ACK1 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression via downregulating WWOX and activating AKT signaling

Several studies have revealed that ACK1 is upregulated in various cancers and promotes tumor progression. However, the role and mechanism of ACK1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unknown. In this study, the expression of ACK1 was assessed in several cell lines and 150 pairs of HCC and adjacent noncancerous liver tissues. The protein expression of p-ACK1 and WWOX were detected by immunohistochemistry to evaluate their correlation with ACK1. Flow cytometry, caspase 3/7 activity assay, BrdU cell proliferation assay, MTT assay and Transwell assay were used to detect apoptosis, proliferation, invasion and migration of HCC cells. The regulatory effect of ACK1 on WWOX, AKT, p-AKT, MMP2 and MMP9 in HCC cells was confirmed by immuno-blotting. We found that ACK1 was more highly expressed in HCC tissues than in non-HCC tissues, and over-expression of ACK1 was correlated with clinicopathological features of poor prognosis. Clinical analysis demonstrated that ACK1 is an independent prognostic marker for predicting overall survival and disease-free survival of HCC patients. Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis indicated that ACK1 was positively associated with p-ACK1 and was negatively associated with WWOX expression. In vitro studies showed that knockdown of ACK1 promoted HCC cell apoptosis and repressed HCC cells invasion, migration and proliferation. Furthermore, knockdown of ACK1 resulted in upregulation of WWOX and inactivation of AKT signaling. In this study, we also found that knockdown of ACK1 resulted in the downregulation of MMP2 and MMP9 in HCC. Our results indicate that ACK1 is an independent prognostic marker and promotes HCC progression via downregulating WWOX and activating AKT signaling.

Species-specific toxicity of ceria nanoparticles to Lactuca plants

Species-specific differences in the toxicity of manufactured nanoparticles (MNPs) have been reported, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We previously found that CeO2 NPs inhibited root elongation of head lettuce, whereas no toxic effect was observed on other plants (such as wheat, cucumber and radish). In this study, interactions between Lactuca plants and three types of CeO2 NPs (lab-synthesized 7 and 25 nm CeO2 NPs, and a commercial CeO2 NPs) were investigated. It was found that CeO2 NPs were toxic to three kinds of Lactuca genus plants and different CeO2 NPs showed different degrees of toxicity. The results of X-ray absorption near edge fine structure indicate that small parts of CeO2 NPs were transformed from Ce(IV) to Ce(III) in roots of the plants that were treated with CeO2 NPs during the seed germination stage. But the high sensitivity of Lactuca plants to the released Ce(3+) ions caused the species-specific phytotoxicity of CeO2 NPs. Differences in sizes and zeta potentials among three types of CeO2 NPs resulted in their different degrees of biotransformation which accounted for the discrepancy in the toxicity to Lactuca plants. This study is among the few, and may indeed the first, that addresses the relation between the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles and its species-specific phytotoxicity.

PRMT5 enhances generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from dairy goat embryonic fibroblasts via down-regulation of p53

OBJECTIVES

Protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), is thought to play a role in epigenetic reprogramming of mouse germ cells. However, up to now there has been little information concerning its expression profile and effects on generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells, in livestock. Here, we have explored PRMT5 expression profiles in dairy goats and its consequences to derivation of iPSCs from dairy goat embryonic fibroblasts (GEFs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We investigated effects of PRMT5 on iPS-like cells production in vitro. alkaline phosphatase (AP) staining, QRT-PCR and western blotting analysis of expression of related markers were used to evaluate efficiency of generation of iPSCs derived from GEFs.

RESULTS

These showed PRMT5 to be a conservative gene widely expressed in various tissues and different-aged testes. PRMT5 overexpression in combination with OCT3/4, SOX2, KLF4 and C-MYC (POSKM) significantly increased number of AP positive iPS-like colony-derived GEFs compared to OSKM alone, in our dairy goats. Moreover, our results demonstrated that PRMT5 overexpression stimulated GEF proliferation and down-regulated p53, p21 (a target gene of p53) and the apoptotic marker caspase 3, to enhance somatic cell reprogramming.

CONCLUSION

This study provides an efficient model for future studies on mechanisms underlying goat somatic cell reprogramming and differentiation.

Folic acid supplementation and dietary folate intake, and risk of preeclampsia

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Folic acid supplementation has been suggested to reduce the risk of preeclampsia. However, results from few epidemiologic studies have been inconclusive. We investigated the hypothesis that folic acid supplementation and dietary folate intake before conception and during pregnancy reduce the risk of preeclampsia.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

A birth cohort study was conducted in 2010-2012 at the Gansu Provincial Maternity & Child Care Hospital in Lanzhou, China. A total of 10,041 pregnant women without chronic hypertension or gestational hypertension were enrolled.

