USP3 promotes osteosarcoma progression via deubiquitinating EPHA2 and activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Ubiquitin-specific protease 3 (USP3) plays an important role in the progression of various tumors. However, the role of USP3 in osteosarcoma (OS) remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore the biological function of USP3 in OS and the underlying molecular mechanism. We found that OS had higher USP3 expression compared with that of normal bone tissue, and high expression of USP3 was associated with poor prognosis in patients with OS. Overexpression of USP3 significantly increased OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Mechanistically, USP3 led to the activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in OS by binding to EPHA2 and then reducing its protein degradation. Notably, the truncation mutant USP3-F2 (159-520) interacted with EPHA2, and amino acid 203 was found to play an important role in this process. And knockdown of EPHA2 expression reversed the pro-tumour effects of USP3-upregulating. Thus, our study indicates the USP3/EPHA2 axis may be a novel potential target for OS treatment.

KRT80 Promotes Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression and Serves as a Substrate for VCP

Background: Keratin 80(KRT80) encodes a type II intermediate filament protein, known for maintaining cell integrity of cells and its involvement in the tumorigenesis and progression of various cancers. However, comprehensive research on its relevance to lung adenocarcinoma remains limited. Methods: In this study, we utilized multiple databases to investigate the transcriptional expression of KRT80 and its correlation with clinicopathological features. A range of assays, including the Cell Counting Kit 8 assay, colony formation assay, cell migration assay, and flow cytometry, were employed to elucidate the impact of KRT80 on the malignant behavior of lung adenocarcinoma. Immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry were also used to identify putative genes interacting with KRT80. Results: The expression of KRT80 was elevated in lung adenocarcinoma and patients with high levels of KRT80 expression had poor clinical outcomes. Silencing KRT80 suppressed cell viability, and migration, while overexpression had the opposite effect. In addition, Immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry revealed an interaction between KRT80 and valosin-containing protein (VCP), with VCP knockdown reducing the stability of KRT80 protein. Overexpression of KRT80 mitigated the inhibitory effect of VCP knockdown to some extent. Conclusion: Our findings collectively suggest that KRT80 is a promising diagnostic and prognostic indicator for lung adenocarcinoma. Additionally, the interaction between KRT80 and VCP plays a crucial role in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma, which implies that KRT80 is a promising therapeutic target.

Evaluation of QSAR models for predicting mutagenicity: outcome of the Second Ames/QSAR international challenge project

Quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models are powerful in silico tools for predicting the mutagenicity of unstable compounds, impurities and metabolites that are difficult to examine using the Ames test. Ideally, Ames/QSAR models for regulatory use should demonstrate high sensitivity, low false-negative rate and wide coverage of chemical space. To promote superior model development, the Division of Genetics and Mutagenesis, National Institute of Health Sciences, Japan (DGM/NIHS), conducted the Second Ames/QSAR International Challenge Project (2020-2022) as a successor to the First Project (2014-2017), with 21 teams from 11 countries participating. The DGM/NIHS provided a curated training dataset of approximately 12,000 chemicals and a trial dataset of approximately 1,600 chemicals, and each participating team predicted the Ames mutagenicity of each trial chemical using various Ames/QSAR models. The DGM/NIHS then provided the Ames test results for trial chemicals to assist in model improvement. Although overall model performance on the Second Project was not superior to that on the First, models from the eight teams participating in both projects achieved higher sensitivity than models from teams participating in only the Second Project. Thus, these evaluations have facilitated the development of QSAR models.

YY1 is regulated by ALKBH5-mediated m6A modification and promotes autophagy and cancer progression through targeting ATG4B

YY1 affects tumorigenesis and metastasis in multiple ways. However, the function of YY1 and the potential mechanisms through which it operates in gastric cancer (GC) progression by regulating autophagy remains poorly understood. This study aimed to assess the essential transcription factors (TFs) involved in autophagy regulation in GC. Western blot, RFP-GFP-LC3 double fluorescence and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) assays were used to probe autophagy activity in GC cells. Methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) was utilized to evaluate the ALKBH5-regulated m6A levels of YY1. Gain- and loss-of-function assays were employed in the scrutiny of the biological effects of the ALKBH5/YY1/ATG4B axis on cancer cell proliferation and invasion abilities in vitro. Per the findings, YY1 was identified as a crucial transcriptional activator of cancer autophagy-related genes and promoted the proliferation and aggressiveness of cancer cells associated with enhanced ATG4B-mediated autophagy. However, ectopic ALKBH5 expression abolished the YY1-induced effect via m6A modification. Importantly, YTHDF1 facilitated the mRNA stability of YY1 through m6A recognition. Collectively, this study found that YY1 was regulated by ALKBH5 and YTHDF1-mediated m6A modification and served as an autophagy-dependent tumor driver to accelerate cancer progression through ATG4B transactivation, providing an exploitable therapeutic target for GC.

Alpinetin inhibits neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis via targeting the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in spinal cord injury

BACKGROUND

A growing body of research shows that drug monomers from traditional Chinese herbal medicines have antineuroinflammatory and neuroprotective effects that can significantly improve the recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, we explore the role and molecular mechanisms of Alpinetin on activating microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis after SCI.

