CTHRC1 affects malignant tumor cell behavior and is regulated by miR-30e-5p in human prostate cancer

Collagen Triple Helix Repeat Containing 1 (CTHRC1) has been picked out as a cancer-related, secreted glycoprotein that possesses multifaceted functions such as wound repair, the formation of adipose tissue, hepatocytes fibrosis, and bone remodeling. This study aims to explore the biological function and the profound regulative mechanism of CTHRC1 in human prostate cancer (PCa). We found that CTHRC1 was upregulated in patients with PCa. The knockdown of CTHRC1 suppressed PCa cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and colony formation significantly. The expression of CTHRC1 was down-regulated and up-regulated by miR-30e-5p mimics and inhibitors, respectively, in PCa cells. The dual-luciferase reporter assay validated the binding of miR-30e-5p with CTHRC1 mRNA, indicating the regulation of CTHC1 by miR-30e-5p. In consequence, this study demonstrated that CTHRC1 acts as an oncogenic gene and targeting the miR-30e-5p-CTHRC1 axis may provide novel therapeutic treatment for PCa.

Description of demographic and clinical characteristics of extrapulmonary tuberculosis in Shandong, China

BACKGROUND

According to the clinical manifestation, tuberculosis (TB) is divided into pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). The incidence rate of EPTB has increased in many countries. The demographic and clinical characteristics of EPTB in China remain still unclear.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 5,624 hospitalized patients with positive M. tuberculosis culture between January 2008 and June 2013 in Shandong province. We investigated the epidemiological, demographic, and clinical characteristics of patients with EPTB.

RESULTS

Among 5,624 hospitalized TB patients with positive M. tuberculosis culture, 4,277 (76.05 %) had PTB, 618 (10.99 %) had EPTB, and 729 (12.96 %) had both PTB and EPTB. The proportion of EPTB increased significantly from 6.97 % in 2008 to 19.98 % in 2012 (p <0.001).  The most frequent sites or foci of EPTB were pleura (63.27 %), followed by bone/joint (13.75 %), and lymph nodes (8.9 %). The mean duration of treatment for pleural TB was eight months and for EPTB in the other foci was more than 15 months.

CONCLUSION

The proportion of EPTB in Shandong province has significantly increased. Clinicians need to be aware of the trend and remain vigilant against EPTB. EPTB requires prolonged treatment, and clinical supervision should be strengthened to prevent drug resistance. HIPPOKRATIA 2020, 24(1): 27-32.

P1754 Regional left ventricular longitudinal myocardial dysfunction in mitral valve prolapse could be primary

Background

Regional left ventricular dysfunction in patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) and normal ejection fraction has been described by different Authors, and recent data point to a dysfunction (prevalently longitudinal strain) of the myocardium of the LV base secondary to dilatation of the mitral annulus.

Purpose

To investigate degree and extent of regional LV dysfunction and its mechanisms in patients with MVP, severe regurgitation and normal global systolic function, compared to patients with equivalent degree of regurgitation but functional etiology (FMR).

Methods

Speckle-tracking echocardiography was performed in 30 controls (N), and in severe primary (MVP, n= 50) or functional (FMR, n= 20) mitral regurgitation, to measure global, regional and segmental longitudinal peak systolic strain (LPSS, %), and time delay of peak maximum strain (TTPd, ms, calculated as time to peak maximum strain - time of aortic valve closure). Maximum and minimum mitral annulus diameters and area were measured with 3D echo. We also evaluated as recommended: LV end-diastolic volume index (EDVi, ml/m2), ejection fraction (EF, %), and left atrial end-systolic volume index (LAESVi, ml/m2) with 2D echo; LV stroke volume index, and non-invasive pulmonary systolic (PSP, mmHg) and diastolic pressures (PDP), mmHg) with Doppler echo.

