MicroRNA-29A/PTEN pathway modulates neurite outgrowth in PC12 cells

PTEN serves as an intrinsic brake on neurite outgrowth, but the regulatory mechanism that governs its action is not clear. In the present study, miR-29a was found to increase neurite outgrowth by decreasing PTEN expression. Results showed that miR-92a-1, miR-29a, miR-92b, and miR-29c expression levels increased during nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced differentiation of PC12 cells. Based on in silico analysis of possible miR-29a targets, PTEN mRNA may be a binding site for miR-29a. A protein expression assay and luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-29a could directly target the 3'-UTRs (untranslated regions) of PTEN mRNA and down-regulate the expression of PTEN. PC12 cells infected with lentiviral pLKO-miR-29a showed far higher levels of miR-29a and Akt phosphorylation level than those infected with control. This promoted neurite outgrowth of PC12 cells. Collectively, these results indicate that miR-29a is an important regulator of neurite outgrowth via targeting PTEN and that it may be a promising therapeutic target for neural disease.

Association between consultations with complementary/alternative medicine practitioners and menopause-related symptoms: a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

To examine the associations between consultations with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practitioners and menopause-related symptoms.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of 10 011 women aged 59-64 years from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, conducted in 2010. Women, including those with hysterectomy, oophorectomy and natural menopause, were asked about their consultations with a range of CAM practitioners and menopause-related symptoms experienced.

RESULTS

Acupuncturists were more likely to be consulted by women with hysterectomy experiencing night sweats (odds ratio, OR = 2.21), but were less likely to be consulted by those experiencing hot flushes (OR = 0.53). Acupuncturists were also more likely to be consulted by women with oophorectomy (OR = 3.11) and natural menopausal women (OR = 1.57) experiencing back pain. Massage therapists were more likely to be consulted by women with oophorectomy experiencing back pain (OR = 1.98), women with hysterectomy experiencing anxiety (OR = 1.52), and natural menopausal women experiencing back pain (OR = 1.54) and/or anxiety (OR = 1.29). Naturopaths/herbalists were more likely to be consulted by women with oophorectomy experiencing leaking urine (OR = 2.08). Chiropractors/osteopaths were more likely to be consulted by women across all menopausal status experiencing back pain (OR = 2.52, 2.31 and 2.25 for women with oophorectomy, hysterectomy and natural menopause, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

There are substantial levels of CAM practitioners' consultations amongst menopausal women, with a range of menopause-related symptoms associated with the use of specific CAM practitioner modalities. It is important that health-care providers are mindful of CAM practitioner use in order to ensure safe, effective and coordinated treatment and support for menopausal women in their care.

Maternal plasma levels of cell-free β-HCG mRNA as a prenatal diagnostic indicator of placenta accrete

OBJECTIVE

Several biomarkers, including maternal serum creatinine kinase and α-fetoprotein, have been described as potential tools for the diagnosis of placental abnormalities. This study aimed to determine whether maternal plasma mRNA levels of the β subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin (β-HCG) could predict placenta accreta prenatally.

METHODS

Sixty-eight singleton pregnant women with prior cesarean deliveries (CDs) were classified into three groups: normal placentation (35 women, control group); placenta previa alone (21 women, placenta previa group); and both placenta previa and placenta accreta (12 women, placenta previa/accreta group). Maternal plasma concentrations of cell-free β-HCG mRNA were measured by real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and were expressed as multiples of the median (MoM).

RESULTS

Cell-free β-HCG mRNA concentrations (MoM, range) were significantly higher in women with placenta accreta (3.65, 2.78-7.19) than in women with placenta previa (0.94, 0.00-2.97) or normal placentation (1.00, 0.00-2.69) (Steel-Dwass test, P < 0.01 and P < 0.01, respectively). In the placenta previa/accreta group, the concentration of cell-free β-HCG mRNA was significantly higher among women who underwent CDs with hysterectomy (4.41, 3.49-7.19) than among women whose CDs did not result in hysterectomy (3.20, 2.78-3.70) (Mann-Whitney U test, P = 0.012).

DISCUSSION

An increased level of cell-free β-HCG mRNA in the maternal plasma of women with placenta accreta may arise from direct uteroplacental transfer of cell-free placental mRNA molecules.

