Effects of AFP gene silencing on Survivin mRNA expression inhibition in HepG2 cells

We investigated the effects of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) gene silencing on Survivin expression in HepG2 cells. Small interfering RNA technology was used to downregulate AFP expression in HepG2 cells. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure AFP concentration in the supernatant before and after transfection. An MTT assay was used to detect cell proliferation activity before and after transfection. We performed flow cytometric analysis to detect the cell apoptosis rate, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to detect Survivin mRNA levels before and after transfection. Forty-eight hours after transfection, AFP concentration in the supernatant of the experimental group significantly decreased, hepatocellular carcinoma cell growth was inhibited by 43.1%, and the apoptosis rate increased by 24.3%. Survivin mRNA expression was reduced by 78.0% in HepG2 cells. These indicators in the control group and in the blank group did not change significantly. Silencing of AFP expression in HepG2 cells can effectively inhibit the growth of hepatoma cells and promote apoptosis, which may be useful for reducing intracellular Survivin mRNA levels.

Effects of testosterone administration on cognitive function in hysterectomized women with low testosterone levels: a dose-response randomized trial

PURPOSE

To determine the dose-dependent effects of testosterone administration on cognition in women with low testosterone levels.

METHODS

71 hysterectomized women with or without oophorectomy with total testosterone <31 ng/dl and/or free testosterone <3.5 pg/ml received a standardized transdermal estradiol regimen during the 12-week run-in period and were then randomized to receive weekly intramuscular injections of placebo, 3, 6.25, 12.5, or 25 mg testosterone enanthate for 24 weeks. Total testosterone was measured in serum by LC-MS/MS, and free testosterone levels were measured by equilibrium dialysis. Cognitive function was evaluated using a comprehensive battery of standardized neuropsychological tests at baseline and 24 weeks.

RESULTS

46 women who had baseline and end-of-treatment cognitive function data constituted the analytic sample. The five groups were similar at baseline. Mean on-treatment nadir total testosterone concentrations were 15, 89, 98, 134, and 234 ng/dl in the placebo, 3, 6.25, 12.5, and 25 mg groups, respectively. No significant changes in spatial ability, verbal fluency, verbal memory, or executive function were observed in any treatment arm compared to placebo even after adjustment for baseline cognitive function, age, and education. Multiple regression analysis did not show any significant relation between changes in testosterone concentrations and change in cognitive function scores.

CONCLUSION

Short-term testosterone administration over a wide range of doses for 24 weeks in women with low testosterone levels was neither associated with improvements nor worsening of cognitive function.

A Retrospective Comparison of the Influence of Surgical Clipping and Endovascular Embolization on Recovery of Oculomotor Nerve Palsy in Patients With Posterior Communicating Artery Aneurysms

BACKGROUND:

Oculomotor nerve palsy (ONP) is a common symptom of posterior communicating artery aneurysms (PcomAAs). Surgical clipping and endovascular embolization are used to treat PcomAAs with ONP.

OBJECTIVE:

To analyze the impact of these 2 techniques on recovery of ONP caused by PcomAAs.

METHODS:

The clinical data for 176 patients with intracranial PcomAAs with ONP admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, between June 2008 and May 2013 who undergone surgical clipping or endovascular embolization were studied retrospectively. The 2 treatment groups were compared with respect to age, sex, aneurysm size, levels of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, preadmission ONP duration, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), complete ONP, postoperative recovery time from ONP symptoms, and degree of recovery. The follow-up duration was a minimum of 12 months. Multivariate Cox regression was used for analysis.

RESULTS:

A total of 132 patients were treated by surgical clipping, and 44 were treated by endovascular embolization. Significant differences were found in postoperative recovery time (83.87 ± 34.70 days for clipping and 137.45 ± 44.94 days for embolization, P &lt; .001) and recovery rates (130 [98.5%] for clipping and 30 [68.2%] for embolization, P &lt; .001). The period between ONP onset and admission was associated with recovery. Postoperative complications included significant cerebral vasospasms (6 in the clipping group and 2 in the embolization group) and hydrocephalus (16 in the clipping group and 9 in the embolization group).