METHODS

Stimulation of microglia with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to simulate neuroinflammation models in vitro, the effect of Alpinetin on the release of pro-inflammatory mediators in LPS-induced microglia and its mechanism were detected. In addition, a co-culture system of microglia and neuronal cells was constructed to assess the effect of Alpinetin on activating microglia-mediated neuronal apoptosis. Finally, rat spinal cord injury models were used to study the effects on inflammation, neuronal apoptosis, axonal regeneration, and motor function recovery in Alpinetin.

RESULTS

Alpinetin inhibits microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and activity of the JAK2/STAT3 pathway. Alpinetin can also reverse activated microglia-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in PC12 neuronal cells. In addition, in vivo Alpinetin significantly inhibits the inflammatory response and neuronal apoptosis, improves axonal regeneration, and recovery of motor function.

CONCLUSION

Alpinetin can be used to treat neurodegenerative diseases and is a novel drug candidate for the treatment of microglia-mediated neuroinflammation.

Robotic versus laparoscopic left colectomy with complete mesocolic excision for left-sided colon cancer: a multicentre study with propensity score matching analysis

BACKGROUND

Robotic surgery for right-sided colon and rectal cancer has rapidly increased; however, there is limited evidence in the literature of advantages of robotic left colectomy (RLC) for left-sided colon cancer. The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of RLC versus laparoscopic left colectomy (LLC) with complete mesocolic excision (CME) for left-sided colon cancer.

METHODS

Patients who had RLC or LLC with CME for left-sided colon cancer at 5 hospitals in China between January 2014 and April 2022 were included. A one-to-one propensity score matched analysis was performed to decrease confounding. The primary outcome was postoperative complications occurring within 30 days of surgery. Secondary outcomes were disease-free survival, overall survival and the number of harvested lymph nodes.

RESULTS

A total of 292 patients (187 males; median age 61.0 [20.0-85.0] years) were eligible for this study, and propensity score matching yielded 102 patients in each group. The clinical-pathological characteristics were well-matched between groups. The two groups did not differ in estimated blood loss, conversion to open rate, time to first flatus, reoperation rate, or postoperative length of hospital stay (p > 0.05). RLC was associated with a longer operation time (192.9 ± 53.2 vs. 168.9 ± 52.8 minutes, p=0.001). The incidence of postoperative complications did not differ between the RLC and LLC groups (18.6% vs. 17.6%, p = 0.856). The total number of lymph nodes harvested in the RLC group was higher than that in the LLC group (15.7 ± 8.3 vs. 12.1 ± 5.9, p< 0.001). There were no significant differences in 3-year and 5-year overall survival or 3-year and 5-year disease-free survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to laparoscopic surgery, RLC with CME for left-sided colon cancer was found to be associated with higher numbers of lymph nodes harvested and similar postoperative complications and long-term survival outcomes.

CircREOS suppresses lipid synthesis and osteosarcoma progression through inhibiting HuR-mediated MYC activation

MYC proto-oncogene (MYC) is a transcription factor among the most commonly activated oncoproteins, playing vital roles in lipid metabolism and tumor aggressiveness with broad effects. However, it is still largely unknown about the regulating mechanisms of MYC in osteosarcoma (OS). In this study, we identify a circRNA with Reduced Expression in OS (termed as circREOS) generated from MYC gene, as a novel regulator of MYC and OS progression. CircREOS is down-regulated in OS cells and localized in the nucleus. CircREOS suppresses MYC expression, lipid metabolism and growth, invasion in OS cells. Mechanically, circREOS physically interacts with HuR (human antigen R) protein, and subsequently restrains its binding and activation on the 3'-UTR (untranslated region) of MYC mRNA, resulting in down-regulation of MYC and inhibition of OS. Moreover, circREOS serves as a tumor suppressor via targeting lipid metabolism. CircREOS reduces FASN expression and lipid accumulation through inhibiting MYC-facilitated FASN regulation. Taken together, these results indicate that circREOS suppress lipid synthesis and OS progression through inhibiting HuR-mediated MYC activation, providing a potential therapeutic target for OS.

Influence of ABO blood group on susceptibility to different pathological types of lung cancer: a retrospective study

Purpose

Current research has shown a link between ABO blood group and many diseases. The purpose of this study aimed to investigate the influence of the ABO blood group on the risk of developing different pathological types of lung cancer.

Materials and methods

This retrospective study was composed of 7681 patients with lung cancer and 12, 671 non-lung cancer patients who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2016 to January 2021. The subjects with lung cancer were grouped into small cell lung cancer group (n = 725), lung adenocarcinoma group (n = 4520), and lung squamous cell carcinoma group (n = 2286) according to pathological types. The ABO blood group distribution of each lung cancer type group was compared with that of the control group. Statistical analysis was determined with chi-square and logistic regression.

Results

Univariate analysis showed that the ABO blood group distribution of lung adenocarcinoma, lung squamous cell carcinoma, and small cell lung cancer was different from that of the control group (P < 0.01). After adjusting for age, sex, smoking history, and drinking history, logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of lung adenocarcinoma in blood type O was higher than that in blood type A (P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in ABO blood group composition between small cell lung cancer group, lung squamous cell carcinoma group, and control group (P > 0.05). In addition, gender and age have an influence on all three types of lung cancer (P < 0.01). Smoking was a risk factor in lung squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma (P < 0.01). Alcohol consumption was a risk factor in lung adenocarcinoma (P < 0.01).

