Enhanced myeloid differentiation factor 88 promotes tumor metastasis via induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in human hepatocellular carcinoma

Metastasis is the leading cause of death in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after curative resection. Therefore, it is critical to understand the mechanisms underlying tumor metastasis in HCC. We have previously shown that elevated expression of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) may promote tumor growth and metastasis in HCC. In this study, we reported that enhanced expression of MyD88 promoted epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) properties and tumor-initiating capabilities in HCC cells. MyD88 was found to be able to interact with p85, a regulatory subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-K), independent of TLR/IL-1R-mediated response and caused PI3-K/v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog (Akt) activation, which resulted in subsequent phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β and stabilization of Snail, a critical EMT mediator. Consistently, we observed a significant correlation between MyD88 expression and p-Akt levels in a cohort of HCC patients, and found that the combination of these two parameters have better prognostic value for HCC patients. Taken together, these results suggest that elevated MyD88 may facilitate HCC metastasis by promoting EMT properties and tumor-initiating capabilities via PI3–K/Akt pathway.

Characterization of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells following tissue mass culture

The human umbilical cord represents a promising resource of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In order to improve our understanding of MSCs derived from human umbilical cord (UC-MSCs), we isolated UC-MSCs from human umbilical cord tissues through a direct culture approach. We performed a comprehensive characterization of these cells based on analyses of morphology, growth features, cell surface antigen markers and differentiation capacity. All these analyses validated their stem cell nature. The UC-MSCs presented a spindle-shaped morphology and could be subcultured for up to 15 passages without losing their cellular features. Moreover, these UC-SMCs presented an expression profile of cell surface antigens similar to other MSCs: positive for CD44, CD90, and CD105 expression and negative for CD34, CD31, and CD45 expression. Differentiation assays further validated the multipotency of UC-MSCs by inducing these cells into osteoblasts, adipocytes and functional hepatocytes. Our studies clearly demonstrated that UC-MSCs resemble other types of MSCs in many aspects and have a great potential to be applied in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Influence of pre-diagnostic cigarette smoking on colorectal cancer survival: overall and by tumour molecular phenotype

BACKGROUND

Smoking is a risk factor for incident colorectal cancer (CRC); however, it is unclear about its influence on survival after CRC diagnosis.

METHODS

A cohort of 706 CRC patients diagnosed from 1999 to 2003 in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, was followed for mortality and recurrence until April 2010. Smoking and other relevant data were collected by questionnaire after cancer diagnosis, using a referent period of '2 years before diagnosis' to capture pre-diagnosis information. Molecular analyses of microsatellite instability (MSI) status and BRAF V600E mutation status were performed in tumour tissue using standard techniques. Multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with Cox proportional hazards regression, controlling for major prognostic factors.

RESULTS

Compared with never smokers, all-cause mortality (overall survival, OS) was higher for current (HR: 1.78; 95% CI: 1.04-3.06), but not for former (HR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.71-1.59) smokers. The associations of cigarette smoking with the study outcomes were higher among patients with ≥40 pack-years of smoking (OS: HR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.03-2.85; disease-free survival (DFS: HR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.25-3.19), those who smoked ≥30 cigarettes per day (DFS: HR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.22-2.67), and those with microsatellite stable (MSS) or MSI-low tumours (OS: HR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.04-1.82 and DFS: HR: 1.32; 95% CI: 1.01-1.72). Potential heterogeneity was noted for sex (DFS HR: 1.68 for men and 1.01 for women: P for heterogeneity=0.04), and age at diagnosis (OS: HR: 1.11 for patients aged <60 and 1.69 for patients aged ≥60: P for heterogeneity=0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-diagnosis cigarette smoking is associated with worsened prognosis among patients with CRC.

