Matrine reduces yeast-to-hypha transition and resistance of a fluconazole-resistant strain of Candida albicans

AIMS

To evaluate the potential effect of matrine on reducing the growth of hypha and lowering the resistance of a fluconazole-resistant colony of Candida albicans.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Candida albicans SC5314 and a fluconazole-resistant C. albicans 215 were used. As for C. albicans SC5314, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC(80)) and effective concentration (EC(50)) were determined, 1 mg ml(-1) matrine could inhibit nearly 80% of planktonic growth by inverted microscope, 2 mg ml(-1) matrine suppressed 50% of metabolic activity of biofilm by XTT assay, vanishing hypha could be observed on spider agar containing 2 mg ml(-1) matrine, the expressions of three hypha-related genes, namely ALS 3, SUN 41 and PBS 2, were suppressed by 29, 45 and 61% by 2 mg ml(-1) matrine. Also, matrine could lower the resistance of C. albicans 215, in either the free-floating form or the biofilm phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS

Matrine had favourable antifungal potential and might be able to reverse the fluconazole resistance of clinical isolates at relatively high concentration. The anti-candidal performance of matrine could be tightly associated with yeast-to-hypha transition proved by spider agar test and qRT-PCR.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY

More efforts are needed to find new antifungal agents. Matrine could be a potential candidate to fight against Candida-related infections by regulating yeast-to-hypha transition.

Clinicopathological features and expression of four keratins (K10, K14, K17 and K19) in six cases of eruptive vellus hair cysts

Six cases of eruptive vellus hair cysts (EVHC) were evaluated for histopathology and the immunohistochemical profile of Ki-67 and four keratins (K10, K14, K17 and K19). The pathological hallmark of EVHC was the existence of vellus hair shafts within the cystic cavity, but atypical pathological changes included two or three cysts and a foreign-body granuloma in three cases. Our results demonstrate that atypical pathological changes are not uncommon in EVHC, and indicate that based on keratin expression, it is likely that EVHC is derived from the infrainfundibulum and sebaceous duct.

Cav-1 deletion impaired hematopoietic stem cell function

A tightly controlled balance between hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell compartments is required to maintain normal blood cell homeostasis throughout life, and this balance is regulated by intrinsic and extrinsic cellular factors. Cav-1 is a 22-kDa protein that is located in plasma membrane invaginations and is implicated in regulating neural stem cell and embryonic stem cell proliferation. However, the role of Cav-1 in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function is largely unknown. In this study, we used Cav-1^−/− mice to investigate the role of Cav-1 in HSCs function during aging. The results showed that Cav-1^−/− mice displayed a decreased percentage of B cells and an increased percentage of M cells in the bone marrow and peripheral blood, and these changes were due to an increased number of HSCs. FACS analysis showed that the numbers of Lin⁻Sca1⁺c-kit⁺ cells (LSKs), long-term HSCs (LT-HSCs), short-term HSCs and multipotent progenitors were increased in Cav-1^−/− mice compared with Cav-1^+/+ mice, and this increase became more pronounced with aging. An in vitro clonogenic assay showed that LT-HSCs from Cav-1^−/− mice had reduced ability to self-renew. Consistently, an in vivo competitive transplantation assay showed that Cav-1^−/− mice failed to reconstitute hematopoiesis. Moreover, a Cav-1 deletion disrupted the quiescence of LSKs and promoted cell cycle progression through G2/M phase. In addition, we found that Cav-1 deletion impaired the ability of HSCs to differentiate into mature blood cells. Taken together, these data suggest that Cav-1-deficient cells impaired HSCs quiescence and induced environmental alterations, which limited HSCs self-renewal and function.

Early prediction of response of sorafenib on hepatocellular carcinoma by CT perfusion imaging: an animal study

OBJECTIVE

This study evaluated the feasibility of CT perfusion parameters for the early efficacy prediction of sorafenib in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in rats.

METHODS

CT hepatic perfusion measurements were performed in the livers of 40 rats implanted with rat HCC. The rats in the experimental group (n = 28) were treated by oral gavage with sorafenib (20 mg per day), whereas the rats in the control group (n = 12) were treated by normal saline. Rats were classified into the responder group if the maximum diameter of their tumour had decreased 21 days after treatment, whereas the other rats were classified into the non-responder group. Data were analysed using the Pearson correlation analysis or analysis of variance.