Conclusion

ABO blood group may be correlated with the occurrence of lung adenocarcinoma in Jiangxi province, but not with lung squamous cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma.

Aucubin promoted neuron functional recovery by suppressing inflammation and neuronal apoptosis in a spinal cord injury model

BACKGROUND

Spinal cord injury (SCI) can cause severe motor impairment. Post-SCI treatment has focused primarily on secondary injury, with neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis as the primary therapeutic targets. Aucubin (Au), a Chinese herbal medicine, exerts anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. The therapeutic effects of Aucubin in SCI have not been reported.

METHODS

In this study, we carried out an in vivo SCI model and a series of in vitro experiments to explore the therapeutic effect of Aucubin. Western Blotting and immunofluorescence were used to study the effect of Aucubin on microglial polarization and neuronal apoptosis and its underlying mechanism.

RESULTS

We found that Aucubin can promote axonal regeneration by reducing neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis, which is beneficial to motor recovery after spinal cord injury in rats. Our further in vitro experiments showed that Aucubin can activate the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation protein-88 (MyD88)/IκBα/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway to reduce neuroinflammation and reverse mitochondrial dysfunction to reduce neuronal apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, these results suggest that Aucubin may ameliorate secondary injury after SCI by reducing neuroinflammation and neuronal apoptosis. Therefore, Au may be a promising post-SCI therapeutic drug.

Angular dependence of spin-flop transition in triangular lattice antiferromagnet Cu2(OH)3Br

We report angular dependence of spin-flop transition in triangular lattice antiferromagnet Cu₂(OH)₃Br by angle-dependent magnetization and ESR measurements. The results show that the antiferromagnetic easy magnetization axis is the diagonal direction (θ= 45°) of theac^*plane, i.e., the orientation of Cu1 spins based on the magnetic structure (2020Phys. Rev. Lett.125037204), whereas the spin-flop axis is thebaxis. A phenomenological model is proposed to describe the angle-dependent spin-flop transitions. Based on this model, Cu1 spins are sensitive to external magnetic field, while Cu2 spins are robust against to the field, showing partial decoupling. The model is expected to be used in other uniaxial antiferromagnets with a more general easy axis and complex spin-flop transitions.

Combined transabdominal-transanal surgical approach for iatrogenic rectovaginal fistula: two case reports

Rectovaginal fistula (RVF) is a type of anastomotic leakage that may occur after low anterior resection for rectal cancer. The repair of RVF can be challenging because of the scar tissue stenosis and incomplete obstruction. Two patients presented in our department with vaginal faecal discharge almost 7 months after the radical resection of rectal cancer. On vaginal examination, titanium nails related to the rectal surgery were found in the vaginal wall. The patients were diagnosed with RVF. Considering that RVF positions in the patients were high and might adhere to the pelvic tissue, a combined transabdominal-transanal resection and vaginal repair surgery was performed. About 3 months after surgery, both patients underwent colonic closure surgery, with consequent good recovery. A combined transabdominal-transanal approach may provide distinct advantages in surgical repair of difficult cases of RVF.

Combined transabdominal-transanal surgical approach for iatrogenic rectovaginal fistula: two case reports

Rectovaginal fistula (RVF) is a type of anastomotic leakage that may occur after low anterior resection for rectal cancer. The repair of RVF can be challenging because of the scar tissue stenosis and incomplete obstruction. Two patients presented in our department with vaginal faecal discharge almost 7 months after the radical resection of rectal cancer. On vaginal examination, titanium nails related to the rectal surgery were found in the vaginal wall. The patients were diagnosed with RVF. Considering that RVF positions in the patients were high and might adhere to the pelvic tissue, a combined transabdominal-transanal resection and vaginal repair surgery was performed. About 3 months after surgery, both patients underwent colonic closure surgery, with consequent good recovery. A combined transabdominal-transanal approach may provide distinct advantages in surgical repair of difficult cases of RVF.

LncRNA CASC11 promotes the development of lung cancer through targeting microRNA-302/CDK1 axis

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate whether long non-coding RNA cancer susceptibility candidate 11 (lncRNA CASC11) could participate in the development of lung cancer through targeting microRNA-302/CDK1 axis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Expression levels of CASC11, microRNA-302 and CDK1 in lung cancer tissues and paracancerous tissues were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). CASC11 expression in lung cancer cell lines was also determined. The regulatory effect of CASC11 on proliferative potential of lung cancer cells was accessed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and colony formation assay. The binding condition between microRNA-302 to CASC11 and CDK1 was evaluated by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. CDK1 expression in lung cancer cells with CASC11 or microRNA-302 knockdown was detected by Western blot. The proliferation of lung cancer cells was determined after transfection of microRNA-302 inhibitor or co-transfection of microRNA-302 inhibitor and si-CASC11.