CONCLUSION:

Simultaneous elimination of 2 injury mechanisms, compression and pulsation, when treating the oculomotor nerve by surgical clipping may be more advantageous than endovascular embolization to treat ONP caused by PcomAA.

Expression profile of long noncoding RNAs in cartilage from knee osteoarthritis patients

OBJECTIVES

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as a novel class of regulatory molecules involved in various biological processes, but their role in osteoarthritis (OA) remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to reveal lncRNAs expression profile in human osteoarthritic cartilage and explore the potential functions of lncRNAs in OA.

METHODS

The expression profiles of lncRNAs and mRNAs in OA cartilage were obtained using microarray and verified by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Bioinformatics analyses including lncRNA classification and subgroup analysis, gene ontology (GO) analysis, pathway analysis, network analysis and target prediction were performed.

RESULTS

There were 3007 upregulated lncRNAs and 1707 downregulated lncRNAs in OA cartilage compared with normal samples (Fold change ≥ 2.0). In addition, 2136 mRNAs were upregulated and 2,241 mRNAs were downregulated in OA cartilage (Fold change ≥ 2.0). The qRT-PCR results of six dysregulated lncRNAs were consistent with the microarray data. 106 lncRNAs and 291 mRNAs composed the coding-non-coding gene co-expression network (CNC network). In the 600 top differentially expressed lncRNAs, 48 lncRNAs were predicted to have more than five cis-regulated target genes and up to 530 lncRNAs might regulate their trans target genes through collaboration with transcriptional factor (TF) SP1. The positive correlation between lncRNA uc.343 and predicted target homeobox gene C8 (HOXC8) expression in SW1353 cells treating with interleukin-1 beta confirmed the target prediction to some extent.

CONCLUSIONS

This study revealed the expression pattern of lncRNAs in OA cartilage and predicted the potential function and targets, which indicated that lncRNAs may be new biomarkers for diagnosis or novel therapeutic targets of OA.

Dietary patterns are associated with prevalence of fatty liver disease in adults

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Previous studies have indicated that higher levels of food consumption are associated with fatty liver disease (FLD), but few studies have investigated the relationship between this disease and different dietary patterns. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to examine the association between dietary patterns and FLD in adults.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

Dietary intakes of participants in the Tianjin were assessed via questionnaire. Factor analysis was used to identify dietary patterns, and FLD was defined as having a FLD diagnosis using liver ultrasonography. Relationships between dietary patterns and FLD were assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Female participants in the highest quartile of high-carbohydrate/sweet pattern scores had a 2.19-fold greater risk (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.40-3.46) of developing non-alcoholic FLD (NAFLD) than those in the lowest quartile after adjusting for confounding factors. No significant differences were found between any dietary pattern and NAFLD in males. In males, a significantly increasing trend of alcoholic FLD (AFLD) prevalence was associated with increasing high-protein/cholesterol pattern scores (P for trend = 0.03; odds ratio (OR), 2.08; 95% CI, 1.15-3.81) while an increased high-carbohydrate/sweet pattern score appeared protective against AFLD (P for trend = 0.02; OR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.29-1.00).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study demonstrates that high-protein/cholesterol pattern scores are associated with higher prevalence of AFLD in males. We also show high-carbohydrate/sweet pattern scores are associated with higher prevalence of NAFLD in females; but, interestingly, this pattern shows a favorable effect on AFLD in males.

Folic acid inhibits tau phosphorylation through regulation of PP2A methylation in SH-SY5Y cells

OBJECTIVES

Neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), which are composed of intracellular filamentous aggregates of hyperphosphorylated tau protein, are one of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Because tau phosphorylation is regulated by phosphatases, abnormal metabolism of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) has been proposed to be a contributing factor to the disease process.

