Shenfu injection: a review of pharmacological effects on cardiovascular diseases

Shenfu injection (SFI), composed of ginseng and aconite, is a Chinese patent developed from the classic traditional prescription Shenfu Decoction created more than 700 years ago. SFI has been widely used in China for over 30 years for treating cardiovascular diseases. The main components in it include ginsenosides and aconitum alkaloids. In recent years, the role of SFI in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases has attracted much attention. The pharmacological effects and therapeutic applications of SFI in cardiovascular diseases are summarized here, highlighting pharmacological features and potential mechanisms developments, confirming that SFI can play a role in multiple ways and is a promising drug for treating cardiovascular diseases.

Prognostic and Predictive Significance of Tumor Immune Microenvironment in Breast Ductal Carcinoma In Situ

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

This study aims to identify the role of different subtypes of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in predicting risk of recurrence and benefit of whole breast irradiation (WBI).

MATERIALS/METHODS

Immunohistochemical stain for CD3, CD4, CD8, FOXP3 and CD20 were carried in a well characterized DCIS cohort who received breast-conserving surgery (BCS) from Jan 2009 to Dec 2018. All the TILs subtypes were evaluated by the average numbers of touching-TILs which defined as TILs touching or within one lymphocyte cell thickness from the malignant ducts' basement membrane. The optimal cut-off values of TILs subtypes were selected by the X-tile.

RESULTS

In total, 167 patients were enrolled in this analysis with 114 patients received WBI. After a median follow-up of 67 months, 15 IBTR events occurred with 6 invasive-IBTRs. Nine out of 15 IBTRs occurred outside of the original quadrant (elsewhere failure event, EFE). CD3+ lymphocytes were the predominant cell subtype while Treg showed the lowest levels. High abundance of TILs subtypes was associated with high tumor grade, presence of microinvasion, high Ki67 index, ER negativity and HER2 positivity. For various TILs subtypes, the multivariate analyses showed that dense CD4+ TILs (HR = 9.84, 95% CI 2.43-39.91, p<0.01) and dense Treg (HR = 4.22, 95% CI 1.24-14.36, p = 0.02) were independent prognostic factors for higher IBTR. As the infiltration of TIL subsets was correlated with one another, we also analyzed the relationship between IBTR and the ratios of different TILs subtypes. By adjusted by clinicopathological parameters, high ratios of CD4+/CD8+, Treg/CD4+ and Treg/CD8+ were found to be independent prognostic factors for higher IBTR (HR = 11.31, 95% CI 3.14-40.76, p<0.01; HR = 3.09, 95% CI 1.05-9.11, p = 0.04; HR = 7.14, 95% CI 1.98-25.73, p<0.01). Consistent with the results of IBTR, the 5-y rate of invasive-IBTR and EFE was both significantly associated with the high CD4+/CD8+, Treg/CD4+ and Treg/CD8+ TILs ratios (all p<0.01). WBI reduced the rate of 5y-IBTR risk from 8.4% to 1.3% (p = 0.02) in the low Treg/CD8+ group, but there was no benefit of WBI in the high group. With respect to EFE, WBI significantly reduced the rate from 2.8% to 0.0% (p = 0.03) in the low Treg/CD8+ group while not in the high group. The benefits of WBI in reducing IBTR and EFE were not significant difference between different CD4+/CD8+ and Treg/CD4+ groups.

CONCLUSION

Assessment of overall TILs provides a tool for comprehensive evaluation of the DCIS immune microenvironment. Patients with pro-tumoral immune infiltrate (high Treg, high ratios of CD4+/CD8+, Treg/CD4+ and Treg/CD8+) in tumor microenvironment show an increased risk of IBTR and less benefit from breast radiotherapy.

Sarcopenia as a Predictor of Neoadjuvant Therapy-Related Toxicity in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

Sarcopenia, characterized by loss of muscle mass, plays a critical role in patients with esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC). Preoperative chemoradiotherapy and immunotherapy in ESCC patients has been reported to improve survival. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the predictive value of preoperative sarcopenia for toxicity and pathological tumor response to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) in ESCC patients.

