Cytoplasmic chromatin triggers inflammation in senescence and cancer

Chromatin is traditionally viewed as a nuclear entity that regulates gene expression and silencing^1–3. However, we recently discovered the presence of cytoplasmic chromatin fragments that pinch off from intact nuclei of primary cells during senescence^4,5, a form of terminal cell cycle arrest associated with pro-inflammatory responses⁶. The functional significance of chromatin in the cytoplasm is unclear. Here we show that cytoplasmic chromatin activates the innate immunity cytosolic DNA sensing cGAS-STING pathway, leading to both short-term inflammation to restrain activated oncogene and chronic inflammation that associates with tissue destruction and cancer. The cytoplasmic chromatin-cGAS-STING pathway promotes the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in primary human cells and in mice. Mice deficient in STING show impaired immuno-surveillance of oncogenic RAS and reduced tissue inflammation upon ionizing radiation. Furthermore, this pathway is activated in cancer cells, and correlates with pro-inflammatory gene expression in human cancers. Overall, our findings indicate that genomic DNA serves as a reservoir to initiate a pro-inflammatory pathway in the cytoplasm in senescence and cancer. Targeting the cytoplasmic chromatin-mediated pathway may hold promise in treating inflammation-related disorders.

Adsorption of Pb and Zn from binary metal solutions and in the presence of dissolved organic carbon by DTPA-functionalised, silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles

The ability of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA)-functionalised, silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles to adsorb Pb and Zn from single and bi-metallic metal solutions and from solutions containing dissolved organic carbon was assessed. In all experiments 10 mL solutions containing 10 mg of nanoparticles were used. For single metal solutions (10 mg L^-1 Pb or Zn) at pH 2 to 8, extraction efficiencies were typically >70%. In bi-metallic experiments, examining the effect of a background of either Zn or Pb (0.025 mmol L^-1) on the adsorption of variable concentrations (0-0.045 mmol L^-1) of the other metal (Pb or Zn, respectively) adsorption was well modelled by linear isotherms (R² > 0.60; p ≤ 0.001) and Pb was preferentially adsorbed relative to Zn. In dissolved organic carbon experiments, the presence of fulvic acid (0, 2.1 and 21 mg DOC L^-1) reduced Pb and Zn adsorption from 0.01, 0.1 and 1.0 mmol L^-1 solutions. However, even at 21 mg DOC L^-1 fulvic acid, extraction efficiencies from 0.01 to 0.1 mmol L^-1 solutions remained >80% (Pb) and >50% (Zn). Decreases in extraction efficiency were significant between initial metal concentrations of 0.1 and 1.0 mmol L^-1 indicating that at metal loadings between c. 100 mg kg^-1 and 300 mg kg^-1 occupancy of adsorption sites began to limit further adsorption. The nanoparticles have the potential to perform effectively as metal adsorbents in systems containing more than one metal and dissolved organic carbon at a range of pH values.

Anatomic Location of Tumor Predicts the Accuracy of Motor Function Localization in Diffuse Lower-Grade Gliomas Involving the Hand Knob Area

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The accuracy of preoperative blood oxygen level-dependent fMRI remains controversial. This study assessed the association between the anatomic location of a tumor and the accuracy of fMRI-based motor function mapping in diffuse lower-grade gliomas.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Thirty-five patients with lower-grade gliomas involving motor areas underwent preoperative blood oxygen level-dependent fMRI scans with grasping tasks and received intraoperative direct cortical stimulation. Patients were classified into an overlapping group and a nonoverlapping group, depending on the extent to which blood oxygen level-dependent fMRI and direct cortical stimulation results concurred. Tumor location was quantitatively measured, including the shortest distance from the tumor to the hand knob and the deviation distance of the midpoint of the hand knob in the lesion hemisphere relative to the midline compared with the normal contralateral hemisphere.

RESULTS

A 4-mm shortest distance from the tumor to the hand knob value was identified as optimal for differentiating the overlapping and nonoverlapping group with the receiver operating characteristic curve (sensitivity, 84.6%; specificity, 77.8%). The shortest distances from the tumor to the hand knob of ≤4 mm were associated with inaccurate fMRI-based localizations of the hand motor cortex. The shortest distances from the tumor to the hand knob were larger (P = .002), and the deviation distances for the midpoint of the hand knob in the lesion hemisphere were smaller (P = .003) in the overlapping group than in the nonoverlapping group.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that the shortest distance from the tumor to the hand knob and the deviation distance for the midpoint of the hand knob on the lesion hemisphere are predictive of the accuracy of blood oxygen level-dependent fMRI results. Smaller shortest distances from the tumor to the hand knob and larger deviation distances for the midpoint of hand knob on the lesion hemisphere are associated with less accuracy of motor cortex localization with blood oxygen level-dependent fMRI. Preoperative fMRI data for surgical planning should be used cautiously when the shortest distance from the tumor to the hand knob is ≤4 mm, especially for lower-grade gliomas anterior to the central sulcus.