RESULTS

To determine the function of folic acid on tau phosphorylation, an in vitro model of human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) were exposed to folic acid (0-40 μmol/L) for 96 h, in the presence or absence of the phosphoesterase inhibitor okadaic acid (OA) (10 nmol/L) for 9 h. The data of western blot showed tau phosphorylation at the Ser396 site in OA-incubated SH-SY5Y cells was inhibited by folic acid in a concentration-dependent manner, with the folic acid concentration of 40 μmol/L providing maximal inhibition. Folic acid can downregulate tau protein phosphorylation by inhibiting the demethylation reactions of PP2A. High folic acid concentrations (20 and 40 μmol/L) increased SAM:SAH ratios and cell viability.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, we can speculate that folate deficiency may be a cause of PP2A deregulation, which can in turn lead to expression of the abnormal hyperphosphorylated form of tau.

The association of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 + 49A/G and CT60 polymorphisms with type 1 diabetes and latent autoimmune diabetes in Chinese adults

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) + 49A/G and CT60 polymorphisms with latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and the genetic differences between LADA, type 1 diabetes (T1DM), and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in a Chinese population.

SUBJECTS

A total of 231 LADA, 402 T1DM, and 330 T2DM patients as well as 482 nondiabetic controls were recruited in the study.

METHODS

CTLA-4 + 49A/G and CT60 polymorphisms were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The level of glutamic acid decarboxylase antibodies (GADAs) was detected by a radioligand binding assay.

RESULTS

The CTLA-4 + 49A/G risk genotype GG was most frequent in T1DM patients (45.3%), followed by LADA patients (44.2%) and T2DM patients (38.8%). Significantly higher frequencies of the risk genotype GG were observed in the T1DM (OR = 1.532, 95% CI 1.168-2.010, P = 0.002) and LADA patients (OR = 1.464, 95% CI 1.063-2.017, P = 0.019). The frequencies of the CTLA-4 CT60 risk genotype GG were 65.2, 61.9, 58.5, and 56.4% in the T1DM, LADA, T2DM, and control groups, respectively. The CTLA-4 CT60 GG risk genotypes were only associated with T1DM (OR = 1.445, 95% CI 1.1-1.898, P = 0.008). Compared with controls, patients having a high titer of GADA (GADA ≥ 180 IU/ml) had higher frequencies of the GG risk genotype of CTLA-4 + 49 A/G (49.4% vs. 35.1% OR = 1.807, 95% CI 1.125-2.903, P = 0.014), but there was no difference between patients having a low titer of GADA and controls.

CONCLUSION

The CTLA-4 + 49 A/G polymorphism confers genetic susceptibility to LADA and T1DM, while the CTLA-4 CT60 polymorphism is only associated with T1DM in Chinese population. The CTLA-4 + 49 A/G genotype distribution in LADA is associated with the GADA level.

Analysis of the electrostatics in DyIII single-molecule magnets: the case study of Dy(Murex)3

A Dy^III-based single-molecule magnet is reported. Ab initio calculations highlight that molecular symmetry plays a predominant role over site symmetry in determining the shape and orientation of Dy^III magnetic anisotropy.

Subtypes of major depression: latent class analysis in depressed Han Chinese women

BACKGROUND

Despite substantial research, uncertainty remains about the clinical and etiological heterogeneity of major depression (MD). Can meaningful and valid subtypes be identified and would they be stable cross-culturally?