β-Glucan attenuates inflammatory responses in oxidized LDL-induced THP-1 cells via the p38 MAPK pathway

AIM

To investigate the immunomodulatory effects of β-(1,3/1,6)-d-glucan on atherosclerosis as well as on the molecular mechanisms of its transition.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Human monocytic leukemia (THP-1) cells were differentiated into the macrophage phenotype by incubation with oxLDL in the absence or presence of β-glucan. β-glucan attenuated CD86 and CD80 expression and simultaneously reduced secretion of the inflammatory cytokines IL-2, IL-8, IL-12, TNF-α and IFN-γ. Western blot analysis showed that oxLDL treatment induced phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 in PMA-differentiated THP-1 cells. However, β-glucan inhibited p38 MAPK activation. In experiments with monocytes derived from healthy donors, β-glucan inhibited IL-8, IL-12 and TNF-α production. The anti-inflammatory effects of β-glucan were also observed in atherosclerotic plaque cells.

CONCLUSIONS

β-glucan inhibited oxLDL-induced pro-inflammatory effects in macrophages via regulation of p38 MAPK phosphorylation. This novel finding may provide insight for new therapeutic strategies.

Predicting cooperative drug effects through the quantitative cellular profiling of response to individual drugs

Quantitative prediction of cellular responses to drugs and drug combinations is a challenging and valuable topic in pharmaceutical research. In the past decade, microarray technology has become a routine tool for monitoring genome-wide expression changes and has been widely adopted for exploring drug response in the pharmaceutical field. However, how to predict the synergistic effect of drug combinations using microarray data is a challenging task. In this article, we report a simple prediction framework based on the genome-wide and quantitative profiling of cellular responses to individual drugs. By exploring the differential expression profiles, our correlation-based strategy can reveal the synergistic effects of drug combinations. The comparison with gold-standard experimental results demonstrates the strengths and weaknesses in relation to prediction based only on cellular response to individual drugs. Specifically, the prediction strategy may work for a drug combination whose individual drugs show related transcriptomic mechanisms but not for others.

Diode-pumped continuous wave and passively Q-switched Tm, Mg: LiTaO₃ lasers

We have demonstrated the continuous wave and passively Q-switched Tm, Mg: LiTaO3 lasers for the first time. In continuous wave (CW) regime, a maximum CW output power of 1.03 W at 1952 nm was obtained, giving a slope efficiency of 9.5% and a beam quality M2 = 2.2. In passive Q-switching regime, a single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) was employed as saturable absorber (SA). The Tm,Mg:LiTaO3 laser has yielded a pulse of 560 ns under repetition rate of 34.2 kHz at 1926 nm, corresponding to a single pulse energy of 10.1 μJ. The results indicate a promising potential of nonlinear crystals in the applications for laser host materials.

Spectral measurement of electron antineutrino oscillation amplitude and frequency at Daya Bay

A measurement of the energy dependence of antineutrino disappearance at the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment is reported. Electron antineutrinos (ν¯(e)) from six 2.9  GW(th) reactors were detected with six detectors deployed in two near (effective baselines 512 and 561 m) and one far (1579 m) underground experimental halls. Using 217 days of data, 41 589 (203 809 and 92 912) antineutrino candidates were detected in the far hall (near halls). An improved measurement of the oscillation amplitude sin(2)2θ(13)=0.090(-0.009)(+0.008) and the first direct measurement of the ν¯(e) mass-squared difference |Δm(ee)2|=(2.59(-0.20)(+0.19))×10(-3)  eV2 is obtained using the observed ν¯(e) rates and energy spectra in a three-neutrino framework. This value of |Δm(ee)2| is consistent with |Δm(μμ)2| measured by muon neutrino disappearance, supporting the three-flavor oscillation model.

Tuberculosis burden in China: a high prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in household contacts with and without symptoms

Background

In the context of decreasing tuberculosis prevalence in China, we examined the effectiveness of screening household contacts of tuberculosis patients.