RESULTS

CASC11 and CDK1 were highly expressed, whereas microRNA-302 was lowly expressed in lung cancer tissues. Identically, CASC11 was highly expressed in lung cancer cell lines (A547, H157 and SPC-A-1) than controls as well. CASC11 knockdown attenuated proliferative capacity of lung cancer cells. The opposite trend was observed by microRNA-302 knockdown. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay verified that CASC11 could bind to microRNA-302 and microRNA-302 could bind to CDK1. CDK1 expression in lung cancer cells was negatively regulated by CASC11. MicroRNA-302 knockdown reversed the inhibitory effect of CASC11 on CDK1 expression. The proliferation of lung cancer cells co-transfected with microRNA-302 inhibitor and si-CASC11 decreased compared with those transfected with microRNA-302 inhibitor.

CONCLUSIONS

High expression of CASC11 promotes the development of lung cancer through upregulating CDK1 expression by binding to microRNA-302.

Value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the diagnosis of breast US-BI-RADS 3 and 4 lesions with calcifications

AIM

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for Breast Imaging-Reporting and Data System for Ultrasound (US-BI-RADS) 3 and 4 lesions with calcifications.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective study of 168 breast lesions with calcifications detected on both mammography and conventional ultrasonography (US) in 152 patients were categorised as US-BI-RADS 3-4 at US between June 2009 and June 2018. CEUS scores were obtained based on a CEUS five-point scoring system. The combination of US-BI-RADS and CEUS scores created the Rerated BI-RADS (referred to as CEUS-BI-RADS). All results were compared with the histological findings. The diagnostic performances of US and CEUS-BI-RADS were compared.

RESULTS

The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of US were 81.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 71.6%, 92%), 85% (95% CI: 78.4%, 91.5%), and 83.9% (95% CI: 78.4%, 89.5%), respectively, while those for CEUS-BI-RADS were 98.2% (95% CI: 94.7%, 100%), 90.3% (95% CI: 84.8%, 95.7%), and 92.9% (95% CI: 89%, 96.8%), respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy values of CEUS-BI-RADS greatly improved compared with those of US (p=0.003 and p=0.004, respectively). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for US and CEUS-BI-RADS were 0.888 (95% CI: 0.840, 0.936) and 0.963 (95% CI: 0.936, 0.989), respectively. The diagnostic efficacy of CEUS-BI-RADS was significantly higher than that of US alone (p=0.004).

CONCLUSION

CEUS-BI-RADS significantly improves the diagnostic accuracy for breast US-BI-RADS 3 and 4 lesions with calcifications compared with US.

Long noncoding RNA CRNDE promotes proliferation, migration and invasion in prostate cancer through miR-101/Rap1A

Prostate cancer (Pca) is the second frequent malignancy in men. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play essential roles in the progression of cancers, including Pca. LncRNA colorectal neoplasia differentially expressed (CRNDE) has been found to affect tumorigenesis in many cancers. However, the exact role and mechanism of CRNDE in Pca remain poorly understood. 64 Pca patients were recruited in this study. PC3 and 22RV1 cells were used in vitro experiments. The expressions of CRNDE, microRNA-101 (miR-101), and Ras-related protein 1A (Rap1A) were detected in vivo and in vitro by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot, respectively. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were investigated through cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry, and Transwell assays, respectively. The interaction between miR-101 and CRNDE or Rap1A was explored by bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay. High expression of CRNDE was shown in Pca tissues and cells and predicted poor outcomes of patients. Overexpression of CRNDE promoted cell proliferation, migration, and invasion but decreased apoptosis in Pca cells, while its knockdown showed an opposite effect. CRNDE was a decoy of miR-101 and its effect on Pca progression was reversed by miR-101. Rap1A was identified as a target of miR-101 and it attenuated the effect of miR-101 on Pca development. Moreover, the Rap1A protein level was positively regulated by CRNDE, which was weakened by miR-101. CRNDE contributed to cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by regulating the miR-101/Rap1A axis in Pca, providing a novel strategy for Pca treatment.

Possible magnetic correlation above the ferromagnetic phase transition temperature in Cr2Ge2Te6

Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ has recently emerged as a new two-dimensional ferromagnetic semiconductor (2DFMS) that is promising for spintronic applications. The origin of the ferromagnetism is a debatable point. In this study, ac/dc susceptibility and electronic spin resonance (ESR) measurements are performed to explore the origin of the ferromagnetism in Cr₂Ge₂Te₆. Through the ac susceptibility scaling, the critical temperature T_C = 62.84 K and δ = 5.24 from the critical isotherm, γ + β = 1.78 from the temperature dependence of the crossover line and γ = 1.43 from the temperature dependence of the susceptibility along the same line. Unlike Cr₂Si₂Te₆ whose magnetism can be well described by the 2D-Ising model, Cr₂Ge₂Te₆ cannot be simply described by a single theory model. Meanwhile, the origin of the abnormal critical behavior has been explored and it may be related to the presence of the possible magnetic correlation around the high temperature T* ∼ 160 K, which is confirmed by different probing measurements. The magnetic correlation at high temperature accompanied by the strong magnetic-crystalline anisotropy at low temperature plays an important role in the origin of the abnormal ferromagnetism in Cr₂Ge₂Te₆. Our results may supply a typical reference to investigate the abnormal ferromagnetism of 2DFMSs.

