ALBERT

Description: Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer worldwide, with a low 5-year survival rate. Epigenetic modification plays pivotal roles in gastric cancer development. However, the role of histone-modifying enzymes in gastric cancer remains largely unknown. Here we report that Sirt7, a NAD+-dependent class III histone deacetylase, is over-expressed in human gastric cancer tissues. Sirt7 level is significantly correlated with disease stage, metastasis, and survival. Knockdown of Sirt7 in gastric cancer cells inhibits cell proliferation and colony formation in vitro. In vivo subcutaneous xenograft results also show that Sirt7 knockdown can markedly repress gastric cancer cell growth. In addition, Sirt7 depletion induces apoptosis in gastric cancer cells via up-regulating expression of pro-apoptotic proteins and down-regulating anti-apoptotic proteins. Mechanically, Sirt7 binds to the promoter of miR-34a and deacetylases the H3K18ac, thus represses miR-34a expression. Reversely, depletion of miR-34a inhibits gastric cancer apoptosis induced by Sirt7 knockdown, and restores cellular capacity of proliferation and colony formation. miR-34a depletion reduces Sirt7-knockdown-induced arrest of gastric growth. Finally, miR-34a is tightly associated with survival of patients with gastric cancer. Scientific Reports 5 doi: 10.1038/srep09787

Description: Regional logistics prediction is the key step in regional logistics planning and logistics resources rationalization. Since regional economy is the inherent and determinative factor of regional logistics demand, it is feasible to forecast regional logistics demand by investigating economic indicators which can accelerate the harmonious development of regional logistics industry and regional economy. In this paper, the PSO-RBFNN model, a radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) combined with particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm, is studied. The PSO-RBFNN model is trained by indicators data in a region to predict the regional logistics demand. And the corresponding results indicate the model’s applicability and potential advantages.

Description: To assess different impacts of land, population and economy factors on the lexicographic minimax optimal allocation of blue and green water footprints, a comprehensive discriminant rule is constructed in this paper based on the Gini coefficient and Theil entropy index. The proposed rule is employed to estimate the influence of the aforesaid factors (land, population and economy) on the corresponding allocation schemes from a fairness perspective. To demonstrate its applicability, the proposed approach is applied to a water resources allocation study for 11 provinces in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). The results indicate that: (1) the economy-based lexicographic allocation of water footprints (LAWF) is more equalitarian for the provinces with high water footprint quotas. The land area-based LAWF is more equalitarian for the provinces with low water footprint quotas. The population-based LAWF is more equalitarian for the provinces with medium water footprint quotas. (2) The contribution of intra-regional variation in the population-based LAWF scheme is the largest of the three schemes. The inter-regional variation contributed the largest in the land area-based LAWF scheme. (3) Two synthetic schemes which integrate multiple factors among land area, economy and population are more equalitarian than the three single-factor schemes. Compared with the original situation which is an equalitarian but ineffective allocation, the two synthetic schemes have greater effect on the improvement of the supply-demand balance of water resources carrying capacity. Therefore, the defect of the population, economy and land area factors acting alone should be resolved by designing a weighting system, in order to optimize the allocation of water resources.

Description: As important situational factors in the workplace, challenge stressors play an important role in stimulating employee creativity. This study used self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion as intervening processes to delve into the impact of promotion and depletion mechanisms of challenge stressors on employee creativity. According to the theory of resource conservation, the study explores the moderating effect of learning and relaxing at work on the promotion and depletion mechanisms of challenge stressors. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis was conducted to analyze the effect of a combination of factors on employee creativity. A total of 240 valid paired-samples were collected from employees of three enterprises in information technology, finance, and evaluation services industries. This study drew the following conclusions. Challenge stressors have a direct positive effect on employee creativity, self-efficacy and emotional exhaustion have partial mediating effects on the relationship between challenge stressors and employee creativity, learning positively moderates the relationship between challenge stressors and self-efficacy, and qualitative comparative analysis reveals three configurations that improve employee creativity.

Description: Administration of near-myeloablative courses of chemotherapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is considered the standard of care for children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, this approach is associated with severe impairment of hematopoiesis and immune response, high rate of toxic death, and a high economic burden for families. Recent genomic studies show that the failure associated with treatment is due to the selection of chemotherapy-resistant clones present at diagnosis. In this study, we (1) report the outcomes of children with AML who received low-intensity induction chemotherapy, and (2) evaluate the quality of remission by using next-generation sequencing. From July 2012 to May 2016, 90 Chinese children with AML who had white blood cell counts less than 50.0×109/L were treated at a single center. Of them, 31 (Group I) received dose-reduced induction chemotherapy because they had an active infection or had socioeconomic constraints. The remaining 59 children (Group II) received standard-dose chemotherapy. The induction regimen in Group I consisted of homoharringtonine 1 mg/m2, i.v., once daily, 7 doses; cytarabine 10 mg/m2, i.v., q12 h, 20 doses; and G-CSF 5 µg/kg, i.v., once daily, 10 doses (HAG). On day 28 of induction, Group I patients with

Description: This paper explores the impact of abusive supervision on job insecurity under the frameworks of the social cognitive theory and the leader-member exchange theory; additionally, it explores the mediating role of leader-member exchange (LMX) and the moderating role of power distance. In this study, 944 employees from two state-owned enterprises located in China were surveyed via questionnaires. Results of the correlation analysis and statistical bootstrapping showed that (i) abusive supervision was significantly and positively related to job insecurity, (ii) LMX played a mediating role in the impact of abusive supervision on job insecurity, and (iii) power distance played a moderating role in the relationship between LMX and job insecurity. Based on the social cognitive theory, this study broadens the perspective of studies regarding job insecurity. It also provides practical suggestions for avoiding abusive supervision and for alleviating employees’ insecurities about management.

