Background: Cervical cancer ranks fourth in incidence and mortality among women. Ubiquitin-specific protein 53 binds to damage-specific DNA binding protein 2 and affects the biological properties of colon cancer. Damage-specific DNA binding protein is involved in nucleotide excision repair, which can repair DNA damage. However, the mechanism by which ubiquitin-specific protein 53 regulates the radiosensitivity of cervical cancer through damage-specific DNA binding protein remains unclear. Methods: Tissue samples from 40 patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma who received radiotherapy were examined by immunohistochemistry to detect the expression of ubiquitin-specific protein 53, and clinical data were collected for statistical analysis. The cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry in Siha cells transfected with Si-USP53 and exposed to 8 Gy irradiation. Cell viability was determined by the CCK8 method in cells transfected with Si-USP53 and exposed to 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 Gy. The expression of damage-specific DNA binding protein, cyclin-dependent kinase 1, and cell cycle checkpoint kinase 2 was detected in cells transfected with Si-USP53. Results: The expression of ubiquitin-specific protein 53 in the tissues of patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma was correlated with the sensitivity to radiotherapy. Knockdown of ubiquitin-specific protein 53 in Siha cells downregulated damage-specific DNA binding protein and caused G2/M cell cycle arrest and decreased the survival rate of cells in response to radiation. Conclusion: Ubiquitin-specific protein 53–induced cell cycle arrest and affected the radiotherapy sensitivity of tumors through damage-specific DNA binding protein.

Background:The conflicting result with regard to Red Cell Distribution Width (RDW) with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) has been reported. This systematic review and meta-analysis were aimed to investigate RDW and prognostic value in AKI patients. Methods/Main Results:This meta-analysis included 1251 cases and 1663 controls with a total of 7 enrolled published papers. The results of RDW levels were significantly associated with patients of AKI (WMD=1.127, 95% CI=0.426-1.827; P=0.002), with statistically significant heterogeneity (I 2 =95.80%, P heterogeneity =0.000, random-effects model). 2 Conclusions:In conclusion, the results of this present meta-analysis suggest that the RDW value is a positive prognostic indicator in patients with AKI. However, these results were obtained on the basis of RCS or small sample sizes studies.Further functional studies with additional data would be needed to validate our findings.

Background: X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) might correlate with male infertility susceptibility. This association has been described; however, the findings remain inconsistent. Consequently, this meta-analysis was conducted to characterize the relationship between XRCC1 SNPs and male infertility susceptibility. Methods/main results: Studies were systematically searched in databases to evaluate the association between SNPs of XRCC1 and infertility in males. The effect measures chosen were the 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) and odds ratios (ORs). A total of 7 studies, including 6 case-controlled studies on XRCC1 Arg399Gln and 3 case-controlled studies on XRCC1 Arg194Trp, were included. Ultimately, the results of this analysis revealed that XRCC1 Arg399Gln SNPs were significantly associated with infertility in males in homozygote comparisons (GG vs GA+AA: OR = 0.614, 95% CI: 0.40–0.937, P = .024). This meta-analysis did not demonstrate a relationship between XRCC1 Arg194Trp and male infertility risk. Conclusions: Our study indicated that XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism was associated with a significantly decreased male infertility risk, but not XRCC1 Arg194Trp.