Excavation of attractor modules for nasopharyngeal carcinoma via integrating systemic module inference with attract method

The molecular mechanism of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is poorly understood and effective therapeutic approaches are needed. This research aimed to excavate the attractor modules involved in the progression of NPC and provide further understanding of the underlying mechanism of NPC. Based on the gene expression data of NPC, two specific protein-protein interaction networks for NPC and control conditions were re-weighted using Pearson correlation coefficient. Then, a systematic tracking of candidate modules was conducted on the re-weighted networks via cliques algorithm, and a total of 19 and 38 modules were separately identified from NPC and control networks, respectively. Among them, 8 pairs of modules with similar gene composition were selected, and 2 attractor modules were identified via the attract method. Functional analysis indicated that these two attractor modules participate in one common bioprocess of cell division. Based on the strategy of integrating systemic module inference with the attract method, we successfully identified 2 attractor modules. These attractor modules might play important roles in the molecular pathogenesis of NPC via affecting the bioprocess of cell division in a conjunct way. Further research is needed to explore the correlations between cell division and NPC.

Common variants on 2p16.1, 6p22.1 and 10q24.32 are associated with schizophrenia in Han Chinese population

Many schizophrenia susceptibility loci have been identified through genome-wide association studies (GWASs) in European populations. However, until recently, schizophrenia GWASs in non-European populations were limited to small sample sizes and have yielded few loci associated with schizophrenia. To identify genetic risk variations for schizophrenia in the Han Chinese population, we performed a two-stage GWAS of schizophrenia comprising 4384 cases and 5770 controls, followed by independent replications of 13 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in an additional 4339 schizophrenia cases and 7043 controls of Han Chinese ancestry. Furthermore, we conducted additional analyses based on the results in the discovery stage. The combined analysis confirmed evidence of genome-wide significant associations in the Han Chinese population for three loci, at 2p16.1 (rs1051061, in an exon of VRK2, P=1.14 × 10-12, odds ratio (OR)=1.17), 6p22.1 (rs115070292 in an intron of GABBR1, P=4.96 × 10-10, OR=0.77) and 10q24.32 (rs10883795 in an intron of AS3MT, P=7.94 × 10-10, OR=0.87; rs10883765 at an intron of ARL3, P=3.06 × 10-9, OR=0.87). The polygenic risk score based on Psychiatric Genomics Consortium schizophrenia GWAS data modestly predicted case-control status in the Chinese population (Nagelkerke R2: 1.7% ~5.7%). Our pathway analysis suggested that neurological biological pathways such as GABAergic signaling, dopaminergic signaling, cell adhesion molecules and myelination pathways are involved in schizophrenia. These findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis of schizophrenia in the Han Chinese population. Further studies are needed to establish the biological context and potential clinical utility of these findings.

Hepatic insulin-like growth factor receptor is upregulated by activation of the GSK3B-FOXO3 pathway after partial hepatectomy

Liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy (PH) is a complex and well-elaborated biological process whereby synchronized cell proliferation is induced in response to the loss of liver mass. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) signaling, which plays a crucial role in normal growth and development, is involved in the process of liver regeneration. To assess the changes in the levels of serum IGF1 and hepatic IGF1 receptor (IGF1R), we established a mouse model for PH. This also allowed us to further explore the mechanisms that participate in the regulation of liver regeneration. Serum IGF1 dramatically decreased immediately after PH, and was mildly elevated afterwards. This was also confirmed in patients who had undergone PH. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting showed that hepatic IGF1R expression was elevated after surgery in mice. Hepatosomatic index showed a mild elevation 1 week after surgery and a marked elevation after 3 weeks. Western blotting showed increased levels of forkhead box O3 (FOXO3), but the phosphorylated forms of v-akt murine thymoma viral oncogene homolog 1 (AKT1), glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3B) and FOXO3 were all downregulated. Our data show that the GSK3B-FOXO3 pathway is activated after PH, and this may be one of the mechanisms that lead to upregulation of hepatic IGF1R after PH. All these changes after surgery promote liver regeneration.