MATERIALS/METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed using a prospectively collected patient cohort of an academic cancer center diagnosed with cT2-4N0-3M0 ESCC between 2019-2022 and treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy ± pembrolizumab. Sarcopenia was assessed by skeletal muscle index at the third lumbar vertebra in computed tomography scans before NAT (men: 43cm²/m² for body mass index (BMI) < 25kg/m², 53cm²/m² for BMI≥25 kg/m²; women: 41cm²/m²). Logistic regression was performed to assess the association between sarcopenia and preoperative therapy-related toxicity and tumor response.

RESULTS

The study included 59 locally advanced ESCC patients (53 male and 6 female), 48 (81.4%) in the non-sarcopenia group, and 11 (18.6%) in the sarcopenia group. Mean age at diagnosis was 62±8 years. Mean BMI at diagnosis was 22.13±2.85 kg/m². 19 patients (32.2%) were stage ⅢA, 25 patients (42.4%) were ⅢB, 15 patients (25.4%) were ⅣA. No significant differences were found between both groups regarding sex, age, BMI, and clinical stage. Acute grade ≥3 toxicity occurred significantly more frequently in the sarcopenia group (54.5% vs. 22.9%, p = 0.045), which mainly included leukopenia, neutropenia, anemia and thrombocytopenia. The discontinuation of NAT owing to toxicity occurred in 8 patients (13.5%), which was significantly associated with sarcopenia (p = 0.003). All patients proceeded to surgery and 33 patients (55.9%) had a pathological complete response (pCR). Univariate analysis revealed no significant association between sarcopenia and pCR (p = 0.071).

CONCLUSION

Among patients with locally advanced EC, sarcopenia is not a predictor of poor NAT response, but it is strongly associated with discontinuation of NAT due to toxicity.

Quality Assurance of Protocol Compliance in a Multicenter Randomized Trial Investigating the Role of Hypofractionated Comprehensive Reginal Nodal Irradiation in Node-Positive Breast Cancer (HARVEST)

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S)

The HARVEST trial (NCT03829553) is a phase III, multicenter, randomized clinical trial to explore efficacy and safety of hypofractionated irradiation (HFI) involving regional nodal irradiation (RNI, including internal mammary nodes, IMN) in N+ breast cancer patients treated with mastectomy or breast conserving surgery (BCS). Current study aims to analyze the dosimetric quality assurance so as to evaluate the compliance to the trial protocol.

MATERIALS/METHODS

Eligible patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive conventional fractionated irradiation (CFI: 50 Gy/25Fx) or HFI (40.05 Gy/15Fx), which is delivered to ipsilateral chest wall or whole breast (CW/WB) with tumor bed boost (HFI: 10.68 Gy/4Fx; CFI: 10 Gy/5Fx) and comprehensive RNI (supra/infraclavicular nodes and IMN in each patient, lower axilla if indicated) by using IMRT technique. The plan quality was evaluated based on dose distribution, dose volume histogram (DVH) and field parameters. The target coverage, including planning target volume of CW/WB (PTV1) and tumor bed (PTV2) and doses of the organs at risk (OARs) were evaluated. The LQ model was used to convert doses of OARs in HFI group using α/β = 3 Gy (EQD23) for comparison.