Results

Age, heart rate, BSA and systolic blood pressure were similar between groups. Atrial fibrillation was present in 34% of MVP and 71% of FMR patients. LV EF was normal in MVP and reduced in FMR (43 ± 14 % vs N, p&lt;.001). LV EDVi (MVP: 77 ± 20 ml/m2; FMR: 107 ± 35, both p&lt;.001 vs N) and LAESVi (MVP: 91 ± 26 ml/m2; FMR: 80 ± 30, both p&lt;.001 vs N) were similarly increased (volume overload) in MVP and FMR, as were PSP (MVP: 42 ± 23 ml/m2; FMR: 52 ± 25, both p&lt;.001 vs N) and PDP (MVP: 16 ± 6 ml/m2; MVP: 15 ± 5, both p&lt;.001 vs N). In FMR, LPSS was reduced globally (-12.8 ± 3.3, p&lt;.001 vs N and MVP) and similarly at LV base, papillary and apical levels. In contrast, in MVP global (-19.4 ± 3.7%) and apical (-23.4 ± 4.5%) LPSS were normal, whereas LV base (-12.3 ± 5.8%, p=.003 vs N) and papillary (-17.1 ± 4%, p=.024 vs N) LPSS were reduced; further, LPSS reduction was localized to the anterior (-16 ± 4, p=.028 vs N), lateral (-17 ± 5, p=.006 vs N) and posterior (-16 ± 6, p=.007 vs N) segments, and was associated with an increased TTPd in the same segments in MVP but not in FMR patients. At multivariate analysis, degree and localisation of regional myocardial dysfunction in patients with MVP was not related to the prolapsing scallop, dimension of the mitral annulus, degree of volume overload or pulmonary pressures, or stroke volume index.

Conclusions

In patients with MVP, severe regurgitation and normal EF, there is a specific dysfunction pattern of regional LV longitudinal function which appears to be primary and not dependent on the degree of preload increase, mitral annulus dilatation, or localization of the prolapsing scallop.

Study of SU-8 photoresist cross-linking process by atomic force acoustic microscopy

In this paper, a method is presented to detect the different phases of epoxy cross-linking process and the subsurface structures of SU-8 thin films by atomic force acoustic microscopy (AFAM). The AFAM imaging of SU-8 thin films was investigated under different exposure and bake conditions. Optimized conditions were obtained for the cross-linking of SU-8 thin film at the exposure does of eight laser pulses with the laser fluence 10 mJ cm^-2 per pulse and the post exposure bake (PEB) time at 90 s. The subsurface structures of undeveloped SU-8 thin films were visible in the AFAM images. This method provides an effective and low-cost way for the determination of different phases of epoxy cross-linking process in nanostructured compounds, for the non-destructive testing of subsurface defects, and for the evaluation of the quality of patterned structures.

Hsa_Circ_0001206 is downregulated and inhibits cell proliferation, migration and invasion in prostate cancer

Our study is to explore the expression profiles and potential functions of circRNAs in prostate cancer (PCa). A total of 95 circRNAs and 830 mRNAs were screened to be significantly differentially expressed in PCa tissues by microarrays. Co-expression and competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network were constructed to reveal the potential regulatory mechanisms of circRNAs. Three circRNAs, hsa_circ_0001206, hsa_circ_0001633, and hsa_circ_0009061 were validated to be down-regulated in PCa by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and hsa_circ_0001206 as well as hsa_circ_0009061 was significantly associated with clinical features of PCa patients. Meanwhile, Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves showed their good diagnostic value as biomarkers for PCa. The down-regulation of hsa_circ_001206 was partly because of the regulation of DExH-Box Helicase 9 (DHX9). Moreover, overexpression of hsa_circ_0001206 inhibited PCa cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and prevented tumor growth in vivo. Dual-luciferase reporter assays showed hsa_circ_0001206 could directly bind to miR-1285-5p. The expression of Smad4, a well-known suppressive gene in PCa, can be increased by overexpression of hsa_circ_0001206 and this effect could be partly reversed by co-transfection of miR-1285-5p mimic. The study revealed expression profiles and potential functions of circRNAs and demonstrated hsa_circ_0001206 played a suppressive role in the pathogenesis of PCa.