Description: Vogt–Koyanagi–Harada (VKH) disease is a systemic autoimmune disorder affecting multiple organs, including eyes, skin, and central nervous system. It is known that monocytes significantly contribute to the development of autoimmune disease. However, the subset heterogeneity with unique functions and signatures in human circulating monocytes and the identity of disease-specific monocytic populations remain largely unknown. Here, we employed an advanced single-cell RNA sequencing technology to systematically analyze 11,259 human circulating monocytes and genetically defined their subpopulations. We constructed a precise atlas of human blood monocytes, identified six subpopulations—including S100A12, HLA, CD16, proinflammatory, megakaryocyte-like, and NK-like monocyte subsets—and uncovered two previously unidentified subsets: HLA and megakaryocyte-like monocyte subsets. Relative to healthy individuals, cellular composition, gene expression signatures, and activation states were markedly alternated in VKH patients utilizing cell type-specific programs, especially the CD16 and proinflammatory monocyte subpopulations. Notably, we discovered a disease-relevant subgroup, proinflammatory monocytes, which showed a discriminative gene expression signature indicative of inflammation, antiviral activity, and pathologic activation, and converted into a pathologic activation state implicating the active inflammation during VKH disease. Additionally, we found the cell type-specific transcriptional signature of proinflammatory monocytes, ISG15, whose production might reflect the treatment response. Taken together, in this study, we present discoveries on accurate classification, molecular markers, and signaling pathways for VKH disease-associated monocytes. Therapeutically targeting this proinflammatory monocyte subpopulation would provide an attractive approach for treating VKH, as well as other autoimmune diseases.

Description: Background and Objectives: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a potentially curative therapy for treating pediatric hematological malignancies that are refractory to other therapies. However, severe infections in neutropenic patients remain the major cause of morbidity and mortality, as well as influence the engraftment during HSCT. Multidrug-resistance (MDR) pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis during the pre-engraftment stage has a highly prevalence of mortality, especially in patients with the primary infection site at the facial dangerous triangle. Without the efficient and time treatment, the bacterium may readily spread into the brain, causing severe intracranial infection and even death. There is an urgent need to effectively control MDR-pseudomonas aeruginosa infection and reduce the mortality of patients undergoing allo-HSCT. Method: We report herein a 5-year-old boy with acquired severe aplastic anemia (SAA) who experienced a secondary engraftment failure eight months after receiving haploidentical HSCT from his father. Owing to recurrent fever and severe pneumonia during persistent neutropenia, the patient received second transplant using bone marrow cells from his farther. Two days after the secondary transplant bloodstream identified an infection of MDR-pseudomonas aeruginosa accompanied with symptoms of chills and high fever, and deteriorating pneumonia. On day +4 he had a cellulitis at facial dangerous triangle with lacrimal gland and nasolacrimal duct involved, and secretion culture also confirmed the same bacteria. He was given antibiotics of Tetracycline, Levofloxacin, and Cefoperazone schubatam. However, the involved skin became worse and high fever peak became more frequent, suggesting the progression of sepsis. To facilitate the reconstitution of granulocytes in the patient, we performed six doses of granulocyte transfusion (GTX) from father once every over a period of six days. Granulocyte counts were performed every 12 hours after transfusion in order to maintain a level of granulocyte more than 0.5×109/L. Blood typing showed that the patient was type A and the farther was type AB. To avoid a possible hemolysis due to ABO-mismatched, we treated granulocytes with hydroxyethyl starch before transfusion. Results: During GTXs (from day +6 to +11 after transfusion), the patient's body temperature fluctuated between 37.0℃-38.2℃. There were no signs and symptoms of exacerbated pneumonia, such as cough, hemoptysis and moist rale. We didn't observe transfusion related acute lung injury (TRALI) and respiratory failure. The urine was clear without hematuria. The area of skin involved became under control. Notably, the patient had granulocyte engrafted on day +15 after transfusion, decrease of body temperature on day +16 and normal temperature on day +20. Concurrently, the facial cellulitis was gradually narrowing and moist rale of the lung disappeared. A repeat chest CT scan confirmed disappearance of the infection site in the lung. The bloodstream culture was negative on day +9 and secretion culture was negative on day +15. We maintained the treatment with antibiotics until the negative blood culture was confirmed twice. Eleven months after the treatment, the patient is alive with full donor chimaerism. His blood type becomes AB type. Other tests, including peripheral blood cell counts, liver and renal functions as well as pulmonary function, are all normal. Conclusion: Multidrug-resistant bacteria infection is a common and yet fatal complication in SAA patients. These patients usually experience a prolonged period of neutropenia when undergoing HSCT. We demonstrate here that when being combined with the utilization of broad spectrum antibiotics, repeated GTXs from donor source prove to be an effective therapy for controlling these infections, thereby reducing early death and improving successful rate of allo-HSCT. Therefore, GTXs are recommended as, at best, a "bridge" procedure, that may protect the patient from fatal infections until myeloid recovery ensues Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.