RESULTS

CT perfusion was used to depict haemodynamic changes before and after treatment. The arterial liver perfusion was significantly decreased in the responder group on Day 11 after treatment with sorafenib (from 71.5 to 53.4 ml min(-1) 100 ml(-1)), whereas no significant changes were observed in the non-responder group (p = 0.87). The maximum diameter of the tumour was also significantly decreased in the responder group on Day 21 after treatment (p = 0.042), whereas the maximum tumour diameter was significantly increased in the control group (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION AND ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: CT perfusion could be used to quantitatively analyse the haemodynamic changes in the treatment of HCC with sorafenib, which indicates that this approach may be developed for the early prediction of treatment efficacy for sorafenib.

Leptin levels in patients with psoriasis: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

There have been inconsistent results reported for leptin levels in patients with psoriasis.

AIM

To evaluate leptin levels in patients with psoriasis using a meta-analysis of studies comparing leptin levels in controls and in patients with psoriasis.

METHODS

PubMed (MEDLINE), EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched for relevant papers published in English. Pooled weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% CIs were calculated using random-effects and fixed-effects models. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed using the Cochran Q and I(2) statistics.

RESULTS

In total, 11 studies, comprising 773 patients with psoriasis and 570 healthy controls, were identified. Leptin levels were significantly higher in patients with psoriasis compared with controls (WMD = 7.24, 95% CI 4.55-9.93; P < 0.001). On stratified analysis, significant differences in leptin levels between patients with psoriasis and controls were reported only in serum samples (P < 0.001), and not in plasma samples (P = 0.025). Sensitivity analysis showed that there were no changes in the direction of effect when any one study was excluded. No publication bias was detected.

CONCLUSIONS

Leptin levels are higher in patients with psoriasis compared with those in controls. Future studies are warranted to clarify the association between leptin levels and the pathomechanism of psoriasis.

Iodine quantification with dual-energy CT: phantom study and preliminary experience with VX2 residual tumour in rabbits after radiofrequency ablation

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of our study was to validate iodine quantification in a phantom study with dual-source dual-energy CT (DECT) and to apply this technique to differentiate benign periablational reactive tissue from residual tumour in VX2 carcinoma in rabbits after radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

METHODS

We applied iodine quantification with DECT in a phantom and in VX2 carcinoma in rabbits after incomplete RFA to differentiate benign periablational reactive tissue from residual tumour and evaluated its efficacy in demonstrating response to therapeutic RFA. A series of tubes containing solutions of varying iodine concentration were scanned with DECT. The iodine concentration was calculated and compared with known true iodine concentration. Triple-phase contrast-enhanced DECT data on 24 rabbits with VX2 carcinoma were then assessed at Day 3 (n=6), 1 week (n=6), 2 weeks (n=6) and 3 weeks (n=6) after incomplete RFA independently by 2 readers. Dual-energy postprocessing was used to produce iodine-only images. Regions of interest were positioned on the iodine image over the lesion and, as a reference, over the aorta, to record iodine concentration in the lesion and in the aorta. The pathological specimens were sectioned in the same plane as DECT imaging, and the lesion iodine concentration and lesion-to-aorta iodine ratio of residual tumour and benign periablational reactive tissue were assessed.

RESULTS

There was excellent correlation between calculated and true iodine concentration (r=0.999, p<0.0001) in the phantom study. The lesion iodine concentration and lesion-to-aorta iodine ratio in residual tumour were significantly higher than in benign periablational reactive tissue in the 2-week group during the arterial phase (AP) (p<0.01) and in the 3-week group during both the AP (p<0.05) and the portal venous phase (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between them with respect to the lesion iodine concentration or lesion-to-aorta iodine ratio in the 3-day and 1-week groups.

CONCLUSION

Iodine quantification with DECT is accurate in a phantom study and can be used to differentiate benign periablational reactive tissue from residual tumour in VX2 carcinoma in rabbits after RFA.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

Iodine quantification with DECT may help in differentiating benign periablational reactive tissue from residual tumour in VX2 carcinoma in rabbits after RFA.

Regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor signaling by plasmid-based microRNA-7 inhibits human malignant gliomas growth and metastasis in vivo

MicroRNAs are endogenous, non-coding RNAs of approximately 20-22 nucleotides that regulate genes expression by binding to the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of targets mRNAs and play critical roles in cancer pathways. Malignant glioma is the most common and highly lethal central nervous system tumor for which little effective treatment is available over several decades. The purpose of this study was to explore the therapeutic potential of plasmid-based microRNA-7 (miR-7) for gliomas in vivo. Enhancing miR-7 levels in vitro could significantly induce cell apoptosis, and inhibit cell proliferation, cell migration and invasion. Western blotting analysis was performed, which indicated that miR-7 directly inhibited epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and further antagonized the downstream protein kinases including ERK, Akt and Stat3. Furthermore, systemic administration of miR-7 encapsulated in cationic liposome resulted in glioma xenografts growth arrest and the metastatic nodules decrease effectively in a sequence-specific manner. In this study, miR-7 was applied in glioma treatment for the first time in vivo. Our findings suggested that the plasmid-mediated gene therapy with miR-7 appeared to be a promising candidate for the development of new antitumor and anti-metastasis treatment for human glioma.

Case-control study of risk factors for human infection with influenza A(H7N9) virus in Jiangsu Province, China, 2013

We describe a case-control study performed in Jiangsu, China, to evaluate risk factors for human infection with novel avian influenza A(H7N9) virus. Twenty-five cases and 93 controls matched by age, sex, and location were included in the study. Direct contact with poultry or birds in the two weeks before illness onset, chronic medical conditions (hypertension excluded), and environment-related exposures were significantly associated with A(H7N9) infection.

Gαq gene promoter polymorphisms and rheumatoid arthritis in the Han Chinese population are not associated

Mice that lose Gαq from their immune system can spontaneously develop inflammatory arthritis. Gαq expression in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is significantly decreased in comparison to that in healthy individuals, and reduced Gαq expression is closely correlated with RA disease activity. These indicate that Gαq plays critical roles in the pathogenesis of RA. To address whether single nucleotide polymorphism in the promoter region of the Gαq gene (GNAQ) influenced Gαq expression in RA patients and was a genetic risk factor for RA, we sequenced the promoter region of GNAQ in a Han Chinese population. A common dinucleotide polymorphism at position -695/-694, an exchange of 2 adjacent nucleotides (GC>TT), was revealed in 118 RA patients and 101 healthy adults. The proportions of genotypes observed for -695/-694 in the RA group were GC/GC (65.25%), GC/TT (33.05%), and TT/TT (1.70%), and those in the control group were GC/GC (62.38%), GC/TT (33.66%), and TT/TT (3.96%). No significant difference in the allele and genotype frequencies between RA patients and healthy controls for dinucleotide polymorphism was found in the Han Chinese population, neither in the whole data set nor in stratified subsets, i.e., rheumatoid factors, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide antibody, and Gαq expression status (P > 0.05). We conclude that the GNAQ promoter polymorphism is not a genetic risk factor for RA in the Han Chinese population, and that decreased Gαq expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes of RA might potentially be due to other causes.

Microporous Film, Made from β-Crystalline Phase Polypropylene

A new type microporous polypropylene film was prepared simply by biaxial drawing of β-crystalline phase polypropylene The effect of draw ratio on the pore size distribution, ethanol sorption, and porosity, as well as β-α transformation during drawing were studied For the purpose of improving its hydrophilicity ion and solute permeability, the plasma graft-polymerization technique was utilized The resulting film showed much higher permeability toward Na+, Mg++ and urea, being 3.2 × 10−6, 5.8 × 10−8 and 1.75 × 10−6 cm2/min, respectively, than the original one and had better dimensional stability.

Targeted cell reprogramming produces analgesic chromaffin-like cells from human mesenchymal stem cells