Identification of urinary hsa_circ _0137439 as potential biomarker and tumor regulator of bladder cancer

Cell-free circular RNAs (circRNAs) stably and abundantly exist in body fluids. In this study we aimed to investigate the potential of urinary cell-free circRNAs as a novel class of noninvasive disease biomarkers for diagnosis of bladder cancer. Differentially expressed circRNAs from 10 normal and 10 bladder cancer urine samples were firstly detected by microarray. Hsa_circ_0137439 was then screened and validated in 30 normal and 116 bladder cancer samples. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of hsa_circ_0137439. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to evaluate the significance of hsa_circ_0137439 in the prognosis of bladder cancer. We found that hsa_circ_0137439 was significantly upregulated in bladder cancer samples. Moreover, increased expression of hsa_circ_0137439 was correlated with higher tumor stage, higher tumor grade, higher lymph node status, and history of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Also, urinary cell-free hsa_circ_0137439 could not only differentiate bladder cancer from normal controls but also distinguish MIBC from non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Additionally, hsa_circ_0137439 in urine supernatant could serve as an independent prognostic predicator of recurrence-free survival and overall survival for patients with bladder cancer. Cell assays showed that hsa_circ_0137439 knockdown contributed to the inhibition of cell proliferation and migration via hsa_circ_0137439/miR-142-5p/ MTDH axis. In conclusion, urinary cell-free hsa_circ_0137439 could be a promising biomarker for tumor diagnosis and prognostic assessment of bladder cancer patients.

Identifying Key Genes and Functionally Enriched Pathways in Sjögren's Syndrome by Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis

Purpose: Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by dry mouth and eyes. To date, the exact molecular mechanisms of its etiology are still largely unknown. The aim of this study was to identify SS related key genes and functionally enriched pathways using the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA).

Materials and Methods: We downloaded the microarray data of 190 SS patients and 32 controls from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Gene network was constructed and genes were classified into different modules using WGCNA. In addition, for the hub genes in the most related module to SS, gene ontology analysis was applied. The expression profile and diagnostic capacity (ROC curve) of interested hub genes were verified using a dataset from the GEO. Moreover, gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was also performed.

Results: A total of 1483 differentially expressed genes were filtered. Weighted gene coexpression network was constructed and genes were classified into 17 modules. Among them, the turquoise module was most closely associated with SS, which contained 278 genes. These genes were significantly enriched in 10 Gene Ontology terms, such as response to virus, immune response, defense response, response to cytokine stimulus, and the inflammatory response. A total of 19 hub genes (GBP1, PARP9, EPSTI1, LOC400759, STAT1, STAT2, IFIH1, EIF2AK2, TDRD7, IFI44, PARP12, FLJ20035, PARP14, ISGF3G, XAF1, RSAD2,LY6E, IFI44L, and DDX58) were identified. The expression levels of the five interested genes including EIF2AK2, GBP1, PARP12, PARP14, and TDRD7 were also confirmed. ROC curve analysis determined that the above five genes’ expression can distinguish SS from controls (the area under the curve is all greater than 0.7). GSEA suggests that the SS samples with highly expressed EIF2AK2 or TDRD7 genes are correlated with inflammatory response, interferon α response, and interferon γ response.

Conclusion: The present study applied WGCNA to generate a holistic view of SS and provide a basis for the identification of potential pathways and hub genes that may be involved in the development of SS.

The immunosuppressive functions of two novel tick serpins, HlSerpin-a and HlSerpin-b, from Haemaphysalis longicornis

Serpins are evolutionarily conserved serine protease inhibitors that are widely distributed in animals, plants and microbes. In this study, we reported the cloning and functional characterizations of two novel serpin genes, HlSerpin-a and HlSerpin-b, from the hard tick Haemaphysalis longicornis of China. Recombinant HlSerpin-a and HlSerpin-b displayed protease inhibitory activities against multiple mammalian proteases. Similar to other tick serpins, HlSerpin-a and HlSerpin-b suppressed the expression of inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α, interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1β from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated mouse bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) or mouse bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). The minimum active region (reaction centre loop) of HlSerpin-a, named SA-RCL, showed similar biological activities as HlSerpin-a in the protease inhibition and immune suppression assays. The immunosuppressive activities of full-length HlSerpin-a and SA-RCL are impaired in Cathepsin G or Cathepsin B knockout mouse macrophages, suggesting that the immunomodulation functions of SA and SA-RCL are dependent on their protease inhibitory activity. Finally, we showed that both full-length HlSerpins and SA-RCL can relieve the joint swelling and inflammatory response in collagen-induced mouse arthritis models. These results suggested that HlSerpin-a and HlSerpin-b are two functional arthropod serpins, and the minimal reactive peptide SA-RCL is a potential candidate for drug development against inflammatory diseases.