METHOD

Symptoms at their lifetime worst depressive episode were assessed at structured psychiatric interview in 6008 women of Han Chinese descent, age ⩾ 30 years, with recurrent DSM-IV MD. Latent class analysis (LCA) was performed in Mplus. RESULTS; Using the nine DSM-IV MD symptomatic A criteria, the 14 disaggregated DSM-IV criteria and all independently assessed depressive symptoms (n = 27), the best LCA model identified respectively three, four and six classes. A severe and non-suicidal class was seen in all solutions, as was a mild/moderate subtype. An atypical class emerged once bidirectional neurovegetative symptoms were included. The non-suicidal class demonstrated low levels of worthlessness/guilt and hopelessness. Patterns of co-morbidity, family history, personality, environmental precipitants, recurrence and body mass index (BMI) differed meaningfully across subtypes, with the atypical class standing out as particularly distinct.

CONCLUSIONS

MD is a clinically complex syndrome with several detectable subtypes with distinct clinical and demographic correlates. Three subtypes were most consistently identified in our analyses: severe, atypical and non-suicidal. Severe and atypical MD have been identified in multiple prior studies in samples of European ethnicity. Our non-suicidal subtype, with low levels of guilt and hopelessness, may represent a pathoplastic variant reflecting Chinese cultural influences.

PRDM1 expression on the epithelial component but not on ectopic lymphoid tissues of Warthin tumour

OBJECTIVE

To determine the role of PRDM1, a key molecule for modulating the immune cells, in Warthin tumour (WT) pathogenesis.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

Forty paraffin-embedded parotid tissues of patients (mean age: 62.08 ± 11.90) with WT were retrieved from the pathology archives of Qindu Hospital from January 2012 to December 2012. The PRDM1 expression was investigated in a cohort of WT by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

PRDM1 was expressed only on the epithelial component but not on ectopic lymphoid tissue of the tumour. Statistically, PRDM1 expression rates between WT glandular epithelial cells (40/40 cases) and the tumour-adjacent tissues (0/9 cases), and WT germinal centres (0/34 cases) and tonsil tissues (10/10 cases) were significantly different (P < 0.001), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The PRDM1 expression appeared to play an essential role in WT pathogenesis. A better understanding of it might give options for revealing possible novel management strategies.

The prevalence of schizophrenia in mainland China: evidence from epidemiological surveys

OBJECTIVE

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder. Its prevalence appears inconsistent in different regions of China; thus, we conducted this meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of schizophrenia in mainland China.

METHOD

Studies on the prevalence of schizophrenia in mainland China were identified from electronic databases up to July 2013. Meta-analysis was used for prevalence of schizophrenia estimate.

RESULTS

For lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia, prevalence of 5.44 per 1000 (overall), 5.33 per 1000 (males), 5.51 per 1000 (females), 6.60 per 1000 (urban) and 4.73 per 1000 (rural) were estimated; there was no significant difference between males and females, while prevalence for urban dwellers was higher than for rural (OR=1.44, 95%CI: 1.30-1.59). For point prevalence of schizophrenia, prevalence of 4.62 per 1000 (overall), 4.63 per 1000 (males), 4.95 per 1000 (females), 5.15 per 1000 (urban) and 4.44 per 1000 (rural) were estimated; no statistical difference was found in males and females, but prevalence for urban dwellers was higher than for rural (OR=1.20; 95%CI: 1.02-1.41).

CONCLUSION

The prevalence estimate results were consistent with the international prevalence estimate of schizophrenia in mainland China. There was no significant difference between males and females, while prevalence for urban dwellers was higher than for rural.

Quality of life after surgical resection compared with radiofrequency ablation for small hepatocellular carcinomas

BACKGROUND

Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is an important outcome measure in studies of cancer therapy. This study aimed to investigate HRQL and survival in patients with small hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with either surgical resection or percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA).

METHODS

Between January 2006 and June 2009, patients with newly diagnosed solitary, small (3 cm or less) HCC were invited to participate in this non-randomized prospective parallel cohort study. The Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Hepatobiliary (FACT-Hep) instrument was used for assessing HRQL. HRQL and survival were compared between the two treatment groups.