Review article: therapeutic bile acids and the risks for hepatotoxicity

BACKGROUND

Bile acids play important roles in cholesterol metabolism and signal through farnesoid X receptor and G protein-coupled receptors. Given their importance in liver biology, bile acid therapy enables therapeutic applications beyond the treatment of cholestatic liver disease. However, predicting hepatotoxicity of bile acids in humans is obscured due to inconsistent extrapolations of animal data to humans.

AIM

To review the evidence that could explain discordant bile acids hepatotoxicity observed in humans and animals.

METHOD

Literature search was conducted in PubMed using keywords "bile acid," "transporter," "hepatotoxicity," "clinical study," "animal study," "species difference," "mechanism," "genetic disorder." Relevant articles were selected for review.

RESULTS

Clinically significant hepatotoxicity was reported in response to certain bile acids, namely chenodeoxycholic acid, which was given a boxed warning for potential hepatotoxicity. The chemical structure, specifically the number and orientation of hydroxyl groups, significantly affects their hydrophobicity, an important factor in bile acid toxicity. Experimental studies show that hydrophobic bile acids can lead to liver injury through various mechanisms, such as death receptor signalling, mitochondrial dysfunction and inflammation. Although animal studies play a central role in investigating bile acid safety, there are considerable differences in bile acid composition, metabolism and hepatobiliary disposition across species. This does not allow appropriate safety inference, especially for predicting hepatotoxicity in humans. Exploring evidences stemming from inborn errors, genetic models of disease and toxicology studies further improves an understanding of bile acid hepatotoxicity.

CONCLUSION

Species differences should be considered in the development of bile acid related therapeutics. Although the mechanism of bile acid hepatotoxicity is still not fully understood, continued mechanistic studies will deepen our understanding.

Up-regulated MiR-27-3p promotes the G1-S phase transition by targeting inhibitor of growth family member 5 in osteosarcoma

OBJECTIVE

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play an essential role in regulating malignant progression of tumour cells by inhibiting translation or stability of messenger RNA. However, the expression pattern and regulatory mechanism of miR-27-3p in osteosarcoma remains unclear.

METHODS

We examined the expression of miR-27-3p in 5 osteosarcoma cell lines compared with that in 2 normal osteocyte cell lines. Osteosarcoma cells U-2OS and MG-63 were transduced to up-regulate or down-regulate the expression of miR-27-3p. The 3-(4, 5-Dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide, or MTT, assay, colony formation assays, BrdUrd labelling, immunofluorescence, anchorage-independent growth ability assay and flow cytometry analysis were used to test the effect of miR-27-3p. Luciferase assays were added to verify the direct relationship between miR-27-3p and the predicted target gene inhibitor of growth family member 5 (ING5).

RESULTS

The expression of miR-27-3p was significantly increased in examined osteosarcoma cell lines compared with that in normal osteocyte cell lines. Up-regulation of miR-27-3p significantly accelerated osteosarcoma cell growth via promoting G1-S transition. In addition, the opposite result was observed in miR-27-3p-down-regulated cells. Up-regulation of ING5 significantly attenuated the miR-27-3p-induced proliferation in osteosarcoma cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggested that miR-27-3p could promote the G1-S phase transition that leads to proliferation by down-regulating the expression of ING5 in osteosarcoma.

Downregulation of PCK2 remodels tricarboxylic acid cycle in tumor-repopulating cells of melanoma

For cancer cells to proliferate, a balance must be built between biomass-forming, glucose-metabolized intermediates and ATP production. How intrinsic glucose carbon flow regulates this balance remains unclear. Here we show that mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK2), the hub molecule linking tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, glycolysis and gluconeogenesis by conversion of mitochondrial oxaloacetate (OAA) to phosphoenolpyruvate, regulates glucose carbon flow direction in stem-like cells that repopulate tumors (tumor-repopulating cells (TRCs)). PCK2 downregulation accelerated biosynthesis and transportation of citrate from mitochondria to the cytosol, leading to cytosolic glucose carbon flow via OAA-malate-pyruvate and acetyl-CoA-fatty acid pathways in TRCs. On the other hand, downregulating PCK2 hindered fumarate carbon flows in TCA cycle, leading to attenuated oxidative phosphorylation. In pathological terms, PCK2 overexpression slowed TRC growth in vitro and impeded tumorigenesis in vivo. Overall, our work unveiled unexpected glucose carbon flows of TRCs in melanoma that have implications for targeting metabolic aspects of melanoma.

Expression and therapeutic targeting of dopamine receptor-1 (D1R) in breast cancer

Patients with advanced breast cancer often fail to respond to treatment, creating a need to develop novel biomarkers and effective therapeutics. Dopamine (DA) is a catecholamine that binds to five G protein-coupled receptors. We discovered expression of DA type-1 receptors (D1Rs) in breast cancer, thereby identifying these receptors as novel therapeutic targets in this disease. Strong to moderate immunoreactive D1R expression was found in 30% of 751 primary breast carcinomas, and was associated with larger tumors, higher tumor grades, node metastasis and shorter patient survival. DA and D1R agonists, signaling through the cGMP/protein kinase G (PKG) pathway, suppressed cell viability, inhibited invasion and induced apoptosis in multiple breast cancer cell lines. Fenoldopam, a peripheral D1R agonist that does not penetrate the brain, dramatically suppressed tumor growth in two mouse models with D1R-expressing xenografts by increasing both necrosis and apoptosis. D1R-expressing primary tumors and metastases in mice were detected by fluorescence imaging. In conclusion, D1R overexpression is associated with advanced breast cancer and poor prognosis. Activation of the D1R/cGMP/PKG pathway induces apoptosis in vitro and causes tumor shrinkage in vivo. Fenoldopam, which is FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved to treat renal hypertension, could be repurposed as a novel therapeutic agent for patients with D1R-expressing tumors.