Long Non-Coding RNA HOXA-AS2 Enhances The Malignant Biological Behaviors In Glioma By Epigenetically Regulating RND3 Expression

Introduction

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been demonstrated to play a vital role in human carcinogenesis. HOXA cluster antisense RNA 2 (HOXA-AS2), a 1048-bp lncRNA located between the HOXA3 and HOXA4 genes, is identified as an oncogene in several malignancies, including glioma. However, the biological functions of HOXA-AS2 and its underlying molecular mechanisms in glioma progression remain to be investigated.

Method

The expression of HOXA-AS2 and RND3 mRNA was determined using qRT-PCR analysis. The protein level of RND3 and EZH2 was measured by Western blot analysis. The biological function of HOXA-AS2 or RND3 in glioma was detected by CCK-8 assay, colony formation assays, transwell assay, and flow cytometry. Dual-luciferase reporter, RIP, RNA-protein pull down and ChIP assays were performed to explore the molecular mechanism of HOXA-AS2 in glioma. The effect of HOXA-AS2 in vivo was examined using xenograft tumor assay.

Results

HOXA-AS2 expression was increased in glioma tissues and cells. High HOXA-AS2 expression was associated with larger tumor size and advanced pathological stage. Functionally, knockdown of HOXA-AS2 suppressed cell proliferation and invasion, and promoted apoptosis. Mechanically, HOXA-AS2 epigenetically inhibited RND3 transcription by binding to EZH2. Moreover, overexpression of RND3 exerted similar tumor-suppressive effects to the depletion of HOXA-AS2. Furthermore, the anti-cancer effects induced by si-HOXA-AS2 were greatly reversed by silencing of RND3. Finally, knockdown of HOXA-AS2 impaired tumor growth in vivo possibly via increasing RND3 expression.

Conclusion

Taken together, HOXA-AS2 recruits EZH2 to the promoter region of RND3 and inhibits its expression, thereby facilitating glioma progression. Our findings provide a prospective therapeutic strategy for glioma intervention.

Circulating microRNA-144-3p and miR-762 are novel biomarkers of Graves' disease

PURPOSE

Recently, it has been confirmed that circulating miRNAs play an important role in disease pathogenesis and can be biomarkers of many autoimmune diseases. However, the knowledge about circulating miRNAs in Graves' disease (GD) is very limited. In this study, we aimed to identify circulating miRNAs as potential biomarkers of GD.

METHODS

We recruited 68 participants who met the criteria for GD and healthy controls. The expression profile of miRNAs in plasma was detected using microarrays. We found five interesting miRNAs were differentially expressed between GD and control group and futher validated their relative expression by quantitative real-time PCR. According to their putative target genes predicted by the TargetScan database, we also performed Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analyses to predict their potential functions and related pathways.

RESULTS

Microarray data showed that five miRNAs were differentially expressed in GD and control plasma samples. Among them, miR-16-1-3p, miR-122-5p, miR-221-3p, and miR-762 were upregulated in GD (P < 0.001). In validation stage, we found miR-144-3p was significantly decreased and miR-762 was markedly upregulated in GD plasma (P < 0.01). In addition, miR-762 expression was positively associated with levels of FT3 (r = 0.307, P = 0.038) as well as TRAb (r = 0.302, P = 0.042). The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that both miR-144-3p and miR-762 displayed good sensitivity and specificity in discriminating the GD patients from the rest of subjects with the area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.761 (P = 0.001, 95% CI = 0.648-0.875) and 0.737 (P = 0.001, 95% CI = 0.618-0.857), respectively. Combination of miR-144-3p and miR-762 could better discriminate GD patients from healthy controls with AUC of 0.861 (P < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.775-0.947).