Methods

A tuberculosis survey was conducted in 2008. All 3,355 household contacts of notified tuberculosis cases were examined with a questionnaire interview, chest X-ray and three sputum smear tests. The effectiveness was examined by comparing the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis in household contacts with or without presenting clinical symptoms against the respective notification rates. Regression models were used to evaluate the factors associated with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Results

Of the 3,355 household contacts, 92 members (2.7%) had pulmonary tuberculosis, among which 46 cases were asymptomatic. The prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis and smear positive cases in household contacts without symptoms were 20 and 7 times higher than the notification rates in 2008, while those in household contacts with symptoms were 247 and 108 times higher than notification rates, respectively. The patients detected were mainly Index Cases’ spouses, sisters/brothers and those who were in contact with female Index Cases.

Conclusions

The present study provides convincing evidence that household contacts of notified tuberculosis cases are at higher risk of developing tuberculosis. Routine screening for household contacts without any symptoms is recommended for sustained tuberculosis control in China as well as in the world.

Handling radiation generated during an ion source commissioning

Radiation is an important issue, which should be carefully treated during the design and commissioning of an ion source. Measurements show that X-rays are generated around the ceramics column of an extraction system when the source is powered up to 30 kV. The X-ray dose increases greatly when a beam is extracted. Inserting the ceramic column into a metal vacuum box is a good way to block X-ray emission for those cases. Moreover, this makes the online test of an intense H(+) ion beam with energy up to 100 keV possible. However, for deuteron ion source commissioning, neutron and gamma-ray radiation become a serious topic. In this paper, we will describe the design of the extraction system and the radiation doses of neutrons and gamma-rays measured at different D(+) beam energy during our 2.45 GHz deuteron electron cyclotron resonance ion source commissioning for PKUNIFTY (PeKing University Neutron Imaging FaciliTY) project at Peking University.

Commissioning and operation of the deuteron injector for PKUNIFTY project

PKUNIFTY (PeKing University Neutron Imaging FaciliTY), a thermal neutron imaging facility based on a 2 MeV RFQ accelerator, has been constructed at Peking University. Its deuteron injector, which consists of a 2.45 GHz permanent magnet electron cyclotron resonance (PMECR) deuteron ion source and a two-solenoid low energy beam transport (LEBT), aims at producing and delivering 50 mA, 50 keV deuteron beam with a duty factor of 10% (1 ms, 100 Hz). In the preliminary tests of RFQ accelerator, the ECR ion source and LEBT are required to operate at various duty factors (from 1% to 10%). The deuteron ion source has been tested with different pulse widths for this reason. In order to optimize the transmission parameters, the beam current at the exit of RFQ as a function of solenoids tuning and steering magnets tuning are carefully studied. The beam emittance at the entrance of RFQ has been measured with space charge compensation by different argon gas (RG) pressure from 1.6 × 10(-4) Pa to 4.7 × 10(-3) Pa. The measuring results show the best compensating pressure is 3.5 × 10(-3) Pa with a minimal normalized rms emittance of 0.12 pi mm mrad. During the commissioning, we found the purity of deuteron gas is an important factor which severely affects ECR discharge and plasma intensity inside the ion source chamber. The detailed experimental results obtained during the commissioning are discussed in this paper.

Plasma studies of the permanent magnet electron cyclotron resonance ion source at Peking University

At Peking University (PKU) we have developed several 2.45 GHz Permanent Magnet Electron Cyclotron Resonance ion sources for PKUNIFTY, SFRFQ, Coupled RFQ&SFRFQ, and Dielectric-Wall Accelerator (DWA) projects (respectively, 50 mA of D(+), 10 mA of O(+), 10 mA of He(+), and 50 mA of H(+)). In order to improve performance of these ion sources, it is necessary to better understand the principal factors that influence the plasma density and the atomic ion fraction. Theoretical analysis about microwave transmission and cut-off inside the discharge chamber were carried out to study the influence of the discharge chamber diameters. As a consequence, experimental studies on plasma density and ion fraction with different discharge chamber sizes have been carried out. Due to the difficulties in measuring plasma density inside the discharge chamber, the output beam current was measured to reflect the plasma density. Experimental results show that the plasma density increases to the maximum and then decreases significantly as the diameter changed from 64 mm to 30 mm, and the atomic ion fraction has the same tendency. The maximum beam intensity was obtained with the diameter of 35 mm, but the maximum atomic ion fraction with a diameter of 40 mm. The experimental results are basically accordant with the theoretical calculation. Details are presented in this paper.