Preparation of vesicular stomatitis virus pseudotype with Chikungunya virus envelope protein

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted alphavirus that causes Chikungunya fever (CHIKF) in millions of people mainly in developing countries. CHIKF is characterized by high fever, fatigue, headache, nausea, vomiting, rash, myalgia and severe arthralgia. To date, there is no specific treatment and no licensed vaccine against CHIKV infection. In this study, we developed a safe, efficient and easy neutralization assay of CHIKV based on vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) pseudotype with CHIKV envelope protein and the green fluorescent protein (GFP) or luciferase as reporter gene, which could be used under a reduced safety level. The VSV pseudotype can be applied to the epidemic survey by measuring the expression of GFP or luciferase activity in infected cells. This system can also be used to study the mechanisms of virus entry.

Quality control metrics improve repeatability and reproducibility of single-nucleotide variants derived from whole-genome sequencing

Although many quality control (QC) methods have been developed to improve the quality of single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) in SNV-calling, QC methods for use subsequent to single-nucleotide polymorphism-calling have not been reported. We developed five QC metrics to improve the quality of SNVs using the whole-genome-sequencing data of a monozygotic twin pair from the Korean Personal Genome Project. The QC metrics improved both repeatability between the monozygotic twin pair and reproducibility between SNV-calling pipelines. We demonstrated the QC metrics improve reproducibility of SNVs derived from not only whole-genome-sequencing data but also whole-exome-sequencing data. The QC metrics are calculated based on the reference genome used in the alignment without accessing the raw and intermediate data or knowing the SNV-calling details. Therefore, the QC metrics can be easily adopted in downstream association analysis.

Cost implications of the use of basal insulin glargine in people with early dysglycemia: the ORIGIN trial

AIMS

The cost implications of the Outcome Reduction with an Initial Glargine Intervention (ORIGIN) trial were evaluated using a prespecified analysis plan.

METHODS

Purchasing power parity-adjusted country-specific costs were applied to consumed healthcare resources by participants from each country. Subgroup analyses were conducted on subgroups based on baseline metabolic status and diabetes duration.

RESULTS

The total undiscounted cost per participant in the insulin glargine arm was $13,491 ($13,080 to $14,254) versus $11,189 ($10,568 to $12,147) for standard care, an increase of $2303 ($1370 to $3235; p < 0.0001); the discounted increase was $2099 ($1276 to $2923; P < 0.0001). The greater number of mainly generic oral anti-diabetic agents in the standard group partially offset the higher cost of basal insulin glargine. As the trial progressed and the standard group required more anti-diabetic medications, the annual cost difference decreased, reaching $68 (-$160 to $295) in the last year. The subgroup whose baseline diabetes duration was ≥ 6 years achieved cost-savings during the trial.

CONCLUSIONS

From a global perspective basal insulin glargine use in ORIGIN incurred greater costs than standard care using older generic drugs. Nevertheless, the cost difference fell with time such that the intervention was cost-neutral by the last year.

DNA methylation of membrane-bound tyrosine phosphatase genes in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia

Aberrant DNA promoter methylation with associated gene silencing is a common epigenetic abnormality in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and is associated with poor survival. We have identified a family of transmembrane tyrosine phosphatase proteins as targets of hypermethylation in ALL and high-grade B cell lymphoma and demonstrated that this abnormal methylation correlates with transcript expression. PTPRG was methylated in 63% of ALL samples, PTPRK in 47%, PTPRM in 64% and PTPRO in 54% of cases, with most ALL samples containing methylation at multiple phosphatase loci. PTPRK promoter methylation was associated with a decreased overall survival in the cohort. Restoration of PTPRK transcript levels in leukaemia cells, where phosphatase transcript was silenced, reduced cell proliferation, inhibited colony formation and increased sensitivity to cytotoxic chemotherapy. These biological changes were associated with a reduction in levels of phosphorylated Erk1/2, Akt, STAT3 and STAT5 suggesting functional phosphatase activity after transcript re-expression. Methylation of the phosphatase promoters was reversible with decitabine and a histone deacetylase inhibitor, suggesting that PTPRK-mediated cell signalling pathways may be targeted with epigenetic therapies in lymphoid malignancy.

Exploring the FDA adverse event reporting system to generate hypotheses for monitoring of disease characteristics

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) is a database for postmarketing drug safety monitoring and influences changes in FDA safety guidance documents such as drug labels. The number of cases in the FAERS has rapidly increased with the improvement of submission methods and data standards and thus has become an important resource for regulatory science. Although the FAERS has been predominantly used for safety signal detection, this study explored its utility for disease characteristics.

