Significant pathways detection in osteoporosis based on the bibliometric network

BACKGROUND

Osteoporosis is a significant public health issue worldwide. The underlying mechanism of osteoporosis is an imbalance between bone resorption and bone formation. However, the exact pathology is still unclear, and more related genes are on demand.

AIM

Here, we aim to identify the differentially expressed genes in osteoporosis patients and control.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Biblio-MetReS, a tool to reconstruct gene and protein networks from automated literature analysis, was used for identifying potential interactions among target genes. Relevant signaling pathways were also identified through pathway enrichment analysis.

RESULTS

Our results showed that 56 differentially expressed genes were identified. Of them, STAT1, CXCL10, SOCS3, ADM, THBS1, SOD2, and ERG2 have been demonstrated involving in osteoporosis. Further, a bibliometric network was constructed between DEGs and other genes through the Biblio-MetReS.

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed that STAT1 could interact with CXCL10 through Toll-like receptor signaling pathway and Chemokine signaling pathway. STAT1 interacted with SOCS3 through JAK/STAT pathway.

PEDF inhibits growth and invasiveness of endometrial cancer cells in vitro

AIM

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is pluripotent in both antiangiogenesis and direct tumor inhibition. We thus investigated role of PEDF in endometrial cancer cells in vitro.

METHODS

Exogenous PEDF was delivered into Ishikawa and KLE cells by adenovirus system. Realtime RT-PCR was used to detect expressional change of several angiogenesis-related factors. Proliferation and viability tests were performed to establish suitable transduction titre. Cell cycle and apoptosis assays were conducted to evaluate inhibitive effects of PEDF on tumor cell growth. Transwell tests were carried out to investigate the retardation of tumor cell invasiveness by PEDF.

RESULTS

PEDF induced decrease in viability, proliferation and invasiveness of both endometrial tumor cell lines. Incremented cell apoptosis and aggregated population in G1 phase of cell cycle was noted in PEDF groups. PEDF also induced down-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and up-regulation of thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) in both cell lines.

CONCLUSION

Adenovirus mediated PEDF is potent in retarding the growth and invasiveness of endometrial cancer cells. PEDF can become promising as novel therapeutic strategy in endometrial carcinoma.

CYP3A-dependent drug metabolism is reduced in bacterial inflammation in mice

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Gene expression of Cyp3a11 is reduced by activation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) by Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacterial components, LPS or lipoteichoic acid (LTA) respectively. The primary adaptor protein in the TLR signalling pathway, TIRAP, plays differential roles in LPS- and LTA-mediated down-regulations of Cyp3a11 mRNA. Here, we have determined the functional relevance of these findings by pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analysis of the Cyp3a substrate midazolam in mice. Midazolam is also metabolized by Cyp2c in mice.

EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Adult male C57BL/6, TIRAP+/+ and TIRAP-/- mice were pretreated with saline, LPS (2 mg·kg⁻¹) or LTA (6 mg·kg⁻¹). Cyp3a11 protein expression, activity and PK/PD studies using midazolam were performed.

KEY RESULTS

Cyp3a11 protein expression in LPS- or LTA-treated mice was reduced by 95% and 60% compared with saline-treated mice. Cyp3a11 activity was reduced by 70% in LPS- or LTA-treated mice. Plasma AUC of midazolam was increased two- to threefold in LPS- and LTA-treated mice. Plasma levels of 1'-OHMDZ decreased significantly only in LTA-treated mice. Both LPS and LTA decreased AUC of 1'-OHMDZ-glucuronide. In the PD study, sleep time was increased by ∼2-fold in LPS- and LTA-treated mice. LTA-mediated decrease in Cyp3a11 protein expression and activity was dependent on TIRAP. In PK/PD correlation, AUC of midazolam was increased only in LPS-treated mice compared with saline-treated mice.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

LPS or LTA altered PK/PD of midazolam. This is the first study to demonstrate mechanistic differences in regulation of metabolite formation of a clinically relevant drug by Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacterial endotoxins.

