Measuring Iron and Zinc Bioavailability in Humans

Iron and zinc deficiencies are common in populations dependent on cereal-based diets because of the poor bioavailability of these minerals in those foods. Selective breeding of high-mineral grains can improve the total intake of iron and zinc. However, the additional iron and zinc from those grains may not be available for absorption because of the high phytate content of cereals. Iron and zinc bioavailability needs to be measured before the high-mineral crops are promoted. Iron or zinc bioavailability can be measured from the response of a physiological variable, assessment of body retention, tissue or blood uptake, changes in pool size, or rates of absorption. Iron bioavailability is preferentially measured from erythrocyte uptake of oral radioactive or stable iron tracers; zinc bioavailability is measured from the rate of absorption of an oral isotopic tracer compared with an intravenous tracer. The oral label, which is required for studies of both iron and zinc, may be intrinsically added to the plant during growth or extrinsically added before feeding. Iron and zinc bioavailability from intrinsically and extrinsically labelled normal and high-mineral common bean varieties was tested in young women with low iron stores. The absorption of intrinsic and extrinsic labels of iron and zinc did not differ. The bioavailability of iron and zinc from both varieties was low, about 1.5% and 13%, respectively. Methods to improve the bioavailability of iron and zinc from plant foods need to be developed.

Magnetically targeted delivery of DOX loaded Cu9S5@mSiO2@Fe3O4-PEG nanocomposites for combined MR imaging and chemo/photothermal synergistic therapy

The combination of multi-theranostic modes in a controlled fashion has received tremendous attention for the construction of cooperative therapeutic systems in nanomedicine. Herein, we have synthesized a smart magnetically targeted nanocarrier system, Cu9S5@mSiO2@Fe3O4-PEG (labelled as CMF), which integrates NIR triggered photothermal therapy, pH/NIR-responsive chemotherapy and MR imaging into one nanoplatform to enhance the therapeutic efficacy. This new multifunctional paradigm has a uniform and monodisperse sesame ball-like structure by decorating tiny Fe3O4 nanoparticles on the surface of Cu9S5@mSiO2 before a further PEG modification to improve its hydrophilicity and biocompatibility. With doxorubicin (DOX) payload, the as-obtained CMF-DOX composites can simultaneously provide an intense heating effect and enhanced DOX release upon 980 nm NIR light exposure, achieving a combined chemo/photothermal therapy. Under the influence of an external magnetic field, the magnetically targeted synergistic therapeutic effect of CMF-DOX can lead to highly superior inhibition of animal H22 tumor in vivo when compared to any of the single approaches alone. The results revealed that this Cu9S5 based magnetically targeted chemo/photothermal synergistic nanocarrier system has great promise in future MR imaging assisted tumor targeted therapy of cancer.

Correlation between polymorphisms in the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1 and susceptibility to asthma in a Chinese population from the Henan Province

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between four single nucleotide polymorphisms in NR3C1 (Tth111I, BclI, ER22/23EK, and N363S), which encode the glucocorticoid receptor, and asthma susceptibility in patients from the Henan Province of China. Three hundred and twenty-eight patients with asthma and 60 healthy volunteers were recruited to this study. The target SNPs were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-high resolution melting and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The frequencies of the AA (8.84%) and GG (30.79%) genotypes of Tth111I were higher, and that of the AG genotype was lower (60.37%), in the asthma patients compared to that seen in healthy controls (5.00, 26.67, and 68.33%, respectively). On the other hand, asthma patients showed higher frequencies of the AA genotype (78.05%) of N363S, and lower frequencies of the AG and GG genotypes (15.55 and 6.40%), compared to healthy volunteers (71.67, 18.33, and 10.00%, respectively). Neither of these differences were found to be statistically significant. Moreover, we observed no significant differences in the genotype or allele frequencies of the BclI and ER22/23EK SNPs between the patient and control groups. In conclusion, SNPs in NR3C1 were not significantly associated with asthma in patients from the Henan Province. Patients showed higher frequencies of the AA and GG genotypes of Tth111I and the AA genotype of the N363S SNP compared to healthy volunteers, although these differences were not significant.