RESULTS

Between Feb 21, 2019 and Feb 14, 2022, 801 patients were enrolled at 8 centers with 401 and 400 in CFI and HFI group, respectively. There were 182 patients received BCS and 387 patients were with more than three positive lymph nodes. In the CFI group, the D90 and V45 of PTV1 reached the prescribed dose in 70.6% and 96.0% of the patients, respectively. In the HFI group, the D90 and V36 of PTV1 reached the prescribed dose in 87.8% and 95.5% of the patients, respectively. When the tumor bed was irradiated, the D90 of PTV2 reached the prescribed dose in 95.6% in the CFI group and 100% in the HFI group, respectively. The mean D90 of PTV1 and PTV2 were 50.09±0.65 Gy and 60.63±0.91 Gy in CFI group while 40.11±0.56 Gy and 50.79±2.03 Gy in HFI group. For OARs constraints, protocol compliance was all above 95% (heart: 95.3%; ipsilateral lung: 95.5%; contralateral lung: 97.1%; humeral head: 98.2% and spinal cord: 100%) with no significant difference between CFI and HFI groups. For patients with left-sided breast cancer, the Dmean of the heart was 5.10±1.75 Gy vs. 4.59±1.86 Gy (EQD23) in CFI and HFI groups (p = 0.51), respectively. No significant differences in Dmean of the heart (1.45±0.71 Gy vs. 1.33±0.77 Gy (EQD23), p = 0.40) was found either between two groups in right-sided patients. The differences were significant in the Dmean of the ipsilateral lung (13.37±1.99 Gy vs. 11.17±3.50 Gy (EQD23), p<0.01), contralateral lung (0.88±0.73 Gy vs. 0.74±0.61 Gy (EQD23), p<0.01) and the ipsilateral humeral head (15.27±7.62 Gy vs. 13.05±6.19 Gy (EQD23), p<0.01) and the Dmax of spinal cord (21.40±8.82 Gy vs. 19.47±7.99 Gy (EQD23), p = 0.05) between CFI and HFI groups.

CONCLUSION

A high degree of compliance with protocol dose constraints was found for treatment plans in the HARVEST trial and doses to the most of OARs decreased in HFI group.

[Abnormal expression of CXCR5+CD8+ T cells and CXCL13 in severe aplastic anemia patients and their correlation with hematological parameters]

Objective: To analyze the expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor 5 (CXCR5)⁺CD8⁺ T cells and plasma C-X-C motif chemokine 13 (CXCL13) in severe aplastic anemia (SAA) patients and their correlations with hematological parameters. Methods: The clinical data of 35 SAA patients in the Hematology Department of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital from January 2018 to September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether they had received the medication: untreated SAA group and recovery SAA group. In untreated group, there were 18 patients who had not received any medication, with 9 males and 9 females, and aged 51 (18-76) years. In recovery SAA group, there were 17 patients who were separated from component blood transfusion after the immunosuppressive treatment with anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) combined with cyclosporine A (CsA), with 7 males and 10 females, and aged 46 (16-70) years. Meanwhile, 20 healthy controls were also selected, including 8 males and 12 females, and aged 45(15-72) years. Peripheral blood and bone marrow samples were collected from SAA patients, while peripheral blood samples were obtained from healthy controls. Flow cytometry was used to detect the percentage of CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells in peripheral blood and bone marrow samples. The concentration of plasma CXCL13 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The correlations between the percentage of CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells and the concentration of CXCL13, as well as the correlations between these two parameters and the hematological parameters were analyzed by Spearman correlation analysis. Results: The proportion of CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells in the bone marrow of untreated SAA group was (4.9±2.9)%, which was higher than that of recovery SAA group (2.7±1.5)%, with a statistically significant difference (t=2.34, P=0.027). The proportion of CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells in peripheral blood of untreated SAA group, recovery SAA group and healthy control group was (8.4±4.2)%, (3.8±2.3)% and (2.6±2.0)% respectively. The proportion of CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells in peripheral blood of untreated SAA group was higher than that of recovery SAA group and healthy control group (both P<0.05). The plasma CXCL13 concentration in untreated SAA group was (97.2±46.8) ng/L, which was significantly higher than that in recovery SAA group [(54.9±20.9) ng/L] and healthy control group [(47.6±17.3) ng/L] (both P<0.05). The proportion of CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells in peripheral blood of SAA patients was positively correlated with the concentration of plasma CXCL13 (r=0.545, P<0.001). The proportion of peripheral blood CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells in SAA patients was negatively correlated with white blood cell count, platelets count, percentage of neutrophils, absolute neutrophils count, percentage of reticulocytes, absolute reticulocytes count, bone marrow myeloid cells, bone marrow erythroid cells and megakaryocytes count (r=-0.556, -0.392, -0.617, -0.615, -0.395, -0.543, -0.432, -0.484 and -0.523, all P<0.05). The proportion of peripheral blood CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells was positively correlated with the percentage of peripheral blood lymphocytes and bone marrow lymphoid cells (r=0.593 and 0.556, both P<0.05). Meanwhile, the concentration of plasma CXCL13 in SAA patients was negatively correlated with white blood cell count, absolute neutrophils count, percentage of reticulocytes, absolute reticulocytes count and bone marrow myeloid cells (r=-0.447, -0.446, -0.498, -0.407 and -0.456, all P<0.05), but positively correlated with bone marrow lymphoid cells (r=0.384, P<0.05). Conclusions: The proportion of CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells and the concentration of plasma CXCL13 increases in SAA patients. The proportion of CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells in peripheral blood is positively correlated with the concentration of CXCL13. Moreover, the proportion of CXCR5⁺CD8⁺ T cells and the concentration of CXCL13 are correlated with many hematological parameters, which may play a critical role in the immune pathogenesis of SAA.