The critical aggregation concentration of peptide surfactants is predictable from dynamic hydrophobic property

Peptide surfactants are a kind of newly emerged functional materials, which have a variety of applications such as building nanoarchitecture, stabilizing membrane proteins and controlling drug release. In the present study, we report the modelling and prediction of critical aggregation concentration (CAC), an important parameter that characterizes the self-assembling behaviour of peptide surfactants through the use of statistical modelling and quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) approaches. In order to accurately describe the structural and physicochemical properties of the highly flexible peptide molecules, a new method called molecular dynamics-based hydrophobic cross-field (MD-HCF) is proposed to capture both the hydrophobic profile and dynamic feature of 32 surface-activity, structure-known peptides. A number of statistical models are then developed using partial least squares (PLS) regression with or without improvement by genetic algorithm (GA). We demonstrate that MD-HCF performs much better than the widely used CODESSA method in both its predictability and interpretability. We also highlight the importance of dynamic hydrophobic property in accurate prediction and reasonable explanation of peptide self-assembling behaviour in solution, albeit which is exhaustive to compute compared with those derived directly from peptide static structure. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to computationally model and predict the self-assembling behaviour of peptide surfactants.

PROC c.574_576del polymorphism: a common genetic risk factor for venous thrombosis in the Chinese population

BACKGROUND

There are ethnic differences in the genetic risk factors for venous thrombosis (VT). The genetic causes of VT in the Chinese population are not fully understood.

OBJECTIVES

To identify possible common abnormal factors that could contribute to thrombosis susceptibility.

METHODS/RESULTS

We measured the levels of nine types of plasma coagulation factor, three types of anticoagulation factor and two types of fibrinolytic factor in 310 VT patients. Factor V activity was higher in 32 cases. Eleven of the 32 cases also had low protein C (PC) or protein S (PS) activities, indicating PC or PS deficiency. No other abnormalities were observed in the other 21 cases. All of the samples were sensitive to activated PC inactivation. Therefore, the abnormal factor involved may be FV inactivator or its cofactor rather than FV itself. Resequencing identified a common PROC c.574_576del variant in 10 of the 32 subjects. In a case-control study, this variant was detected in 68 of the 1003 patients and in 25 of the 1031 controls. It had an adjusted odds ratio of 2.71 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.68-4.36). PC amidolytic activities of most variant carriers were similar to those of non-carriers, but the mean anticoagulant activity was only 72.7 U dL(-1). Expression studies in vitro showed that the anticoagulant activity of the mutant PC was 43.6% of that of the wild-type PC.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified what is, so far, the most common genetic risk factor for VT in the Chinese population, with its prevalence being approximately 2.36%.

The role of male chromosomal polymorphism played in spermatogenesis and the outcome of IVF/ICSI-ET treatment

Chromosomal polymorphism has been reported to be associated with infertility, but its effect on IVF/ICSI-ET outcome is still controversial. To evaluate whether or not chromosomal polymorphism in men plays a role in spermatogenesis and the outcome of IVF/ICSI-ET, we retrospectively analysed 281 infertile couples. Measures included fertilization rate, implantation rate, pregnancy rate, clinical pregnancy rate, ongoing pregnancy rate, early miscarriage rate and preterm rate. Men with chromosomal polymorphism had significantly higher frequencies of severe oligozoospermia and azoospermia than those without (37.12% vs. 16.11%, p < 0.001; 27.27% vs. 10.74%, p < 0.001; respectively). Significantly, lower fertilization rate (68.02% vs. 78.00%, p < 0.001) and clinical pregnancy rate (45.00% vs. 66.67%, p = 0.031) were observed in polymorphism-carrying men with severe oligozoospermia compared with non-carriers with severe oligozoospermia. This suggests that chromosomal polymorphism has adverse effects on spermatogenesis, negatively influencing the outcome of IVF/ICSI-ET treatment. Polymorphic variations on the Y chromosome have been found to be the most prevalent polymorphism in infertile men, most frequently occurring in patients with severe oligozoospermia.

Pharmacokinetics of tramadol in a diverse healthy Chinese population

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVES

Drug disposition may show ethnicity and gender differences. The objective of this study is to assess whether there are gender and ethnic differences in the pharmacokinetics of tramadol.