Multicentre study to evaluate the clinical effects of laparoscopic uterine artery occlusion in combination with myomectomy to treat symptomatic uterine leiomyomas

OBJECTIVE

Uterine artery occlusion is often used to treat symptomatic uterine myomas, as this is a minimally invasive approach. However, alternative methods for uterus-sparing therapy are in development. This study aimed to compare the clinical effects of laparoscopic uterine artery occlusion (LUAO) in combination with laparoscopic myomectomy (LM) with LM alone for the management of symptomatic uterine leiomyomas.

STUDY DESIGN

This multicentre study was a retrospective controlled investigation. In total, 618 patients with symptomatic uterine myomas from six hospitals in Eastern China underwent LUAO+LM or LM alone between June 2011 and December 2012. Operative time, blood loss, transfusion, highest temperature, postoperative hospital stay, complications and follow-up results were compared between the two groups.

RESULTS

Complete clinical data were available for 504 patients. Among these, 324 patients underwent LUAO+LM and 180 patients underwent LM alone. Mean±standard deviation blood loss, transfusion, highest peri-operative temperature and duration of hospital stay were significantly lower in the LUAO+LM group compared with the LM group (83.61±53.70ml vs 109±58.43ml, 1.85% vs 6.11%, 37.6±0.40°C vs 37.9±0.45°C and 5.11±0.62 days vs 6.10±0.83 days, respectively). The mean duration of follow-up was 38.97±5.82 months in the LUAO+LM group and 37.30±2.25 months in the LM group (p>0.05). The relief of abnormal uterine bleeding, reduction of uterine volume and recurrence of myomas were more remarkable in the LUAO+LM group than the LM group (97.22% vs 83.75%, 62.42% vs 51.83% and 3.47% vs 10.63%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

LUAO in combination with LM was associated with higher surgical quality, greater relief of abnormal symptoms and less recurrence of myomas compared with LM alone. LUAO in combination with LM is recommended for women with symptomatic uterine myomas who wish to preserve their uterus.

The effects of ginsenoside Rg1 on chronic stress induced depression-like behaviors, BDNF expression and the phosphorylation of PKA and CREB in rats

Depression is a common neuropsychiatric disorder which has been associated with a wide range of structural and functional changes within specific brain regions. Ginsenoside Rg1 has been shown to exert a number of neuroprotective effects as demonstrated in various in vivo and in vitro studies. However, little information is available regarding the site and mechanisms of ginsenoside Rg1 in promoting antidepressant effects. The present study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective and ameliorating effects of ginsenoside Rg1 on depression-like behavior as induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). The results showed that CUMS was effective in producing depression-like behaviors in rats as indicated by decreased responses in sucrose preference and forced swim tests which were associated with ultrastructural changes in neurons within the amygdala. Moreover, levels of PKA and CREB phosphorylation and the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were decreased in the amygdala of CUMS rats. Remarkably, chronic ginsenoside Rg1 (40 mg/kg, i.p., 5 weeks) treatment significantly ameliorated these behavioral and biochemical alterations associated with CUMS-induced depression. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrate that ginsenoside Rg1 exhibits antidepressant-like effects against CUMS-induced depression. This amelioration of depression-like behaviors by ginsenoside Rg1 appears to be mediated, at least in part, by a CREB-regulated increase of BDNF expression in the amygdala of rats. Therefore, these findings reveal the therapeutic potential of ginsenoside Rg1 for use in clinical trials in the treatment of depression.