RESULTS

A total of 389 patients were enrolled. Questionnaires were completed fully by 99.7 per cent of invited participants (388 of 389) at baseline, 98.7 per cent (383 of 388) at 3 months, 99.0 per cent (379 of 383) at 6 months, 98.4 per cent (365 of 371) at 1 year, 96.6 per cent (336 of 348) at 2 years and 95.1 per cent (289 of 304) at 3 years. There were no significant differences in disease-free and overall survival between the two groups. Patients treated with percutaneous RFA had significantly better HRQL total scores after 3, 6, 12, 24 and 36 months than those who had surgical resection (P < 0.001, P < 0.001, P = 0.001, P = 0.003 and P = 0.025 respectively). On multivariable analysis, the presence of concomitant disease, cirrhosis and surgical resection were significant risk factors associated with a worse HRQL score after treatment.

CONCLUSION

Percutaneous RFA produced better post-treatment HRQL than surgical resection for patients with solitary small (no more than 3 cm) HCC.

The impact of surgical timing on the management of aneurysms with acute hydrocephalus after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage

AIM

To explore the feasibility and effectiveness of early microsurgical therapy for acute hydrocephalus resulting from a ruptured intracranial aneurysm.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Forty patients with Hunt-Hess grades II-III were assigned to group A; 27 patients with grades IV-V formed group B. The patients were also divided into 2 groups based on the time interval between the hemorrhage and surgery. Subjects in the early surgery group underwent aneurysm clipping within 3 days of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), followed by intraoperative lateral ventricle puncture and third ventriculostomy. Subjects in the late surgery group underwent aneurysm clipping within 10 days of SAH, after initial treatment with lateral ventricular drainage. Three months after surgery, we used the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) to compare the differences between the early and late surgery groups.

RESULTS

More patients benefited from early surgery than from late surgery in both groups: GOS4-5 was achieved by 75% and 73.3% of early-surgery patients compared to 37.5% and 25% of late-surgery patients from Groups A and B, respectively (both p < 0.05). Analysis of the relationship between surgical timing and outcomes with the Ridit method showed that outcomes of early surgery were better than those of late surgery (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Aneurysmal SAH with acute hydrocephalus requires early surgery.

Characterization of transfusion-elicited acute antibody-mediated rejection in a rat model of kidney transplantation

Animal models of antibody-mediated rejection (ABMR) may provide important evidence supporting proof of concept. We elicited donor-specific antibodies (DSA) by transfusion of donor blood (Brown Norway RT1(n) ) into a complete mismatch recipient (Lewis RT1(l) ) 3 weeks prior to kidney transplantation. Sensitized recipients had increased anti-donor splenocyte IgG1, IgG2b and IgG2c DSA 1 week after transplantation. Histopathology was consistent with ABMR characterized by diffuse peritubular capillary C4d and moderate microvascular inflammation with peritubular capillaritis + glomerulitis > 2. Immunofluorescence studies of kidney allograft tissue demonstrated a greater CD68/CD3 ratio in sensitized animals, primarily of the M1 (pro-inflammatory) phenotype, consistent with cytokine gene analyses that demonstrated a predominant T helper (TH )1 (interferon-γ, IL-2) profile. Immunoblot analyses confirmed the activation of the M1 macrophage phenotype as interferon regulatory factor 5, inducible nitric oxide synthase and phagocytic NADPH oxidase 2 were significantly up-regulated. Clinical biopsy samples in sensitized patients with acute ABMR confirmed the dominance of M1 macrophage phenotype in humans. Despite the absence of tubulitis, we were unable to exclude the effects of T cell-mediated rejection. These studies suggest that M1 macrophages and TH 1 cytokines play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute mixed rejection in sensitized allograft recipients.

The structure of the symptoms of major depression: exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in depressed Han Chinese women

BACKGROUND

The symptoms of major depression (MD) are clinically diverse. Do they form coherent factors that might clarify the underlying nature of this important psychiatric syndrome?