Transplantation of allogeneic adrenal chromaffin cells demonstrated the promise of favorable outcomes for pain relief in patients. However, there is a very limited availability of suitable human adrenal gland tissues, genetically well-matched donors in particular, to serve as grafts. Xenogeneic materials, such as porcine and bovine adrenal chromaffin cells, present problems; for instance, immune rejection and possible pathogenic contamination are potential issues. To overcome these challenges, we have tested the novel approach of cell reprogramming to reprogram human bone marrow (BM)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) using cellular extracts of porcine chromaffin cells. We produced a new type of cell, chromaffin-like cells, generated from the reprogrammed hMSCs, which displayed a significant increase in expression of human preproenkephalin (hPPE), a precursor for enkephalin opioid peptides, compared to the inherent expression of hPPE in naive hMSCs. The resultant chromaffin-like cells not only expressed the key molecular markers of adrenal chromaffin cells, such as tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and methionine enkephalin (Met-enkephalin), but also secreted opioid peptide Met-enkephalin in culture. In addition, intrathecal injection of chromaffin-like cells in rats produced significant analgesic effects without using immunosuppressants. These results suggest that analgesic chromaffin-like cells can be produced from an individual's own tissue-derived stem cells by targeted cell reprogramming and also that these chromaffin-like cells may serve as potential autografts for chronic pain management.

Gene networks implicated in diabetic kidney disease

BACKGROUND

Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is one of the main causes of renal end-stage disease. The incidence of DKD has increased substantially over the past few years. However, our understanding to the molecular mechanism of DKD is still essential, and an effective treatment has not been developed.

AIM

We aimed to explore the molecule mechanism in the development of DKD, and provide a comparison of DKD in different compartments.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this study, we implemented a system biology approach and analyzed gene expression profiles in 22 microdissected human renal glomerular and 22 tubule samples from healthy patients and patients with DKD.

RESULTS

The WGCNA (Weighted Gene Co-expression Network Analysis) analysis identified 10 modules of genes with high topological overlap in tubuli and 12 modules in glomeruli. Several TFs (transcription factors) were found expressed in both compartments, such as ETS1, ETV4, JUN, LITAF, NFE2, RARG and STAT5A. These genes may be used as therapeutic targets for DKD. By comparing the modules in the two compartments, we found that dysregulation of cell proliferation may significantly contribute to the development of DKD. Furthermore, our results concluded that DKD may be an immune-mediated degenerative disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Our studies identified multiple genes that may play an important role in the pathogenesis of DKD and provided a system understanding of the potential relationships among these genes. We hope our study could aid in understanding of DKD and could provide the basis for DKD biomarker discovery.

Use of Cardioselective ß-Blockers in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Blinded Trials

Objective:

To assess the effect of cardioselective b-blockers on pulmonary function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Methods:

The Embase and MEDLINE™ databases and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register were searched comprehensively to identify all relevant clinical trials in humans published between January 1966 and May 2011. Randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled trials that studied the effects of cardioselective ß-blockers on the forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and the responsiveness of the FEV1 to ß-agonist administration in patients with COPD were included in the analysis.

Results:

Five studies were identified: four of these assessed both cardioselective and nonselective ß-blockers; one assessed only cardioselective ß-blockers. The FEV1 was shown to decrease by 0.14 l with nonselective ß-blockers and by 0.03 l with cardioselective ß-blockers. The responsive -ness of the FEV1 to ß-agonist administration decreased significantly by 13.42% after nonselective ß-blockers, but did not change significantly after cardioselective -blocker administration.

Conclusion:

This meta-analysis suggests that the use of β-blockers, especially cardioselective β-blockers, should not be contraindicated in patients with COPD.

A novel thin-layer amperometric detector based on chemically modified ring-disc electrode and its application for simultaneous measurements of nitric oxide and nitrite in rat brain combined with in vivo microdialysis

A novel thin-layer amperometric detector (TLAD) based on chemically modified ring-disc electrode and its application for simultaneous measurements of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrite (NO(2)(-)) in rat brain were demonstrated in this work. The ring-disc electrode was simultaneously sensitive to nitric oxide (NO) and nitrite (NO(2)(-)) by modifying its inner disc with electropolymerized film of cobalt(II) tetraaminophthalocyanine (polyCoTAPc)/Nafion and its outer ring with poly(vinylpyridine) (PVP), respectively. The ring-disc electrode was used to constitute a novel TLAD in radial flow cell for simultaneous measurements of NO and NO(2)(-) in rat brain combined with techniques of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and in vivo microdialysis. It was found that the basal concentration of NO in the caudate nucleus of rat brain is lower than 1.0x10(-7) mol l(-1), NO(2)(-) concentration is 5.0x10(-7) mol l(-1) and NO exists in brain maybe mainly in the form of its decomposed product.