Sorafenib triggers ferroptosis via inhibition of HBXIP/SCD axis in hepatocellular carcinoma

Sorafenib, which inhibits multiple kinases, is an effective frontline therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Ferroptosis is a form of iron-dependent programmed cell death regulated by lipid peroxidation, which can be induced by sorafenib treatment. Oncoprotein hepatitis B X-interacting protein (HBXIP) participates in multiple biological pro-tumor processes, including growth, metastasis, drug resistance, and metabolic reprogramming. However, the role of HBXIP in sorafenib-induced ferroptotic cell death remains unclear. In this study, we demonstrated that HBXIP prevents sorafenib-induced ferroptosis in HCC cells. Sorafenib decreased HBXIP expression, and overexpression of HBXIP blocked sorafenib-induced HCC cell death. Interestingly, suppression of HBXIP increased malondialdehyde (MDA) production and glutathione (GSH) depletion to promote sorafenib-mediated ferroptosis and cell death. Ferrostatin-1, a ferroptosis inhibitor, reversed the enhanced anticancer effect of sorafenib caused by HBXIP silencing in HCC cells. Regarding the molecular mechanism, HBXIP transcriptionally induced the expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) via coactivating the transcriptional factor ZNF263, resulting in the accumulation of free fatty acids and suppression of ferroptosis. Functionally, activation of the HBXIP/SCD axis reduced the anticancer activity of sorafenib and suppressed ferroptotic cell death in vivo and in vitro. HBXIP/SCD axis-mediated ferroptosis can serve as a novel downstream effector of sorafenib. Our results provide new evidence for clinical decisions in HCC therapy.

Identification and a culture method for a Helicotylenchus microlobus from tomato in China

Background

The nematodes of the genus Helicotylenchus are root parasites of a wide variety of plants, and certain species can cause serious damage to their hosts. During a survey of the plant-parasitic nematode associated with tomato, a population of Helicotylenchus was collected from tomato roots and soil samples. Thus, one of the objectives of the study was to confirm the specie of Helicotylenchus obtained from the tomato samples based on morphological and molecular characteristics. In addition, a mass pure culture of plant-parasitic nematodes is key to pathogenicity studies and many other biological studies. However, a successful mass rearing method for Helicotylenchus has not been reported. Thus, the other objective of the study was to establish a method of culturing Helicotylenchus.

Results

Based on both the morphological characteristics and molecular analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and D2-D3 expansion region of 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences the specimens were identified as Helicotylenchus microlobus. Phylogenetic analysis with the rRNA sequences of the ITS and 28S D2-D3 regions was consistent with molecular identification, suggesting this population formed a highly supported clade with other H. microlobus populations. Additionally, a method for culture of H. microlobus on carrot disks was established, and the effect of temperature on the reproduction rate (Rr) of H. microlobus was investigated. The optimum temperature for culturing H. microlobus on carrot disks was 27.5 °C and, after inoculation with 30 females of H. microlobus at 27.5 °C for 90 days, Rr reached 406.