METHOD

Symptoms at lifetime worst depressive episode were assessed at structured psychiatric interview in 6008 women of Han Chinese descent, age ⩾30 years with recurrent DSM-IV MD. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatoryfactor analysis (CFA) were performed in Mplus in random split-half samples.

RESULTS

The preliminary EFA results were consistently supported by the findings from CFA. Analyses of the nine DSM-IV MD symptomatic A criteria revealed two factors loading on: (i) general depressive symptoms; and (ii) guilt/suicidal ideation. Examining 14 disaggregated DSM-IV criteria revealed three factors reflecting: (i) weight/appetite disturbance; (ii) general depressive symptoms; and (iii) sleep disturbance. Using all symptoms (n = 27), we identified five factors that reflected: (i) weight/appetite symptoms; (ii) general retarded depressive symptoms; (iii) atypical vegetative symptoms; (iv) suicidality/hopelessness; and (v) symptoms of agitation and anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

MD is a clinically complex syndrome with several underlying correlated symptom dimensions. In addition to a general depressive symptom factor, a complete picture must include factors reflecting typical/atypical vegetative symptoms, cognitive symptoms (hopelessness/suicidal ideation), and an agitated symptom factor characterized by anxiety, guilt, helplessness and irritability. Prior cross-cultural studies, factor analyses of MD in Western populations and empirical findings in this sample showing risk factor profiles similar to those seen in Western populations suggest that our results are likely to be broadly representative of the human depressive syndrome.

Ibuprofen partially attenuates neurodegenerative symptoms in presenilin conditional double-knockout mice

Ibuprofen is a widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that reportedly reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) development. The anti-inflammatory effect of ibuprofen occurred via inhibition of cyclooxygenases and anti-amyloidogenesis through modulation of γ-secretase. Presenilin 1 and 2 conditional double-knockout (cDKO) mice exhibited age-dependent memory impairment and forebrain degeneration without elevation of amyloid β deposition. Therefore, cDKO mice can be an ideal animal model on which to independently test the effects of ibuprofen anti-inflammatory properties on the prevention of AD. Three- and six-month-old cDKO mice were fed diet containing 375 ppm ibuprofen for six months. After multiple, well-validated behavioral tests, treatment with ibuprofen improved cognition-related behavioral performance, and drug efficacy was correlated with the timing of administration. Ibuprofen was more effective on six-month-old than on three-month-old cDKO mice. Biochemical analysis demonstrated that the effects of ibuprofen on glial fibrillary acidic protein and CD68 expression levels were uneven in different brain regions of cDKO mice and that age also influenced such effects. Tau hyperphosphorylation and the cleavage of caspase-3 decreased after ibuprofen treatment, and this effect was more significant in the older than the younger group of mice, which was consistent with the results of behavioral tests.

[Establishment of a new method to detect gene expression by laser capture microdissection-assisted single-cell real time RT-PCR without RNA purification]

Laser capture microdissection (LCM) combined with real time RT-PCR represents a powerful method for analyzing gene expression levels in selected cell types. To avoid degradation of RNA by endogenous and exogenous RNases and to ensure selection of target cells only, we designed a protocol in which the inactivation of exogenous and endogenous RNases by RNaseZap and RNA later is combined with immunofluorescent labeling, and labeled cells in sections used for subsequent LCM and real time RT-PCR. Immunolabelled neurons were captured onto the caps of RNase-free microcentrifuge tubes using LCM and lysed with 3% NP-40 without prior RNA purification. Subsequent reverse transcription for cDNA synthesis was performed in situ on the cap surface to avoid mRNA loss due to transfer between tubes. Applying this protocol, we determined immunoglobulin G (IgG), nerve growth factor (NGF) and GAPDH mRNA levels into small numbers of captured neurons with real time RT-PCR. Thus, this novel method combining LCM with real time RT-PCR without RNA purification appears to be an effective tool for the analysis of cell-specific target gene transcription in small numbers of cells isolated from RNA later-treated tissues.