CBF1 is clinically prognostic and serves as a target to block cellular invasion and chemoresistance of EMT-like glioblastoma cells

BACKGROUND

Glioblastoma is the most common and most lethal primary brain cancer. CBF1 (also known as Recombination signal Binding Protein for immunoglobulin kappa J, RBPJ) is the cardinal transcriptional regulator of the Notch signalling network and has been shown to promote cancer stem-like cells (CSCs) in glioblastoma. Recent studies suggest that some of the malignant properties of CSCs are mediated through the activation of pro-invasive programme of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Little is known whether CBF1 is involved in the EMT-like phenotype of glioma cells.

METHODS

In a collection of GBM neurosphere lines, we genetically inhibited CBF1 and investigated the consequences on EMT-related properties, including in vitro invasiveness by Boyden chambers assay, chemoresistance using a clinical drug library screen and glycolytic metabolism assessing live-cell extracellular acidification rate. We also compared CBF1 expression in cells exposed to low and high oxygen tension. In silico analysis in large-scale Western and Eastern patient cohorts investigated the clinical prognostic value of CBF1 expression in low- and high-grade glioma as well as medulloblastoma.

RESULTS

Mean CBF1 expression is significantly increased in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) R132H mutant glioblastoma and serves as prognostic marker for prolonged overall survival in brain tumours, particularly after therapy with temozolomide. Hypoxic regions of glioblastoma have higher CBF1 activation and exposure to low oxygen can induce its expression in glioma cells in vitro. CBF1 inhibition blocks EMT activators such as zinc finger E-box-binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) and significantly reduces cellular invasion and resistance to clinically approved anticancer drugs. Moreover, we indicate that CBF1 inhibition can impede cellular glycolysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Mean CBF1 activation in bulk tumour samples serves as a clinical predictive biomarker in brain cancers but its intratumoral and intertumoral expression is highly heterogeneous. Microenvironmental changes such as hypoxia can stimulate the activation of CBF1 in glioblastoma. CBF1 blockade can suppress glioblastoma invasion in vitro in particular in cells undergone EMT such as those found in the hypoxic niche. Targeting CBF1 can be an effective anti-EMT therapy to impede invasive properties and chemosensitivity in those cells.

A new approach of splint-less orthognathic surgery using a personalized orthognathic surgical guide system: A preliminary study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate a personalized orthognathic surgical guide (POSG) system for bimaxillary surgery without the use of surgical splint. Ten patients with dentofacial deformities were enrolled. Surgeries were planned with the computer-aided surgical simulation method. The POSG system was designed for both maxillary and mandibular surgery. Each consisted of cutting guides and three-dimensionally (3D) printed custom titanium plates to guide the osteotomy and repositioning the bony segments without the use of the surgical splints. Finally, the outcome evaluation was completed by comparing planned outcomes with postoperative outcomes. All operations were successfully completed using the POSG system. The largest root-mean-square deviations were 0.74mm and 1.93° for the maxillary dental arch, 1.10mm and 2.82° for the mandibular arch, 0.83mm and 2.59° for the mandibular body, and 0.98mm and 2.45° for the proximal segments. The results of the study indicated that our POSG system is capable of accurately and effectively transferring the surgical plan without the use of surgical splint. A significant advantage is that the repositioning of the bony segments is independent to the mandibular autorotation, thus eliminates the potential problems associated with the surgical splint.

The determination and application of (87) Sr/(86) Sr ratio in verifying geographical origin of wheat

As ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratio plays a significant role in authenticating the geographical origin of foodstuff, it is important to identify where the ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr signature in food comes from, and the methods of ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratio analysis in food and environmental samples. Wheat with three genotypes, soil and groundwater samples were collected from three regions of China during harvest time of 2014. The ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratios in the samples were determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometer in order to investigate the possible source of ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr in wheat, and the concentrations of Rb and Sr in wheat and soils were also detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and combined with ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratio in order to trace the geographical origin of wheat. The ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratio, the contents Rb and Sr, and Rb/Sr ratio of wheat and soil samples showed significant differences among three regions. The ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratios and the concentrations of Rb and Sr in soils were higher than those in corresponding wheat. The ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratio in wheat was identical to that corresponding soil NH₄ NO₃ extracts (labile fraction of soil) and groundwater. Wheat uptake more Rb than Sr. 3D distribution of ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr, Rb and Sr could identify wheat samples from different regions clearly. The ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratio of wheat reflects the ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratio of the associated environment including soil and groundwater. It is expected that the use the parameters of ⁸⁷ Sr/⁸⁶ Sr ratio, the contents of Rb and Sr will allow to trace geographical origin of wheat. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM0236 on hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance in high-fat and streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic mice