SKLB1002, a novel inhibitor of VEGF receptor 2 signaling, induces vascular normalization to improve systemically administered chemotherapy efficacy

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) or vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors have shown only modest clinical activity for most tumor types when used as single agents. However, present evidence indicates that these antiangiogenic drugs can cause transient "normalization" of the tumor vasculature, thereby improving the delivery of systemic chemotherapy. We examined temporal changes in tumor vascular function in response to the novel VEGFR2 inhibitor, SKLB1002. Established tumor-bearing animals were evaluated at serial time points for treatment-associated changes in tumor vascular architecture and function. As a result, blocking VEGF signaling by SKLB1002 produced a morphologically and functionally "normalized" vascular network. Consistent with our observations, a 2.2 fold increase in intratumoral doxorubicin levels was determined with SKLB1002 pretreatment compared with administration of doxorubicin alone. Finally, combined SKLB1002 and doxorubicin exhibited significant antitumor (49% of control size) and antimetastatic effects (12% of control metastatic nodules) in vivo. Our results showed SKLB1002 induced vascular normalization and enhanced anticancer drug delivery, which were associated with the observed synergistic effect in vivo.

Generation of neural stem cell-like cells from bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells

Under appropriate culture conditions, bone marrow (BM)-derived mesenchymal stem cells are capable of differentiating into diverse cell types unrelated to their phenotypical embryonic origin, including neural cells. Here, we report the successful generation of neural stem cell (NSC)-like cells from BM-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Initially, hMSCs were cultivated in a conditioned medium of human neural stem cells. In this culture system, hMSCs were induced to become NSC-like cells, which proliferate in neurosphere-like structures and express early NSC markers. Like central nervous system-derived NSCs, these BM-derived NSC-like cells were able to differentiate into cells expressing neural markers for neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. Whole-cell patch clamp recording revealed that neuron-like cells, differentiated from NSC-like cells, exhibited electrophysiological properties of neurons, including action potentials. Transplantation of NSC-like cells into mouse brain confirmed that these NSC-like cells retained their capability to differentiate into neuronal and glial cells in vivo. Our data show that multipotent NSC-like cells can be efficiently produced from BM-derived hMSCs in culture and that these cells may serve as a useful alternative to human neural stem cells for potential clinical applications such as autologous neuroreplacement therapies.

Estimating elasticity for residential electricity demand in China

Residential demand for electricity is estimated for China using a unique household level dataset. Household electricity demand is specified as a function of local electricity price, household income, and a number of social-economic variables at household level. We find that the residential demand for electricity responds rather sensitively to its own price in China, which implies that there is significant potential to use the price instrument to conserve electricity consumption. Electricity elasticities across different heterogeneous household groups (e.g., rich versus poor and rural versus urban) are also estimated. The results show that the high income group is more price elastic than the low income group, while rural families are more price elastic than urban families. These results have important policy implications for designing an increasing block tariff.

Universal primers for amplification of the complete mitochondrial control region in marine fish species

Through multiple alignment analysis of mitochondrial tRNA-Thr and tRNA-Phe sequences from 161 fishes, new universal primers specially targeting the entire mitochondrial control region were designed. This new primer set successfully amplified the expected PCR products from various kinds of marine fish species, belonging to various families, and the amplified segments were confirmed to be the control region by sequencing. These primers provide a useful tool to study the control region diversity in economically important fish species, the possible mechanism of control region evolution, and the functions of the conserved motifs in the control region.

Rapid isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci in the mud crab, Scylla paramamosain (Portunidae)

Scylla paramamosain is a widespread and commercially important species of coastal marine crab. We identified 13 polymorphic microsatellite loci from a genome library constructed with 5'-anchored PCR method. Thirty-two S. paramamosain from the East China Sea were used to analyze the characteristics of these loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 8, with a mean of 5.923. Observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.500 to 0.875 and from 0.500 to 0.859, respectively. Eleven of the 13 loci were highly polymorphic (polymorphic information content >0.5). All of the 13 novel loci were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium after Bonferroni's correction (P < 0.0038). There was no null allele, stuttering errors or evidence of allelic dropout in any of the loci analyzed by MICRO-CHECKER. According to pairwise tests, no significant linkage disequilibrium was found among the 13 loci (P < 0.0038, adjusted value). These novel developed microsatellites will be useful for studies of genetic variation, population structure, conservation genetics, and molecular-assisted selective breeding of S. paramamosain.