Minocycline alleviates behavioral deficits and inhibits microglial activation induced by intrahippocampal administration of Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor in adult rats

Some evidence has shown an increased number of activated microglial cells in patients with schizophrenia. It is hypothesized that activated microglia may contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. We injected saline or Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) into the ventral hippocampus in adult Sprague-Dawley rats via micro-pump; at the same time, the rats were intragastrically administrated with saline or minocycline once a day for 14 consecutive days. Then, behavioral tests were examined and microglia were assessed using immunohistochemistry method. GM-CSF-injected group showed significant behavioral deficits (hyperlocomotion, social interaction deficits, prepulse inhibition (PPI) deficits). There was a dramatic increase of the number of activated microglial cells in the hippocampus and other brain regions such as cerebral cortex and thalamus compared with those in saline-injected group in immunohistochemistry. Minocycline was able to ameliorate deficits of social interaction and PPI but not hyperlocomotion. Minocycline was also able to inhibit the microglial activation. In conclusion, intrahippocampal administration of GM-CSF in adult rats may serve as a potential schizophrenia animal model, which may be related with the microglia hypothesis of schizophrenia.

Energy dependence of moments of net-proton multiplicity distributions at RHIC

We report the beam energy (sqrt[sNN]=7.7-200  GeV) and collision centrality dependence of the mean (M), standard deviation (σ), skewness (S), and kurtosis (κ) of the net-proton multiplicity distributions in Au+Au collisions. The measurements are carried out by the STAR experiment at midrapidity (|y|<0.5) and within the transverse momentum range 0.4<pT<0.8  GeV/c in the first phase of the Beam Energy Scan program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. These measurements are important for understanding the quantum chromodynamic phase diagram. The products of the moments, Sσ and κσ2, are sensitive to the correlation length of the hot and dense medium created in the collisions and are related to the ratios of baryon number susceptibilities of corresponding orders. The products of moments are found to have values significantly below the Skellam expectation and close to expectations based on independent proton and antiproton production. The measurements are compared to a transport model calculation to understand the effect of acceptance and baryon number conservation and also to a hadron resonance gas model.

Intraspecific hybridization between Coprinus cinereus and Schizophyllum commune by PEG-induced protoplast fusion and electrofusion

Two irreversible inhibitors, iodoacetamide and diethylpyrocarbonate, were used to select intraspecific fusion products of two mushroom species, Coprinus cinereus and Schizophyllum commune. Iodoacetamide was the more suitable inhibitor because it gave a low breakage frequency and low survival rate of the cells in the inactivation experiments. Fusion-induced by polyethylene glycol and electro-fusion were compared and, under optimal conditions, gave fusion frequencies of 16.7% to 50.0% and 6.9% to 8.4%, respectively. All fusion progeny were heterokaryons (dikaryons) and had clamp connections. There were no differences in the morphology and fruiting ability of the fusion progeny and those of the heterokaryons generated from mating.

Synergistic Effect of Regeneration and Inflammation via Ibuprofen-Loaded Electrospun Fibrous Scaffolds for Repairing Skeletal Muscle

Adult skeletal muscle regeneration involves serial steps among which inflammation in the wounded area is critical for the healing process. However, accelerated tissue regeneration and the inhibition of excessive inflammation are always the targets of tissue engineering, because excessive inflammation in the early stage can impede the regeneration in the following step. In this study, a feasible ibuprofen-loaded poly (L-lactide) (PLLA) fibrous scaffold was designed to evaluate the ability of preventing excessive inflammatory response and promoting regeneration using 35 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The cytotoxicity assay of PLLA and ibuprofen-loaded PLLA fibrous scaffolds (IBU/PLLA) showed that there were no significant cell cytotoxicity on L6 cells. The histological results showed that the IBU/PLLA group had slighter inflammation than PLLA and control groups during the whole process. In the later stage, the regeneration process of the IBU/PLLA group took place on the 7th day, which was almost more than one week earlier than the PLLA and control groups. qRT-PCR analysis further displayed that the IBU/PLLA group had a lower level of inflammatory factors and higher expression of repair factors than the PLLA and control groups, especially from the 7th day, and lasted until the 21st day. Furthermore, there were no statistical differences between the PLLA group and the control group from histological results and qRT-PCR analysis. Taken together, through the muscle wound healing process, the results demonstrated that the ibuprofen-loaded PLLA fibrous scaffolds had better control of excessive inflammation and faster process of healing than non-ibuprofen-loaded groups.