AIMS

The aim of this study was to rapidly screen potential hypoglycaemic strain by α-glucosidase inhibitory activity in vitro, then explored the antidiabetic effect of Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM0236 in vivo.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The cell-free supernatant of Lact. plantarum CCFM0236 significantly inhibited α-glucosidase activity in vitro. Therefore, the effects of Lact. plantarum CCFM0236, with potential hypoglycaemia activity, on insulin resistance and hyperglycaemia were explored in high-fat and streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes mice. Oral administration of Lact. plantarum CCFM0236 was found to decrease food intake, blood glucose level, glycosylated haemoglobin level and leptin level. Treatments of Lact. plantarum CCFM0236 also favourably regulated insulin level, AUC_glucose , and HOMA-IR index, and increased the activities of glutathione peroxidase and the levels of glutathione, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and interleukin-10. In addition, Lact. plantarum CCFM0236 reduced levels of malondialdehyde and tumour necrosis factor-α and protected pancreas function.

CONCLUSIONS

Lactobacillus plantarum CCFM0236 has potential hypoglycaemic ability by ameliorating insulin resistance, antioxidant capacity and systemic inflammation in mice.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The method of α-glucosidase inhibitory activity could be effectively used to screen potential hypoglycaemic products and Lact. plantarum CCFM0236 might be a promising therapeutic agent for ameliorating type 2 diabetes.

Wogonoside exerts growth-suppressive effects against T acute lymphoblastic leukemia through the STAT3 pathway

Wogonoside is the main flavonoid of the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and has been found to induce growth suppression in myelogenous leukemia cells. However, its activity in T acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is still unclear. In this study, T-ALL cell lines MOLT-3 and Jurkat were exposed to different concentrations of wogonoside for 48 h, and cell viability, cell cycle distribution, and apoptosis were measured. The involvement of signal transducers and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling in the activity of wogonoside was checked. The in vivo effect of wogonoside on T-ALL growth was investigated in a xenograft mouse model. Wogonoside significantly inhibited the viability of MOLT-3 and Jurkat cells, with the IC₅₀ (the half maximal concentration) of 68.5 ± 3.8 and 52.6 ± 4.3 μM, respectively. However, healthy T lymphocytes were unaffected. Wogonoside-treated Jurkat cells exhibited a G1-phase cell cycle arrest and significant apoptosis, which was coupled with inactivation of STAT3 signaling. Overexpression of constitutively active STAT3 reversed wogonoside-mediated growth suppression and apoptosis and restored the expression of cyclin D1, Mcl-1, and Bcl-xL. In vivo studies demonstrated that wogonoside retarded tumor growth and suppressed STAT3 phosphorylation in Jurkat xenografts. In conclusion, wogonoside suppresses the growth of T-ALL through the STAT3 pathway and may have therapeutic benefits in this disease.

Abstract S1-07: Immune sculpting of the triple negative breast cancer genome

Background: Tumors with infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) demonstrate a better prognosis particularly in TNBC and HER2 positive breast cancer. Two competing hypothesis predict contrasting relationships of TILs and genomic heterogeneity. On one hand, a strong immune response may lead to “pruning” of intratumor heterogeneity by eliminating immunogenic clones resulting in a near equilibrium, hence better prognosis, while cancers that escape the surveillance may evolve towards greater clonal heterogeneity and genomic complexity. In some cancers, the predicted neoantigens are less frequent than expected by chance also suggesting immune mediated elimination of neoplastic clones (Rooney et al. 2015). Studies also showed an inverse association between immune cell infiltration and intratumor clonal heterogeneity (Morris et al. 2016). On the other hand, cancers with greater genomic instability and mutational burden will have larger clonal heterogeneity and therefore more neoantigens and greater immune infiltration. Indeed, a positive correlation between overall mutation load and immune activity in the tumor microenvironment was observed in pooled data across a broad range of cancer types (Brown et al. 2014, Rooney et al. 2015, Schumacher and Schreiber 2015).