RESULTS

Compared with nonusers, folic acid supplement users had a reduced risk of preeclampsia (OR=0.61, 95% CI: 0.43-0.87). A significant dose-response of duration of use was observed among women who used folic acid supplemention during pregnancy only (P-trend=0.007). The reduced risk associated with folic acid supplement was similar for mild or severe preeclampsia and for early- or late-onset preeclampsia, although the statistical significant associations were only observed for mild (OR=0.50, 95% CI: 0.30-0.81) and late-onset (OR=0.60, 95% CI: 0.42-0.86) preeclampsia. The reduced risk associated with dietary folate intake during pregnancy was only seen for severe preeclampsia (OR=0.52, 95% CI: 0.31-0.87, for the highest quartile of dietary folate intake compared with the lowest).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study results suggest that folic acid supplementation and higher dietary folate intake during pregnancy reduce the risk of preeclampsia. Future studies are needed to confirm the associations.

Copy number variation detection using SNP genotyping arrays in three Chinese pig breeds

We performed genome-wide CNV detection based on SNP genotyping data of 96 Chinese-native Tibetan, Dahe and Wuzhishan pigs. These pigs are particularly interesting because of their excellent adaptation to hypoxia or small body size, which facilitates the use of them as models of different human diseases in addition to valuable agricultural animals. A total of 105 CNV regions (CNVRs) were identified, encompassing 16.71 Mb of the pig genome. Seven of 10 (70%) CNVRs selected randomly were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Comparison with previous studies revealed 25 (23.81%) novel CNVRs, indicating that CNV coverage of the pig genome is still incomplete and there exists large diversity between pig breeds. Functional analysis of genes located in these CNVRs confirmed the high representation of genes involved in sensory perception, neurological system processes and other basic metabolic processes. In addition, the majority of these CNVRs were detected to span reported pig QTL that affect various traits, which highlighted three biologically interesting genes with copy number changes (i.e., ANKRD34B, FAM110B and ABCG1). These genes may have economic importance in pig breeding and are worth being further investigated. We also obtained some CNVRs harboring genes that had human orthologs involved in human diseases such as cardiovascular disease and Alzheimer's disease. The findings of this study are a significant extension of the coverage of CNVRs in the pig genome and provide valuable resources for follow-up-associated studies of CNVs in pig complex traits as well as important implications of human diseases.

Calculation of protein–ligand binding affinities based on a fragment quantum mechanical method

An efficient fragment-based quantum mechanical method has been successfully applied for reliable prediction of protein–ligand binding affinities.

Correction: Fragment density functional theory calculation of NMR chemical shifts for proteins with implicit solvation

Correction for ‘Fragment density functional theory calculation of NMR chemical shifts for proteins with implicit solvation’ by Tong Zhu et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2012, 14, 7837–7845.

Delayed diagnosis of ureteral injuries following gynecological laparoscopic surgery: three case reports and review

PURPOSE OF INVESTIGATION

The clinical manifestations, causes, and methods for the treatment and prevention of ureteral injuries presenting late after gynecological laparoscopic surgeries were investigated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The medical records of patients who experienced delayed recognition of ureteral injuries after gynecological laparoscopic surgeries in the present hospital between 2008 and 2012 were reviewed retrospectively.

RESULTS

There are three cases of ureteral injuries which are diagnose-delayed, The incidence of the malignant tumor groups was 0.99%, and for malignant patients undergoing laparoscopic lymphadenectomy it was 1.3%.

CONCLUSION

The main way to prevent delayed ureteral injuries is to avoid adhesion between the ureter and surrounding tissues as well as eliminate electrothermal trauma during laparoscopic operations. Surgical repair is effective for such patients.

Quantifying the total ionic release from nanoparticles after particle-cell contact

In order to assess the potential hazards of nanoparticles (NPs) releasing, better knowledge about their toxicity to microbes is required. However, it remains controversial whether NPs could exert particles pecifictoxicity. In this study, the toxic impacts of four kinds of rare earth oxides (REO) NPs (La(2)O(3),CeO(2), Gd(2)O(3), and Yb(2)O(3)) on gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) pBR322 were examined. The results indicate that all the tested NPs possessed cytotoxicity against E. coli. To evaluate the ion-related toxicity of REO NPs, the NPs dissolution in the presence of test organisms was quantitatively measured using X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy. Our results suggest that NPs-cell contact could facilitate the dissolution of NPs, and the additional ionic release at the particle-cell interface might result in a substantial increase in the ion-related toxicities towards the test organisms. Therefore, the ion-related toxicity of NPs might be grossly underestimated if the additional dissolution of NPs caused by particle-cell contact was overlooked, further leading to a false interpretation of particle-specific toxicity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first determination of the total NPs dissolution after particle-cell contact. These findings are helpful to advance mechanistic understanding of the toxicity exerted by dissolvable metal-based NPs.

Nonseparable exchange–correlation functional for molecules, including homogeneous catalysis involving transition metals

A gradient approximation, GAM, to the exchange–correlation functional of Kohn–Sham theory with broad performance for metal and nonmetal bond energies and weak interactions is reported.

Quantifying the distribution of ceria nanoparticles in cucumber roots: the influence of labeling

Study on the fluorescent-labeling-caused changes in the distribution and bio-effects of ceria nanoparticles.

Thermally controlled growth of carbon onions within porous graphitic carbon-detonation nanodiamond monolithic composites

The addition of detonation nanodiamond to carbon monolithic composites has improved graphitic nature, pore volume, surface area and thermal conductivity.