CONCLUSIONS

The concentration of cell-free β-HCG mRNA in maternal plasma may be applicable to the prenatal diagnosis of placenta accreta, especially to identify women with placenta accreta likely to require hysterectomy.

A critical review of traditional Chinese medicine use amongst women with menopausal symptoms

OBJECTIVES

To provide the first critical review of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) use amongst symptomatic menopausal women, drawing upon work examining the perspectives of both TCM users and TCM practitioners.

METHODS

A search was conducted in three English-language databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL and AMED) and three Chinese-language databases (CNKI, VIP and CBM Disc) for 2002-2013 international peer-reviewed articles reporting empirical findings of TCM use in menopause.

RESULTS

A total of 25 journal articles reporting 22 studies were identified as meeting the review inclusion criteria. Chinese herbal medicine appears to be the most common therapy amongst symptomatic menopausal women, and vasomotor symptoms and emotional changes are the most frequent symptoms for which TCM is sought. However, evidence regarding the prevalence of TCM use and users' profile in menopause is limited. Existing studies are of varied methodological quality, often reporting low response rate, extensive recall bias and a lack of syndrome differentiation.

CONCLUSIONS

This review provides insights for practitioners and health policy-makers regarding TCM care to symptomatic menopausal women. More nationally representative studies are required to rigorously examine TCM use for the management of menopausal symptoms. Syndrome differentiation of menopausal women is an area which also warrants further attention.

Structural delineation of a quaternary, cleavage-dependent epitope at the gp41-gp120 interface on intact HIV-1 Env trimers

All previously characterized broadly neutralizing antibodies to the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) target one of four major sites of vulnerability. Here, we define and structurally characterize a unique epitope on Env that is recognized by a recently discovered family of human monoclonal antibodies (PGT151-PGT158). The PGT151 epitope is comprised of residues and glycans at the interface of gp41 and gp120 within a single protomer and glycans from both subunits of a second protomer and represents a neutralizing epitope that is dependent on both gp120 and gp41. Because PGT151 binds only to properly formed, cleaved trimers, this distinctive property, and its ability to stabilize Env trimers, has enabled the successful purification of mature, cleaved Env trimers from the cell surface as a complex with PGT151. Here we compare the structural and functional properties of membrane-extracted Env trimers from several clades with those of the soluble, cleaved SOSIP gp140 trimer.

Androgen dynamics and serum PSA in patients treated with abiraterone acetate

Background:

We analyzed the potential of abiraterone acetate (henceforth abiraterone) to reduce androgen levels below lower limits of quantification (LLOQ) and explored the association with changes in PSA decline in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients.

Methods:

COU-AA-301 is a 2:1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study comparing abiraterone (1000 mg q.d.) plus low-dose prednisone (5 mg b.i.d.) with placebo plus prednisone in mCRPC patients post docetaxel. Serum testosterone, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate from baseline to week 12 were measured by novel ultrasensitive two-dimensional liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry assays in a subset of subjects in each arm (abiraterone plus prednisone, n=80; prednisone, n=38). The association between PSA response (⩽50% baseline) and undetectable androgens (week 12 androgen level below LLOQ) was analyzed using logistic regression.

Results:

A significantly greater reduction in serum androgens was observed with abiraterone plus prednisone versus prednisone (all P⩽0.0003), reaching undetectable levels for testosterone (47.2% versus 0%, respectively). A positive association was observed between achieving undetectable serum androgens and PSA decline (testosterone: odds ratio=1.54; 95% confidence interval: 0.546–4.347). Reduction of androgens to undetectable levels did not occur in all patients achieving a PSA response, and a PSA response did not occur in all patients achieving undetectable androgen levels.

Conclusions:

Abiraterone plus prednisone significantly reduced serum androgens, as measured by ultrasensitive assays and was generally associated with PSA response. However, androgen decline did not uniformly predict PSA decline suggesting ligand-independent or other mechanisms for mCRPC progression.

MRI appearances of stage IE/IIE extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, in the upper aerodigestive tract

BACKGROUND

The clinical symptoms of NK/T-cell lymphoma at presentation are nonspecific and may mimic those of other benign nasal diseases such as rhinitis and nasal polypus. However, radiologic studies regarding this aggressive clinical course entity are limited.