Methods: We assessed these two competing hypothesis and examined the relationship between genomic complexity and immune gene expression in different breast cancer subtypes. We used previously described immune metagene expression (DNA microarray n=655) as measures of immune infiltration in the TCGA data set (RNA-Seq n=1215). We compared somatic mutations, mutation count, neoantigen load, clonal heterogeneity metrics and the distribution of mutations in 119 canonical cancer genes and 12 cancer pathways between good and poor prognosis TNBC (n=208) corresponding to high and low immune infiltration.

Results:A positive but weak correlation between mutation count and immune metagene expression was observed when all breast cancer subtypes were analyzed together (P=0.08). This was driven by the generally higher mutation count and immune infiltration in TNBC. When TNBC was analyzed separately, good prognosis TNBC with high immune infiltration had lower total mutation count (P=0.021) and predicted neo-antigen count (P=0.035). Clonal heterogeneity was also lower in good prognosis TNBC (P=0.001). There was a strong inverse relationship of dispersion in mutation variant allele frequencies and immune metagene expression. CASP8 was the top enriched mutation in TNBC with high immune infiltration (P=0.007 with no adjustment for multiple testing).

Conclusions:High immune infiltration is associated with reduced intratumor heterogeneity in TNBC suggesting immune sculpting of the tumor and a near equilibrium between the cancer and immune surveillance. Surgical resection of the primary tumor may tilt the balance towards the immune system resulting in the better prognosis of high-TIL TNBC. TNBC with low immune infiltration has greater clonal heterogeneity and mutation load and may represent the consequence of escape from immune surveillance. Mutation of CASP8 may be one way to evade tumor cell killing in high-TIL TNBC as previously noted.

Citation Format: Karn T, Jiang T, Hatzis C, Sänger N, El-Balat A, Holtrich U, Becker S, Bianchini G, Pusztai L. Immune sculpting of the triple negative breast cancer genome [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr S1-07.

Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) of hepatocellular carcinomas: a retrospective analysis of the correlation between qualitative and quantitative DWI and tumour grade

AIM

To evaluate the application of qualitative and quantitative diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in predicting the histological grade of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two hundred and fifty-four patients with pathologically confirmed HCC who underwent hepatic DWI on a 1.5-T platform (b = 0, 600 s/mm²) were evaluated retrospectively. HCCs were divided into well-, moderately, and poorly differentiated groups. The relationships between naked-eye signal intensity (SI), SI values, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values on DWI, and the histopathological differentiation of HCC were analysed. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were drawn to determine the optimal operating points (OOPs) of the SI and ADC values to predict the tumour grade.

RESULTS

A weak negative correlation (r=-0.350, p<0.05) was obtained between naked-eye SI and histological grade. There was a significant difference in mean SI values between well- (68.32±31.71) and moderately (102.39±45.55)/poorly (114.55±32.15) differentiated HCC but not between moderately and poorly differentiated HCC. The OOP of the SI value by ROC curve analysis was 66.5 to predict well-differentiated HCC. The mean ADC values of well-, moderately, and poorly differentiated HCC were 1.67±0.13×10^-3, 1.31±0.16×10^-3, and 1.08±0.11×10^-3 mm²/s, respectively, with significant differences between any two combinations of groups. The OOPs of ADC to diagnose well- and poorly differentiated HCC were 1.5×10^-3 and 1.24×10^-3 mm²/s, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Qualitative and quantitative SI and ADC values at DWI may be useful to estimate the histological grade of HCC preoperatively and non-invasively.

[Mutation status of epidermal growth factor receptor and KRAS gene in non-small cell lung cancers at Xuanwei regions of Yunnan Province]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the mutation status of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and KRAS gene in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Xuanwei, Yunnan and to correlate the mutation status with clinicopathologic features.

METHODS

Mutation status of exons 18, 19, 20 and 21 of EGFR, and codons 12, 13 of KRAS in 63 cases of NSCLC were analyzed by gene sequencing and ARMS-Taqman probe method. Correlation with patients' clinicopathological characteristics was performed.

RESULTS

EGFR and KRAS mutations were present in 55.6% (35/63) and 6.3% (4/63), respectively. EGFR gene mutations were present, including exon 18 G719X in 14.3% (5/35), exon 19 in 14.3% (5/35), exon 20 S768I and T790M in 20.0% (7/35), exon 21 L858R in 31.4% (11/35), exon 18 G719X and exon 20 S768I double mutation in 17.1% (6/35), and exon 20 T790M and exon 21 L858R double mutation in 2.9% (1/35). KRAS mutations were seen in codon 12 in 3 of 4 cases, and codon 13 in 1 of 4 cases. EGFR mutations were mutually exclusive with KRAS mutations. According to statistic analysis, EGFR mutations were associated with the histological types of NSCLC(P<0.05), but without correlation with patient's gender, age, smoking status and lymph node metastasis(P>0.05). KRAS mutations in NSCLC had no correlation with the clinical pathologic characteristics of the patients.