CONCLUSIONS

We first demonstrated that aberrant levels of plasmic miR-144-3p and miR-762 were associated with GD, which may be biomarkers for GD diagnosis.

Phase transition in phase transition lines of quantum XY model

Phase transitions in quantum systems, including symmetry breaking and topological types, always associate with gap closing and opening. We analyze the topological features of the quantum phase boundary of the XY model in a transverse magnetic field. Based on the results from graphs in the auxiliary space, we find that gapless ground states at boundary have different topological characters. On the other hand, in the framework of Majorana representation, the Majorana lattice is shown to be two coupled SSH chains. The analysis of the quantum fidelity for the Majorana eigen vector, which is shown to be identical to the square of that for ground states of the XY model, indicates the signature of the gapless phase transition (GPT). Furthermore analytical and numerical results for second-order derivative of groundstate energy density show that such a GPT obeys scaling behavior.

IL-21 reinvigorates exhausted natural killer cells in patients with HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma in STAT1-depedent pathway

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common liver malignancy with dismal prognosis and limited treatment options. Natural killer (NK) cells are critical components of antitumor immunity due to their capacity to eliminate MHC class I-deficient cells. To evaluate the function of NK cells in HCC patients, circulating CD3^-CD56⁺ NK cells were collected from HBV-associated HCC patients and healthy control individuals. Compared to NK cells from healthy controls, NK cells from HCC patients presented functional impairment, characterized by significantly reduced cytotoxicity, degranulation, and cytokine production. Exogenous IL-21 could reinvigorate NK cells from HCC patients, resulting in significantly increased levels of cytotoxicity, degranulation, and cytokine expression. However, IL-21-treated NK cells from HCC patients still presented lower response than IL-21-treated NK cells from healthy controls. IL-21 resulted in increased phosphorylation of both STAT1 and STAT3 in NK cells. Inhibition of STAT1, but not STAT3, significantly reduced IL-21-mediated reinvigoration of NK function. Together, this study demonstrated that NK cells in HBV-associated HCC patients presented functional impairments that could be reverted by IL-21 in a STAT1-mediated mechanism.

Chlorophyllin e6‑mediated photodynamic therapy inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis in human bladder cancer cells

Patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) frequently relapse following surgery due to incomplete resection and chemoresistance, highlighting the importance of developing novel therapeutic strategies that mechanistically assist in eradicating the residual tumor. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anticancer effect of chlorophyllin e6-mediated photodynamic therapy (e6-PDT) and its potential mechanisms by using monolayer cells or multicellular tumor spheroid models of human bladder cancer cells (T24 and 5637). The results revealed that e6-PDT exhibited significant cytotoxicity in the T24 and 5637 cells of these two models as detected by the Water-Soluble Tetrazolium Salts-1 and CellTiter-Glo Luminescent Cell Viability assays, respectively. Cell migration and invasion capacities decreased markedly following e6-PDT. In addition, the cells following e6-PDT exhibited typical morphological changes of apoptosis as detected by fluorescence microscopy with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole staining and transmission electron microscopy. A greater number of apoptotic cells were observed post-e6-PDT by flow cytometry. The expression levels of poly(adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and B-cell lymphoma 2 protein were decreased, while cleaved PARP was increased, significantly following e6-PDT as determined by western blotting. The level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was increased, while the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was decreased, significantly in e6-PDT-treated cells. Thus, the novel e6-PDT exhibits prominent photo-cytotoxicity effect and the induction of apoptosis was probably due to the inhibition of SOD activity and the generation of ROS. These results indicate that chlorophyllin e6 is an effective photosensitizer and that e6-PDT may have a therapeutic application for the treatment of bladder cancer.

Iridium(iii)-catalysed annulation of pyrazolidinones with propiolates: a facile route to pyrazolo[1,2-a] indazoles

Iridium(iii)-catalysed C–H bond activation/subsequent [4+1] cyclization for the synthesis of pyrazolo[1,2-a] indazoles has been developed.