European guidelines for quality assurance in colorectal cancer screening and diagnosis: overview and introduction to the full supplement publication

Population-based screening for early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) and precursor lesions, using evidence-based methods, can be effective in populations with a significant burden of the disease provided the services are of high quality. Multidisciplinary, evidence-based guidelines for quality assurance in CRC screening and diagnosis have been developed by experts in a project co-financed by the European Union. The 450-page guidelines were published in book format by the European Commission in 2010.  They include 10 chapters and over 250 recommendations, individually graded according to the strength of the recommendation and the supporting evidence. Adoption of the recommendations can improve and maintain the quality and effectiveness of an entire screening process, including identification and invitation of the target population, diagnosis and management of the disease and appropriate surveillance in people with detected lesions. To make the principles, recommendations and standards in the guidelines known to a wider professional and scientific community and to facilitate their use in the scientific literature, the original content is presented in journal format in an open-access Supplement of Endoscopy. The editors have prepared the present overview to inform readers of the comprehensive scope and content of the guidelines.

Bending sensor based on intermodal interference properties of two-dimensional waveguide array fiber

We propose a highly sensitive bending sensor based on the intermodal interference properties of a strongly coupled two-dimentional waveguide array fiber (WAF). The interference resonance peaks formed by the SMF-WAF-SMF Mach-Zehnder interferometer are intrinsically the result of interference between the LP(01)-like supermode and other higher order supermodes, displaying supernormal sensitivity to bending in a wide curvature range. The bending sensitivity of the intermodal MZI is a quadratic function of curvature, and the resonance wavelength shift is up to 100 nm within a curvature range 0-10 m(-1). The fabrication reveals briefness, and temperature response shows little impact on the bend sensing precision. The high bending sensitivity and wide sensing range can make this device a candidate for bending discrimination and measurement in widespread areas.

Associations between metabolic syndrome and its components and alcohol drinking

AIMS

The relationship between alcohol drinking and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and its components are not fully confirmed, we examined relationship between alcohol drinking and MetS and its components.

METHODS

2,538 Mongolian people aged 20 or more were included in this study. The data for demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, family history of hypertension, blood pressure (BP) measurements and physical examination were obtained, and fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and lipids examined for all participants. Associations between MetS and its components and alcohol drinking were analyzed with Logistic regression.

RESULTS

The risks of MetS associated with alcohol drinking and various drinking volume were not significant after adjustment for other variables. Alcohol drinking was significantly and positively associated with high BP and high TG, the multivariate adjusted OR (95% CI) of high BP and high TG for drinking were 1.399(1.109, 1.764) and 2.464(1.866, 3.252), respectively, compared with no drinking. However, drinking was inversely associated with low HDL-C, the multivariate adjusted OR (95% CI) of low HDL-C was 0.597(0.479, 0.745) for alcohol drinking compared with no drinking.

CONCLUSIONS

Alcohol drinking was significantly and positively associated with high BP and high TG, while alcohol drinking inversely associated with low HDL-C.

Value of CYP3A5 genotyping on determining initial dosages of tacrolimus for Chinese renal transplant recipients

Optimal blood levels of tacrolimus in transplant recipients are critically important to preserve the allograft. Suboptimal doses of the immunosuppressant can result in allograft toxicity or rejection. In the present study, we determined CYP3A5 genotypes of patients and analyzed their medical documents in 2 successive periods. In the first period, a fixed initial dosage of 0.1 mg/kg was prescribed daily for 28 patients regardless of their CYP3A5 genotype. In the second period, CYP3A5 genotyping was performed with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing. The frequency distribution of CYP3A5 genotypes was 47.4% (38/78) for *1/*3, 2.6% (2/78) for *1/*1, and 50% (39/78) for *3/*3. The patients with *1/*3 had shown significantly lower tacrolimus blood levels than those with the *3/*3 when the initial dose of 0.10 mg/kg was given for 2 weeks postoperatively. In the second period, initial dosages were selected according to individuals' CYP3A5 genotypes, 0.08 mg/kg/d for recipients with CYP3A5 *3/*3 and 0.15 mg/kg/d for recipients with *1/*3. Adjustment of the initial dosage of tacrolimus was documented to improve the proportion of patients achieving target drug blood levels in the early postoperative stage: from 46.7% to 81.8% of the *1/*3 group and from 46.2% to 73.1% of the *3/*3 group on the third day. In conclusion, CYP3A5 polymorphism plays an important role in influencing tacrolimus blood levels. Initial tacrolimus dosage selection based on CYP3A5 genotyping can improve drug blood levels in the early stage following renal transplantation.

Electron localization and magnetism in SrRuO3 with non-magnetic cation substitution

The destruction of the ferromagnetism of alloyed SrRuO(3) can be caused by electron localization at the substitution sites. Among all the non-magnetic cations that enter the B site, Zr(4+) is the least disruptive to conductivity and ferromagnetism. This is because Zr(4+) does not cause any charge disorder, and its empty d electron states which are poorly matched in energy with the Ru t(2g)(4) states cause the least resonance scattering of Ru's d electrons. Conducting Sr(Ru, Zr)O(3) may be used as an electrode for perovskite-based thin film devices, while its insulating counterpart provides unprecedented magnetoresistance, seldom seen in other non-manganite and non-cobaltite perovskites.