CONCLUSIONS

A higher frequency of EGFR exon 18 G719X and 20 exon S768I mutations are found in the patients in Xuanwei, Yunnan. EGFR mutations are associated with histologic types of NSCLC, but without correlation with patient's gender, age, smoking status and lymph node metastasis. KRAS mutation in NSCLC has no correlation with the clinicopathologic characteristics of the patients.

[Survey on fungi contamination and natural occurrence of mycotoxins in 94 corn feed ingredients collected from China]

Objective: To investigate fungi contamination and the natural occurrence of mycotoxins in corn feed ingredients collected from China. Methods: A total of 94 corn feed ingredient samples were collected from 8 Chinese provinces(i.e., Anhui, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Jiangsu, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, and Shandong)in February 2014. A tandem ultra-performance liquid chromatographymass spectrometry method was used for simultaneous detection of twelve kinds of mycotoxins, including aflatoxin(AF), type A and type B tricothecenes, and zearalenone(ZEN). Contaminated fungi were also identified and counted. Results: AF was detected in 36.2%(34/94)of samples; the concentration of AFB₁ was the highest in the four AFs with the range: 0.3~181.3 μg/kg; and then followed by AFB₂(range: 1.0-74.3 μg/kg). There were 7 samples(7.5%)with AFB₁ concentrations higher than the tolerance limit of 50 μg/kg. The concentration of type A tricothecenes in all samples was lower(0.1-10.5 μg/kg). DON had the most serious contamination than other kind of type B tricothecenes(range: 0.7-606.6 μg/kg; median: 66.3 μg/kg). The DON concentration in all samples was below the tolerance limit of 1 000 μg/kg. ZEN was detected in 76.6%(72/ 94)of samples(median: 36.9 μg/kg), with 3 samples having ZEN concentrations higher than the tolerance limit of 500 μg/kg. The survey on fungi contamination showed that all samples were contaminated by fungi(range: 5.0-1.4×10⁵ CFU/g). There were 18 and 3 samples with quantities of fungi higher than the tolerance and forbidden limits, respectively. The Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium, Trichoderma and Mucor genuses were the predominant fungi in corn feed ingredients, with detection rates of 71.3%(67), 60.6%(57), 71.3%(67), 27.7%(26), and 24.5%(23), respectively. The detection rate of Fusarium moniliforme, 73.4%(69/94)was higher than that of Aspergillus flavus, 41.5%(39/94). Conclusion: In this survey, the corn feed ingredients were not seriously contaminated by AF and type A tricothecenes but mainly contaminated by type B trichothecenes, including DON and its derivatives, as well as ZEN. They were also contaminated by fungi such as Aspergillus, Penicillium, and Fusarium.

Association between polymorphisms in the promoter region of pri-miR-34b/c and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a major cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. MicroRNA-34 (miR-34) gene plays a key role in altering the apoptotic cycle and pathways of downstream cells, and therefore influences carcinogenesis. In this case-control study, we assessed the role of the pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism in HCC risk. The pri-miR-34b/c polymorphic genotype was determined in 286 patients with HCC and 572 controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The male gender (X² = 12.95, P < 0.001), regular alcohol consumption (X² = 16.81, P < 0.001), and a family history of cancer (X² = 11.88, P = 0.001) were associated with HCC risk. However, the age (t = 1.19, P = 0.12) and tobacco smoking habit (X² = 0.64, P = 0.42) of HCC patients were comparable to those of the controls. The TC (adjusted OR = 1.46, 95%CI = 1.06-2.01) and CC (adjusted OR = 3.07, 95%CI = 1.77-5.34) genotypes of pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 were correlated with a higher risk of HCC compared to the TT genotype. Moreover, the TC+CC genotype was correlated with an increased risk of HCC compared to the TT genotype (adjusted OR = 1.64, 95%CI = 1.21-2.22). In the recessive model, the CC genotype of pri-miR-34b/c rs4938723 was significantly correlated with an elevated risk of HCC compared to the TT+TC genotype (adjusted OR = 2.50, 95%CI = 1.49-4.22). Further large-scale and multi-center studies are required to confirm these results.