Mutational analysis of HOXA10 gene in Chinese patients with cryptorchidism

Cryptorchidism is one of the most common congenital anomalies and affects 2-4% of full-term new born boys. Its aetiology is poorly understood at present. HOXA10 plays a pivotal role in regulation of testicular descent. Male mice mutant for Hoxa10 exhibit unilateral or bilateral cryptorchidism as a result of impaired development of the gubernaculums. In this study, we performed mutation analysis of HOXA10 gene in a cohort of 98 cryptorchid patients. And we found a mutation (N27K) in a boy with unilateral cryptorchidism. The mutation was not detected in 106 healthy controls. Both in silico analyses and functional studies showed that the mutation affected the function of HOXA10. The results demonstrated that mutation in HOXA10 gene contributes to the pathogenesis of cryptorchidism, but may not be a common cause.

Rational design of a comprehensive cancer therapy platform using temperature-sensitive polymer grafted hollow gold nanospheres: simultaneous chemo/photothermal/photodynamic therapy triggered by a 650 nm laser with enhanced anti-tumor efficacy

Combining multi-model treatments within one single system has attracted great interest for the purpose of synergistic therapy. In this paper, hollow gold nanospheres (HAuNs) coated with a temperature-sensitive polymer, poly(oligo(ethylene oxide) methacrylate-co-2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl methacrylate) (p(OEGMA-co-MEMA)), co-loaded with DOX and a photosensitizer Chlorin e6 (Ce6) were successfully synthesized. As high as 58% DOX and 6% Ce6 by weight could be loaded onto the HAuNs-p(OEGMA-co-MEMA) nanocomposites. The grafting polymer brushes outside the HAuNs play the role of "gate molecules" for controlled drug release by 650 nm laser radiation owing to the temperature-sensitive property of the polymer and the photothermal effect of HAuNs. The HAuNs-p(OEGMA-co-MEMA)-Ce6-DOX nanocomposites with 650 nm laser radiation show effective inhibition of cancer cells in vitro and enhanced anti-tumor efficacy in vivo. In contrast, control groups without laser radiation show little cytotoxicity. The nanocomposite demonstrates a way of "killing three birds with one stone", that is, chemotherapy, photothermal and photodynamic therapy are triggered simultaneously by the 650 nm laser stimulation. Therefore, the nanocomposites show the great advantages of multi-modal synergistic effects for cancer therapy by a remote-controlled laser stimulus.

ARHGAP10, downregulated in ovarian cancer, suppresses tumorigenicity of ovarian cancer cells

Rho GTPase-activating proteins (RhoGAPs) are implicated in the development and progression of ovarian cancer. ARHGAP10 is a member of RhoGAP proteins and inactivates Cdc42 by converting GTP-bound form to GDP-bound form. Here, we aimed to evaluate ARHGAP10 expression profile and functions in ovarian cancer. The decreased expression of ARHGAP10 was found in 77.3% (58/75) of ovarian cancer tissues, compared with their non-tumorous counterparts. Furthermore, overall survival in ovarian cancer patients with higher expression of ARHGAP10 was longer than those with lower expression. Ectopic expression of ARHGAP10 in two ovarian cancer cell lines with lower expression of ARHGAP10 (A2780 and HO-8910) dramatically suppressed cell proliferation in vitro. In nude mice, its stable overexpression significantly inhibited the tumorigenicity of A2780 cells. We further demonstrated that overexpression of ARHGAP10 significantly inhibited cell adhesion, migration and invasion, resulted in cell arrest in G1 phase of cell cycle and a significant increase of apoptosis. Moreover, ARHGAP10 interacted with Cdc42 and overexpression of ARHGAP10 inhibited the activity of Cdc42 in A2780 cells. Gene set enrichment analysis on The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset showed that KEGG cell cycle, replication and base excision repair (BER) pathways were correlatively with the ARHGAP10 expression, which was further confirmed in ovarian cancer cells by western blotting. Hence, ARHGAP10 may serve as a tumor suppressor through inactivating Cdc42, as well as inhibiting cell cycle, replication and BER pathways. Our data suggest an important role of ARHGAP10 in the molecular etiology of cancer and implicate the potential application of ARHGAP10 in cancer therapy.