Conclusions

To our knowledge, this is the first detailed description of H. microlobus from tomato in China. This study also demonstrated that the carrot disk method is suitable for the culture of H. microlobus. This study lays a foundation for other related research on H. microlobus, and has significance for the study of Helicotylenchus.

Involvement of Histone Lysine Crotonylation in the Regulation of Nerve-Injury-Induced Neuropathic Pain

Histone lysine crotonylation (KCR), a novel epigenetic modification, is important in regulating a broad spectrum of biological processes and various diseases. However, whether KCR is involved in neuropathic pain remains to be elucidated. We found KCR occurs in macrophages, sensory neurons, and satellite glial cells of trigeminal ganglia (TG), neurons, astrocytes, and microglia of the medulla oblongata. KCR in TG was detected mainly in small and medium sensory neurons, to a lesser extent in large neurons. Peripheral nerve injury elevated KCR levels in macrophages in the trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia and microglia in the medulla oblongata but reduced KCR levels in sensory neurons. Inhibition of histone crotonyltransferases (p300) by intra-TG or intrathecal administration of C646 significantly alleviated partial infraorbital nerve transection (pIONT)- or spinal nerve ligation (SNL)-induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia. Intra-TG or intrathecal administration of Crotonyl coenzyme A trilithium salt to upregulate KCR dose-dependently induced mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in mice. Mechanismly, inhibition of p300 alleviated pIONT-induced macrophage activation and reduced the expression of pain-related inflammatory cytokines Tnfα, Il1β and chemokines Ccl2 and Cxcl10. Correspondingly, exogenous crotonyl-CoA induced macrophage activation and the expression of Tnfα, Il1β, Il6, Ccl2 and Ccl7 in TG, which C646 can repress. These findings suggest that histone crotonylation might be functionally involved in neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation regulation.

Decoding gene expression signatures in mice trigeminal ganglion across trigeminal neuropathic pain stages via high-throughput sequencing

Trigeminal neuropathic pain (TNP) arises due to peripheral nerve injury, the mechanisms underlying which are little known. The altered gene expression profile in sensory ganglia is critical for neuropathic pain generation and maintenance. We, therefore, assessed the transcriptome of the trigeminal ganglion (TG) from mice at different periods of pain progression. Trigeminal neuropathic pain was established by partial infraorbital nerve transection (pIONT). High-throughput RNA sequencing was applied to detect the mRNA profiles of TG collected at 3 and 10 days after modeling. Injured TG displayed dramatically altered mRNA expression profiles compared to Sham. Different gene expression profiles were obtained at 3 and 10 days after pIONT. Moreover, 314 genes were significantly upregulated, and 81 were significantly downregulated at both 3 and 10 days post-pIONT. Meanwhile, enrichment analysis of these persistent differentially expressed genes (DEGs) showed that the MAPK pathway was the most significantly enriched pathway for upregulated DEGs, validated by immunostaining. In addition, TG cell populations defined by single-nuclei RNA sequencing displayed cellular localization of DEGs at a single-cell resolution. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) and sub-PPI network analyses constructed networks and identified the top 10 hub genes for DEGs at different time points. The present data provide novel information on the gene expression signatures of TG during the development and maintenance phases of TNP, and the identified hub genes and pathways may serve as potential targets for treatment.

Practical Model to Optimize the Strategy of Adjuvant Postmastectomy Radiotherapy in T1-2N1 Breast Cancer With Modern Systemic Therapy

Purpose

The effect of adjuvant irradiation after mastectomy in early-stage breast cancer patients remains controversial. The present study aims to explore the clinical benefit obtained from adjuvant radiotherapy among post-mastectomy pT1-2N1 breast cancer patients who received adjuvant modern systemic therapy.