AIM

To review 123 newly diagnosed MRI appearances in patients with extra-nodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, in a large cohort and determine the characteristic imaging findings.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

We investigated the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of patients with newly diagnosed stage IE/IIE extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, in the upper aerodigestive tract.

RESULTS

Most nasal cavity patients (63.4%) showed extra nasal cavity involvements. The polypoid pattern was most frequently seen (55.3%), followed by the infiltrative (27.6%) and combined (17.1%) patterns. The polypoid pattern tended to develop in the nasal cavity group, while the infiltration pattern was more common in the non-nasal cavity group (63.4% vs. 60.0%, p < 0.001). Homogeneous iso-intensity was seen in 97.6%, 88.6% and 56.1% of cases on T1-, T2-weighted images and post-contrast images, respectively. Bone destruction and necrosis were observed in 44.7% and 56.3% of patients. Both tumour necrosis and bone destruction were related to tumour size (p = 0.008, 0.001). Only 12.2% of patients had cervical lymphadenopathy Multi-region involvement, irregular growth pattern, predisposition to necrosis and bone destruction, and little lymphadenopathy are valuable for diagnosis and can be used to differentiate these tumours from other malignant tumours.

CONCLUSIONS

Our large cohort study of MRI of NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type, revealed the features of this lymphoma on MRI including some radiologic signs never reported earlier; these findings are invaluable for early diagnosis and may aid future studies aiming to predict the prognosis and response to therapy.

Synthesis of biologically active N- and O-linked glycans with multisialylated poly-N-acetyllactosamine extensions using P. damsela α2-6 sialyltransferase

Sialosides on N- and O-linked glycoproteins play a fundamental role in many biological processes, and synthetic glycan probes have proven to be valuable tools for elucidating these functions. Though sialic acids are typically found α2-3- or α2-6-linked to a terminal nonreducing end galactose, poly-LacNAc extended core-3 O-linked glycans isolated from rat salivary glands and human colonic mucins have been reported to contain multiple internal Neu5Acα2-6Gal epitopes. Here, we have developed an efficient approach for the synthesis of a library of N- and O-linked glycans with multisialylated poly-LacNAc extensions, including naturally occurring multisialylated core-3 O-linked glycans. We have found that a recombinant α2-6 sialyltransferase from Photobacterium damsela (Pd2,6ST) exhibits unique regioselectivity and is able to sialylate internal galactose residues in poly-LacNAc extended glycans which was confirmed by MS/MS analysis. Using a glycan microarray displaying this library, we found that Neu5Acα2-6Gal specific influenza virus hemagglutinins, siglecs, and plant lectins are largely unaffected by adjacent internal sialylation, and in several cases the internal sialic acids are recognized as ligands. Polyclonal IgY antibodies specific for internal sialoside epitopes were elicited in inoculated chickens.

The features of breast lymphoma on MRI

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the morphological features of breast lymphoma (BL) on MRI.

METHODS

MRI features of 20 patients with BL (12 primary and 8 secondary) were reviewed according to Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System categories.

RESULTS

19 cases were unilateral and 1 was bilateral. According to the enhanced images, of the 20 cases, BL presented as a mass in 11 (55%), as an enhancement with no mass effect in 7 (35%) and as a mass and mixed enhancement with no mass effect in 2 (10%). There were 38 masses and 44 lesions with no mass effect in our study. All lesions showed mild heterogeneous internal enhancement. For lesions with mass effect, the margins were smooth in 32% (12/38) and irregular in 68% (26/38); and the shape was oval in 87% (32/38). Kinetic curve assessment (13 cases, 38 lesions) revealed that the average initial rise rate was 104%. The type II enhancement curve appeared in 55% (21/38) of lesions. No significant differences between the primary and secondary BL were observed for any of the MRI features.

CONCLUSION

BL mostly appeared oval with irregular margins showing mild heterogeneous internal enhancement and/or as enhanced lesions with no mass effect with mild heterogeneous internal enhancement.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

Some special features on MRI are useful for the diagnosis of BL.