Mengxiong Li

Bio: Mengxiong Li is an academic researcher from Sun Yat-sen University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Urinary incontinence & Pelvic floor dysfunction. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 6 publications receiving 14 citations.

Role of chemokines in promoting instability of coronary atherosclerotic plaques and the underlying molecular mechanism

Abstract: Our aim was to investigate the role of chemokines in promoting instability of coronary atherosclerotic plaques and the underlying molecular mechanism. Coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) were performed in 60 stable angina pectoris (SAP) patients and 60 unstable angina pectoris (UAP) patients. The chemotactic activity of monocytes in the 2 groups of patients was examined in Transwell chambers. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), regulated on activation in normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and fractalkine in serum were examined with ELISA kits, and expression of MCP-1, RANTES, and fractalkine mRNA was examined with real-time PCR. In the SAP group, 92 plaques were detected with IVUS. In the UAP group, 96 plaques were detected with IVUS. The plaques in the UAP group were mainly lipid 51.04% (49/96) and the plaques in the SAP group were mainly fibrous 52.17% (48/92). Compared with the SAP group, the plaque burden and vascular remodeling index in the UAP group were significantly greater than in the SAP group (P<0.01). Chemotactic activity and the number of mobile monocytes in the UAP group were significantly greater than in the SAP group (P<0.01). Concentrations of hs-CRP, MCP-1, RANTES, and fractalkine in the serum of the UAP group were significantly higher than in the serum of the SAP group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and expression of MCP-1, RANTES, and fractalkine mRNA was significantly higher than in the SAP group (P<0.05). MCP-1, RANTES, and fractalkine probably promote instability of coronary atherosclerotic plaque.

The relationship of severity in diastasis recti abdominis and pelvic floor dysfunction: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract: Diastasis of rectus abdominis (DRA) refers to a separation of the rectus abdominis from the linea alba. This study aimed to investigate the association with the severity of DRA for developing pelvic floor dysfunction among women during the first year postpartum. This is a retrospective cohort study which collected data from 229 postpartum women. DRA was defined as a separation of ≥ 20 mm at any point 4.5 cm above, at and 4.5 cm below the umbilicus. The data for analysis includes pelvic organ prolapse quantification (POP-Q), medical history of urinary incontinence (UI), the strength of rectus abdominis muscle and pelvic floor muscle. The differences in women with and without DRA were compared with independent samples t-test and Chi-square test. Prevalence of DRA was 82.6% during the first postpartum year. Cesarean section and multiple parturitions are recognized as risk factors for DRA due to the odds ratio in our study were 3.48 (95% CI 1.42–8.56), 3.20 (95% CI 1.59–6.45) respectively. There was no difference in the occurrence of UI and pelvic organ prolapse (POP) comparing women with and without DRA, even changing the cut-off values (inter-rectus distance = 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm) for determining DRA. The women with weak rectus abdominis muscle and pelvic floor muscle have no statistical difference in two group. The relationship of the diastasis recti abdominis and pelvic floor dysfunction has no connection, even with the severity of inter-rectus distance increasing.

A novel lncRNA-mRNA-miRNA signature predicts recurrence and disease-free survival in cervical cancer

Abstract: Cervical cancer (CC) patients have a poor prognosis due to the high recurrence rate. However, there are still no effective molecular signatures to predict the recurrence and survival rates for CC patients. Here, we aimed to identify a novel signature based on three types of RNAs [messenger RNA (mRNAs), microRNA (miRNAs), and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs)]. A total of 763 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEMs), 46 lncRNAs (DELs), and 22 miRNAs (DEMis) were identified between recurrent and non-recurrent CC patients using the datasets collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GSE44001; training) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (RNA- and miRNA-sequencing; testing) databases. A competing endogenous RNA network was constructed based on 23 DELs, 15 DEMis, and 426 DEMs, in which 15 DELs, 13 DEMis, and 390 DEMs were significantly associated with disease-free survival (DFS). A prognostic signature, containing two DELs (CD27-AS1, LINC00683), three DEMis (hsa-miR-146b, hsa-miR-1238, hsa-miR-4648), and seven DEMs (ARMC7, ATRX, FBLN5, GHR, MYLIP, OXCT1, RAB39A), was developed after LASSO analysis. The built risk score could effectively separate the recurrence rate and DFS of patients in the high- and low-risk groups. The accuracy of this risk score model for DFS prediction was better than that of the FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) staging (the area under receiver operating characteristic curve: training, 0.954 vs 0.501; testing, 0.882 vs 0.656; and C-index: training, 0.855 vs 0.539; testing, 0.711 vs 0.508). In conclusion, the high predictive accuracy of our signature for DFS indicated its potential clinical application value for CC patients.