METHODS

Fifty healthy volunteers from five different ethnic Chinese groups (Han, Mongolian, Korean, Uygur and Hui) were recruited, and blood samples were obtained for up to 36 h after oral administration of a single 100 mg capsule of tramadol. The plasma concentration-time course of tramadol was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography and the pharmacokinetic estimated.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The mean maximum plasma concentration (C(max)) of tramadol was different between Chinese males and females. There were also statistically significant differences between Hui and the other ethnic groups in tramadol's clearance (CL/F), volume of distribution (V(d) /F), C(max) and area under the plasma concentration time curve (AUC(0-∞)) (P < 0·05).

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

The pharmacokinetics of tramadol was different in Hui subjects compared to the other Chinese ethnic groups. Tramadol CL/F may also show gender differences.

Soluble activin receptor type IIB treatment does not cause fat loss in mice with diet-induced obesity

The growth factor myostatin (MSTN) negatively regulates skeletal muscle mass. Mstn gene deletion in mice causes increased muscle mass, reduced adiposity and resistance to genetic or diet-induced obesity (DIO). Pharmacologic MSTN inhibition in mice also causes increased muscle mass and resistance to DIO. To test whether MSTN inhibition causes weight loss in mice that are already obese, we inhibited MSTN in mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Mice were fed a diet containing 60% kcal from fat for 12 weeks followed by treatment with a soluble MSTN receptor derived from the activin receptor type IIB extracellular domain. During the next 12 weeks of soluble receptor treatment and HFD feeding, lean mass increased without a loss of adipose mass. Glucose metabolism was also similar between groups. Our results suggest that MSTN inhibition may be ineffective at inducing weight loss in obese patients.

Association between interleukin 21 and Graves' disease

Graves' disease (GD) is an organ-specific autoimmune thyroid disease; 25-50% of GD patients will develop Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). The etiology of GD and GO may be multifactorial, but the immune response plays a central role. Many studies have reported that IL-21 has crucial roles in autoimmune diseases. We examined whether IL-21 is associated with the development of GD and GO. The serum concentration of IL-21 was tested in 40 primary GD patients, 42 treated GO patients and 24 healthy controls. Our data show that the serum level of IL-21 is associated with the development of GD. We also made an association study with the IL-21 gene polymorphisms rs4833837, rs907715 and rs13143866 in a comparison of 633 patients and 612 healthy controls from the Chinese population. This case-control association study demonstrated that rs907715 SNP is significantly associated with GD, while the rs13143866 A allele is significantly associated with GO. The haplotypes A-G-G and A-A-A were found at higher and lower frequencies, respectively, in GD patients, suggesting a protective role for A-A-A. However, there were no significant differences in the frequencies of these haplotypes between the GO patients and the control group. We found no association between IL-21 gene polymorphisms and the age of GD onset. We conclude that IL-21 is associated with GD and GO.

Evaluations of boar gonad development, spermatogenesis with regard to semen characteristics, libido and serum testosterone levels based on large White Duroc x Chinese Erhualian crossbred boars

Chinese Erhualian pigs are known for prolificacy with distinct reproductive traits compared with Western commercial breeds. In this study, a four-generation intercross resource population was constructed using White Duroc boars and Chinese Erhualian sows as founder animals, and a total of 14 male reproductive traits were recorded in 411 F2/F3 boars including the testis and epididymis weights, the seminiferous tubular diameter and spermatogenesis at 60, 90 and 300 days of age, semen characteristics, serum testosterone concentration and libido level at 300 days of age. The White Duroc-Erhualian boars showed remarkable segregations in the traits measured except for the seminiferous tubular diameter and had high ratio (13.9%) of the abnormality of spermatogenesis, providing a good experimental population for detecting quantitative trait loci affecting these male reproductive traits. Furthermore, the correlations among nine male reproductive traits at 300 days of age indicated that the testis weight and the body weight were strongly correlated with the sperm production, supporting the two traits as important parameters for boar selection to increase sperm production and ultimately improve boar fertility. The libido level in the White Duroc-Erhualian boars that was evaluated by a new and easily recorded scoring system showed a significant correlation with serum testosterone concentration. Yet, both libido and serum testosterone concentration were not correlated with the sperm production. Results of this study provided new information on the male reproductive physiology and genetics in Chinese Erhualian and White Duroc boars.