Relationship between exposure to extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields and breast cancer risk: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To comprehensively analyze the relationship between human exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF-EMFs) and breast cancer and to discuss the potential risk of ELF-EMFs to human breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sixteen research reports of case-control studies which were published from 2000 to 2007 were collected. The fixed effect model (FEM) or the random effect model (REM) was chosen to calculate total ORs depending on the outcomes of the test of homogeneity (Q test): the subgroup was analyzed with the menopause and the non-menopause.

OUTCOME

Sixteen research outcome was ORDL = 1.10, 95% CI = (1.01, 1.20), the OR(MH) of the non-menopause status group was 1.25, 95% CI = (1.05, 1.49), the OR(MH) of the menopause status group was OR(MH) = 1.04, 95% CI = (0.93, 1.18).

CONCLUSION

The authors found that ELF-EMFs may be increase the risk of human breast cancer. The women's exposure to ELF-EMFs may be the risk factor of breast cancer when they are non-menopausal.

Diagnostic value of different patient positions during expiratory low-dose thin-layer MDCT for evaluating air trapping after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the diagnostic value of different patient positions during expiratory low-dose thin-layer multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) for detecting air trapping after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Expiratory lung MDCT scanning was done for 51 post-allo-HSCT patients in both the supine and prone positions to determine if they had air trapping lesions. We assessed the volume fraction of an air trapping region (CT value of ≤700HU at expiratory phase) against the whole lung area with a GE workstation and graded these results.

RESULTS

In the supine position, multiple air trapping lesions were found in 16 of 51 patients, which were scattered and mainly distributed in the dorsal sides of both lower lobes. In the prone position, in addition to these 15 patients, air trapping lesions were also found in 11 other patients, which were mainly distributed in the anterior load-bearing area of the lung lower lobes and lobe-connected areas. Compared with that in the supine position, the graded score of air trapping in the prone position was significantly different (p = 0.006).

CONCLUSIONS

When performing expiratory thin-layer MDCT for patients with chronic rejection reactions after allo-HSCT, scanning in the prone position should also be performed, not only to more accurately observe lesions, but also for a preliminary evaluation of air trapping severity. This provides a basis for an early clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Relationship between blood glucose fluctuation and macrovascular endothelial dysfunction in type 2 diabetic patients with coronary heart disease

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the relationship between blood glucose fluctuation and macrovascular dysfunction.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eighty-eight type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with or without coronary heart disease (CHD) and 30 healthy control subjects were recruited. Glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting insulin (FIns), and C-reaction protein (CRP) and some other general clinical variables were measured. A 72-hour continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and brachial artery endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) assessment were performed. The glucose excursion, MAGE (mean amplitude of glycemic excursions), LAGE (largest amplitude of glycemic excursions), MPPGE (mean postprandial glycemic excursions), MODD (absolute means of daily differences), and IAUC70 (incremental area under the curve below 70 mg/dl) during the CGM were analyzed. Correlations between the various variables were analyzed.

RESULTS

Enhanced blood glucose fluctuation was observed in T2DM patients with CHD as compared to other participants. And blood glucose fluctuation was correlated with FMD, CRP and HOMA-IR.

CONCLUSIONS

Blood glucose fluctuation is an important factor that affects inflammatory response and possibly induces CHD in T2DM patients.