Alleles of IL-17A and IL-17F genes were reported to be associated with many inflammatory and autoimmune disorders in Asian patients. Serum level and mRNA of IL-17A in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were reported to be significantly higher in MG patients than in healthy controls. In experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG) animals, IL-17 may have effects on the severity of MG. This study investigated the association between four SNPs of IL-17A and IL-17F gene (rs8193036, rs2275913 and rs3748067 in IL-17A; rs763780 in IL-17F) and MG in Chinese patients. The allele frequencies were compared between 480 MG patients and 487 healthy controls, between each MG subgroup and the control group, and between each pairs of MG subgroups. Subgroups were specified by clinical features (onset age, gender, thymoma, AChRAb and muscle involvement at onset) and maximal severity during the follow-up. No associations were found between the four SNPs of IL-17A and IL-17F gene and MG in Chinese patients.

Background Previous studies suggest that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) maintenance complex component 3 associated protein (MCM3AP) antisense RNA 1 (MCM3AP-AS1) has a wide range of functions in several cancers. However, its expression and functions in breast cancer are unclear. Methods Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of MCM3AP-AS1. MTT, colony formation and anchorage-independent growth assay were used to examine the effect of MCM3AP-AS1 on growth of breast cancer cells. TUNEL and flow cytometry assay were applied to investigate the role of MCM3AP-AS1 on cell apoptosis. Wound heading and transwell matric penetration assay were used to detect the role of MCM3AP-AS1 on cell motility. RNA pull-down and RIP assay were used to examine the interaction of MCM3AP-AS1 and ZFP36. Results We found that lncRNA MCM3AP-AS1 was significantly upregulated in breast cancer, which correlated with patients’ clinicopathological characteristics. Downregulation of MCM3AP-AS1 substantially inhibited the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of breast cancer cells. Further analysis clarified that MCM3AP-AS1 binds with the RNA-binding protein ZFP36 ring finger protein (ZFP36) to regulate the levels of cyclin D1 ( CCND1 ), c-myc ( MYC ), and matrix metalloproteinase 1 ( MMP1 ). Conclusions Our findings show lncRNA MCM3AP-AS1 might be a prognostic factor and a promising therapeutic target for breast cancer therapy.

Background: Intravenous thrombolysis can significantly improve the neurological function of patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, the expected early dramatic recovery (EDR) of neurological function after thrombolysis is not achieved in some patients with branch atheromatous disease (BAD). Here we evaluated the factors associated with EDR after thrombolysis in BAD patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study on 580 consecutive BAD patients. All patients met the diagnostic criteria of BAD and received intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA). EDR was defined when the improvement of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was >8 points within 2 or 24 hours after rt-PA, or the total NIHSS score was 0 or 1. The factors associated with EDR were analyzed with multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Among 580 patients, the incidence of EDR was 35.2% (204 cases). Compared with patients without EDR, patients with EDR had lower incidence of diabetes (15.7% vs 29.3%, P < .001), lower NIHSS scores at 2 and 24 hours after rt-PA ( P < .001), less cerebral hemorrhage (0% vs 5.3%, P = .001), and shorter onset to treatment time (OTT) ( P < .001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis in propensity score-matched cohort showed that EDR was associated with OTT (adjusted OR = 0.994; 95% CI, 0.989–0.999) and NIHSS score after rt-PA (adjusted OR = 0.768; 95% CI, 0.663–0.890). Notably, diabetes (adjusted OR = 0.477, 95% CI, 0.234–0.972) was an independent factor related to EDR of neurological function in BAD patients. In the subgroup analysis, a lower incidence of diabetes (adjusted OR = 0.205, 95% CI: 0.059–0.714, P = .013) and a lower NIHSS score after thrombolysis in patients with paramedian pontine infarction (adjusted OR = 0.809, 95% CI: 0.656–0.997, P = .047) were significantly associated with EDR. Conclusion: Diabetes is not conducive to EDR of neurological function in patients with BAD, especially in patients with paramedian pontine infraction. Low NIHSS score and short OTT after thrombolysis may be closely related to EDR after intravenous thrombolysis.

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Background: Intensive Lipid-lowering therapy (ILLT) is a crucial strategy for secondary prevention of ischemic stroke. While current evidence of the risks of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) after ILLT were contradictory; morever, insights into the associations between ILLT and the outcomes of ICH were also limited. Methods: Data of consecutive patients with acute ICH and histories of ischemic stroke at an academic stroke center from 2017 to 2019 were retrospectively collected. The study patients were classifed according to their baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels: <1.8 mmol/L vs. LDL-c≥1.8 mmol/L. Results: A total of 197 patients were included in the study, 31 of them had LDL-c <1.8 mmol/L and 166 had LDL-c≥1.8 mmol/L. We did not tested any significant differences regarding the demographic characteristics or the medical histories (Table 1). Medians of baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores (8 vs. 9, p=0.79) and ICH scores (1 vs.1 , p=0.26) were similar. But patients with LDL-c<1.8 mmol/L had higher bleeding volume (11 (19) vs. 10 (52), p=0.03) and higher risks of secondary intraventricular hemorrhage (13% vs. 4%, p=0.03) (Table 2).Outcomes of the ICH events at discharge were generally similar (Table 3), except that patients with LDL-c≥1.8 mmol/L had significant improvements in their NIHSS scores at discharge (estimated change in means: -2.4, 95% [-3.9, -0.9] ), than patients with LDL-c<1.8 mmol/L (estimated change in means: -1.4, 95% CI [-4.7, 0.5]). Conclusions: Achieving LDL-c<1.8 mmol/L was associated with bigger bleeding volume, higher risks of secondary intraventricular hemorrhage, and worse neurological improvements.