Clinical effects of preventive interventional therapy in gastrointestinal bleeding patients with negative digital subtraction angiography findings

AIM: To assess the clinical effects and value of preventive interventional treatment in gastrointestinal hemorrhage patients with negative digital subtraction angiography (DSA) findings.

METHODS: Seventy-eight gastrointestinal hemorrhage patients with negative DSA findings treated at our hospital from June 2010 to June 2014 were randomly divided into two groups to receive gastroduodenal artery embolization combined with superior mesenteric arterial hypophysin infusion (interventional therapy group, n = 39) and traditional internal medicine conservative treatment (control group n = 39), respectively. Therapeutic effects and the incidence of complications were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS: Short- and long-term success rates of hemostasis were significantly higher in the interventional treatment group than in the control group (92.31% vs 64.10%, 82.05% vs 58.97%, P < 0.05). The amount of blood transfusion (154.56 mL ± 10.37 mL vs 186.21 mL ± 11.34 mL, P < 0.05) was significantly less and hospitalization time (10.35 d ± 2.46 d vs 13.02 d ± 3.03 d, P < 0.05) was significantly shorter in the interventional treatment group than in the control group, while the incidence of adverse reactions showed no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Preventive gastroduodenal artery embolization combined with superior mesenteric arterial hypophysin infusion has a good therapeutic effect in gastrointestinal bleeding patients with negative DSA findings.

Disparate results between proliferation rates of surgically excised prostate tumors and an in vitro bioassay using sera from a positive randomized controlled trial

In vitro bioassay has been used extensively to test the effects of culturing cancer cells in sera from humans participating in dietary interventions, i.e, studies of modified intake of nutrients for the purpose of reducing cancer risk or progression. It has been hypothesized that cell proliferation rates determined by the in vitro bioassay indicate whether modification of dietary intake could decrease cancer cell growth in vivo. It has been suggested, however, that the in vitro bioassay may not correlate with tumor cell proliferation rates in prostate cancer. We investigated the concordance of cell proliferation rates from surgically excised prostate tumor tissue with the in vitro bioassay using sera from matched patients. We used samples from an earlier randomized clinical trial that showed that supplementation with flaxseed significantly inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation rates in vivo as indicated by Ki67 staining in tumor specimens. Proliferation rates of LNCaP, DU145 and PC3 cell lines cultured in 10% human sera from participants in the flaxseed trial were determined using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Spearman's Rho correlation coefficients (ρ) indicated no association between Ki67 staining in prostate tumors and the in vitro bioassay for the three cell lines. These disparate findings suggest that the in vitro bioassay may not provide an accurate assessment of the environment in vivo.

Lower free testosterone level is correlated with left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in asymptomatic middle-aged men with type 2 diabetes mellitus

AIMS

Low testosterone (T) level is associated with cardiovascular risk factors. However, the relationship between T level and heart function in asymptomatic men with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is unknown.

METHODS

A total of 325 men were recruited who had no history, symptoms, or signs of heart disease.

RESULTS

T2DM had significantly lower free T (FT) levels than those with normal glucose metabolism (NGM) (428 ± 38 pmol/l vs. 444 ± 38 pmol/l, p = 0.0002), and had an increased risk of LVDD (66.1% vs. 31.8%). There was a significant difference in FT level between subjects with and without LVDD among those with T2DM (421 ± 37 pmol/l vs. 442 ± 40 pmol/l, p = 0.0007), but not among those with NGM (439 ± 37 pmol/l vs. 447 ± 39 pmol/l, p = 0.247) or in the group overall (426 ± 38 pmol/l vs. 445 ± 38 pmol/l, p = 0.156). Lower FT level was significantly associated with LVDD [univariate odds ratio (OR) = 0.63, p = 0.032; multivariate OR = 0.71, p = 0.039]. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the usefulness of FT level for predicting LVDD showed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.85 for T2DM (p < 0.001) and 0.66 for NGM (p < 0.05). FT level had a high predictive value for LVDD in T2DM (83% for FT < 414 pmol/l), but a low predictive value in NGM (61% for FT < 423 pmol/l). Comparison of the AUCs showed that FT level was more strongly correlated with LVDD in T2DM than in NGM.

CONCLUSIONS

Lower FT level is correlated with LVDD in asymptomatic middle-aged men with T2DM.

Synthesis, in Vitro Covalent Binding Evaluation, and Metabolism of (14)C-Labeled Inhibitors of 11β-HSD1

In this letter, we reported the design and synthesis of three potent, selective, and orally bioavailable 11β-HSD1 inhibitors labeled with (14)C: AMG 456 (1), AM-6949 (2), and AM-7715 (3). We evaluated the covalent protein binding of the labeled inhibitors in human liver microsomes in vitro and assessed their potential bioactivation risk in humans. We then studied the in vitro mechanism of 2 in human hepatocytes and the formation of reactive intermediates. Our study results suggest that 1 and 3 have low potential for metabolic bioactivation in humans, while 2 has relatively high risk.