Comprehensive Analysis of the Control of Cancer Stem Cell Characteristics in Endometrial Cancer by Network Analysis.

Abstract: Background Cancer stem cells play an important role in endometrial cancer (EC). It is closely related to self-renewal and therapeutic resistance of EC. Methods In this study, WGCNA (weighted gene coexpression network analysis) was used to analyze the relationship between genes and clinical features. We also performed immune cell infiltration analysis of a key module by using ImmuCellAI (Immune Cell Abundance Identifier). Then, key genes were verified in the GEO database. Finally, causal relationship analysis and protein-protein interaction analysis were performed in DisNor tool and STRING. Result The mRNA expression-based stemness index (mRNAsi) is significantly lower in normal tissues and is significantly higher in individuals with stage IV or high-grade cancer and those who are obese or postmenopausal. Nineteen key genes (ORC6, C1orf112, RAD54L, SGO2, BUB1, PLK4, KIF18B, BUB1B, TTK, NCAPG, XRCC2, CENPF, KIF15, RACGAP1, ARHGAP11A, TPX2, KIF14, KIF4A, and NCAPH) that were enriched mainly in terms related to the cell cycle and DNA replication were selected by weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). Based on the key modules, the numbers of NKT cells, NK cells, and neutrophils in the normal group were significantly higher than those in the cancer group. PLK1, CDK1, and MAD2L1, which were correlated with upstream genes, may be an regulated upstream of key genes. Conclusion PLK1, CDK1, and MAD2L1 which were strongly correlated with upstream genes may be a regulated upstream of key genes.

Serum C-reactive protein in the prediction of cardiovascular diseases: Overview of the latest clinical studies and public health practice

Abstract: Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Epidemiological studies using high-sensitivity assays for serum C-reactive protein have shown a consistent association between cardiovascular disease risk and serum C-reactive protein concentrations. C-reactive protein is a biomarker for inflammation, and has been established in clinical practice as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease events. There is evidence that serum C-reactive protein is an excellent biomarker of cardiovascular disease and is also an independent and strong predictor of adverse cardiovascular events. Further characterization of the impact and influence of lifestyle exposures and genetic variation on the C-reactive protein response to cardiovascular disease events may have implications for the therapeutic approaches to reduce cardiovascular disease events. This review summarizes the studies that have examined the association between serum C-reactive protein and the risk of cardiovascular disease. We also discuss the impact of independent factors and C-reactive protein genetic polymorphisms on baseline plasma C-reactive protein levels.

Ferroptosis-Related Genes in Lung Adenocarcinoma: Prognostic Signature and Immune, Drug Resistance, Mutation Analysis.

Abstract: It is reported that ferroptosis has close relation with tumorigenesis and drug resistance. However, the clinical significance of ferroptosis in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) remains elusive, and the potential targets for ferroptosis-based treatment are limited. In this study, we constructed a 15-gene prognostic signature predicting overall survival based on ferroptosis-related genes (ferroptosis driver genes VDAC2, GLS2, FLT3, TLR4, PHKG2, phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (PGD), PANX1, KRAS, PEBP1, ALOX15, and ALOX12B, and suppressor genes ACSL3, CISD1, FANCD2, and SLC3A2) in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA)-LUAD cohort. The signature's predictive ability was validated in the GSE68465 and GSE72094 cohorts by survival analysis and independent prognostic analysis with clinical features. Nomograms were provided for clinical reference. Functional analysis revealed that ferroptosis was closely related to cell cycle, cell metabolism, and immune pathways. Pan-cancer analysis comprehensively analyzed these 15 genes in 33 cancer types, indicating that the heterogeneity of 15 genes was evident across different cancer types. Besides, these genes were critical regulators modulating drug resistance, tumor microenvironment infiltration, and cancer stemness. Then, we screened 10 genes (TLR4, PHKG2, PEBP1, GLS2, FLT3, ALOX15, ACSL3, CISD1, FANCD2, and SLC3A2) as potential targets for further research because their biological functions in ferroptosis were consistent with their prognostic significance. Somatic mutation and copy number variation analysis revealed that the alteration rates of KRAS, PGD, and ALOX15 were more than 1% and significantly associated with overall survival in LUAD. Moreover, the expression of KRAS and PGD was positively related to tumor mutation burden, indicating that KRAS and PGD could serve as novel biomarkers for predicting immunotherapy response rate. Our study identified and validated a ferroptosis-related gene signature for LUAD, provided a 10-gene set for future research, and screened KRAS and PGD as potential novel immunotherapy biomarkers.