Functional analysis of multiple genomic signatures demonstrates that classification algorithms choose phenotype-related genes

Gene expression signatures of toxicity and clinical response benefit both safety assessment and clinical practice; however, difficulties in connecting signature genes with the predicted end points have limited their application. The Microarray Quality Control Consortium II (MAQCII) project generated 262 signatures for ten clinical and three toxicological end points from six gene expression data sets, an unprecedented collection of diverse signatures that has permitted a wide-ranging analysis on the nature of such predictive models. A comprehensive analysis of the genes of these signatures and their nonredundant unions using ontology enrichment, biological network building and interactome connectivity analyses demonstrated the link between gene signatures and the biological basis of their predictive power. Different signatures for a given end point were more similar at the level of biological properties and transcriptional control than at the gene level. Signatures tended to be enriched in function and pathway in an end point and model-specific manner, and showed a topological bias for incoming interactions. Importantly, the level of biological similarity between different signatures for a given end point correlated positively with the accuracy of the signature predictions. These findings will aid the understanding, and application of predictive genomic signatures, and support their broader application in predictive medicine.

Genomic indicators in the blood predict drug-induced liver injury

Genomic biomarkers for the detection of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) from blood are urgently needed for monitoring drug safety. We used a unique data set as part of the Food and Drug Administration led MicroArray Quality Control Phase-II (MAQC-II) project consisting of gene expression data from the two tissues (blood and liver) to test cross-tissue predictability of genomic indicators to a form of chemically induced liver injury. We then use the genomic indicators from the blood as biomarkers for prediction of acetaminophen-induced liver injury and show that the cross-tissue predictability of a response to the pharmaceutical agent (accuracy as high as 92.1%) is better than, or at least comparable to, that of non-therapeutic compounds. We provide a database of gene expression for the highly informative predictors, which brings biological context to the possible mechanisms involved in DILI. Pathway-based predictors were associated with inflammation, angiogenesis, Toll-like receptor signaling, apoptosis, and mitochondrial damage. The results show for the first time and support the hypothesis that genomic indicators in the blood can serve as potential diagnostic biomarkers predictive of DILI.

A comparison of batch effect removal methods for enhancement of prediction performance using MAQC-II microarray gene expression data

Batch effects are the systematic non-biological differences between batches (groups) of samples in microarray experiments due to various causes such as differences in sample preparation and hybridization protocols. Previous work focused mainly on the development of methods for effective batch effects removal. However, their impact on cross-batch prediction performance, which is one of the most important goals in microarray-based applications, has not been addressed. This paper uses a broad selection of data sets from the Microarray Quality Control Phase II (MAQC-II) effort, generated on three microarray platforms with different causes of batch effects to assess the efficacy of their removal. Two data sets from cross-tissue and cross-platform experiments are also included. Of the 120 cases studied using Support vector machines (SVM) and K nearest neighbors (KNN) as classifiers and Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) as performance metric, we find that Ratio-G, Ratio-A, EJLR, mean-centering and standardization methods perform better or equivalent to no batch effect removal in 89, 85, 83, 79 and 75% of the cases, respectively, suggesting that the application of these methods is generally advisable and ratio-based methods are preferred.

Assessing sources of inconsistencies in genotypes and their effects on genome-wide association studies with HapMap samples

The discordance in results of independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) indicates the potential for Type I and Type II errors. We assessed the repeatibility of current Affymetrix technologies that support GWAS. Reasonable reproducibility was observed for both raw intensity and the genotypes/copy number variants. We also assessed consistencies between different SNP arrays and between genotype calling algorithms. We observed that the inconsistency in genotypes was generally small at the specimen level. To further examine whether the differences from genotyping and genotype calling are possible sources of variation in GWAS results, an association analysis was applied to compare the associated SNPs. We observed that the inconsistency in genotypes not only propagated to the association analysis, but was amplified in the associated SNPs. Our studies show that inconsistencies between SNP arrays and between genotype calling algorithms are potential sources for the lack of reproducibility in GWAS results.

Effects of bone morphogenetic protein-2 on proliferation and angiogenesis in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Experimental data and limited patient experience suggest that rhBMP-2 can be used to regenerate bone in acquired segmental defects of the mandible. Most of these defects are caused by resection of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and the biologic effects of rhBMP-2 on these carcinoma cells are unknown. The objective of this study was to determine whether rhBMP-2 produces adverse effects on proliferation and angiogenesis in OSCC, two biologic processes critical to tumor formation. In vitro studies included treating OSCC cells with rhBMP-2 or an adenoviral vector containing the cDNA for BMP-2. In vivo studies involved co-transplantation of OSCC cells with bone marrow stromal cells genetically modified to over express BMP-2, to mimic a clinically relevant scenario for regenerating bone using cell-based therapy in a wound containing microscopic residual disease. Proliferation, as measured by a MTT assay in vitro and tumor growth in vivo was not affected by treatment with BMP-2. Angiogenesis, measured by secretion of the proangiogenic molecules VEGF and IL-8 in vitro and microvessel density in vivo, was not affected. Exposure of OSCC cells to BMP-2 does not stimulate proliferation or angiogenesis. Further studies are needed before using rhBMP-2 for bone tissue engineering in oral cancer-related defects.