed as study group (neurology group) from January 2019 and December 2020. Besides, patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA) during the same period were collected as control group (neurosurgery group) for compare. All patients were categorized into stable and vulnerable plaque groups based on the characteristics of plaque assessed by carotid doppler ultrasonography (CDU). The H&E staining characteristics of carotid plaque after CEA were analyzed to test the feasibility of ultrasound grouping in the study group. The inflammation-related ratio (PLR: platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio, NLR: neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, MLR: monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio) were collected to analyze. Spearman linear correlation analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the correlation between factors and plaque vulnerability, and multivariate analysis was used to exclude confounding factors. Results In study group, comparisons of hs-CRP and NLR among the vulnerable plaque group and stable plaque group showed a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). Multivariate logistic analysis revealed that elevated levels of NLR were independent risk factors for carotid plaque vulnerability in the study group (2.399; 1.468–3.921; p < 0.001). Incorporating the control group’s data (neurosurgery group), patients with vulnerable carotid plaques present with higher hs-CRP and lower HDL-C. Low level HDL-C would lose its protective effect on vulnerable carotid plaque (0.15; 0.023–0.958; p = 0.045). The ultrasonic and pathological characteristics of carotid plaques in the control group had strong consistency. Conclusions The inflammation reflected by the high level of hs-CRP plays a vital role in forming vulnerable carotid plaques. NLR is expected to effectively predict vulnerable carotid plaque for stroke patients at the first visit and is easier to obtain in clinical.