Methods

Medical records of consecutive patients with pT1-2N1 breast cancer who received mastectomy in our institution between January 2009 and December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. High-risk features consist of patient age, number of positive lymph nodes, T stage, and Ki67 index, which were developed previously at our institution using early-stage breast cancer patients after mastectomy without adjuvant radiotherapy. Differences of survival and local recurrence were compared between no-postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT) and PMRT group according to number of risk factors. The time-to-event curves were calculated by the Kaplan–Meier methods and compared by the log-rank test. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce the imbalances in patient characteristics.

Results

A total of 548 patients were enrolled (no-PMRT: 259 and PMRT: 289). After a median follow-up of 69 months, the 5-year rate of DFS, BCSS, and LRR in the overall cohort was 90.2%, 97.4%, and 3.6%, respectively. PMRT did not significantly improve DFS, BCSS, and LRRFS in the whole cohort. Patients were divided into low-risk (with no or one risk factor) and high-risk (with two or more risk factors) groups. According to the univariable and multivariable analysis, high-risk group (HR = 1.81, 95% CI 1.11–2.98, p = 0.02) was demonstrated as an independent risk factor for DFS. For the high-risk group, PMRT significantly improved DFS from 81.4% to 91.9% and BCSS from 95.5% to 98.6% and decreased the 5-year rate of LRR from 5.6% to 1.4%, respectively (p < 0.01, p = 0.05, and p = 0.06). However, no survival benefit from PMRT was observed in the low-risk group in terms of DFS, BCSS, and LRR (p = 0.45, p = 0.51, and p = 0.99, respectively). In multivariate analysis, PMRT remained an independent prognostic factor for DFS (HR = 0.50, 95% CI 0.24–1.00, p = 0.05) in the high-risk group. After PSM analysis, the survival benefit of PMRT was sustained in high-risk patients.

Conclusion

PMRT significantly improved DFS in high-risk pT1-2N1 breast cancer patients, but not in low-risk patients. Independent validation of our scoring system is recommended.

T cell exhaustion drives osteosarcoma pathogenesis

Background

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a rare cancer with a bimodal age distribution that peaks in children and young adults. It has been shown that the expression of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) on tumor-infiltrating immune cells negatively correlates with prognosis of OS patients. However, a comprehensive assessment of the tumor-infiltrating immune cells in OS and their function has not been performed.

Methods

CD8⁺ T cells were isolated from biopsy tissue samples collected from OS patients and control subjects. Mass cytometry, Treg suppression assay, mixed lymphocyte reaction assay, and effector T cell functional assay were performed to analyze the function of tumor-infiltrating T cells. A xenograft metastasis model was established in BALB/c nude mice.

Results

Macrophages and CD3⁺ T cells comprised most of the tumor-infiltrating immune cells in OS, with a disproportionately higher number of helper CD4⁺ T cells than effector CD8⁺ T cells. Whereas the tumor-infiltrating regulatory T cells were functionally intact, the CD8⁺ T cells showed increased expression of the immune checkpoint receptor (ICR) PD-1 and T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-domain containing 3 (TIM3) and were functionally inactive. TIM3 blockade using a monoclonal antibody restored the T cell alloreactive function of the CD8⁺ T cells ex vivo. TIM3 blockade in a xenograft model of OS impaired tumor growth in vivo. TIM3 blockade decreased the number of tumor-infiltrating CD4⁺ T cells while increasing the numbers and functional activation of tumor-infiltrating CD8⁺ T cells in vivo.

Conclusions

These results highlight that TIM3 blockade might be a viable therapeutic option and should be tested in additional preclinical models.

Bioaccessibility and bioavailability adjusted dietary exposure of cadmium for local residents from a high-level environmental cadmium region

The critical health risks caused by cadmium (Cd) via dietary exposure are commonly assessed by detecting Cd concentrations in foods. Differently, in this study, the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of Cd in major local harvests were introduced to assess the dietary exposure of local residents from a high-level environmental Cd region. The results indicated that certain Cd was released into the digestive juice after in vitro digestion with a bioaccessibility of 20-63% for rice and 3-32% for leafy vegetables, and the released portion was partially absorbed by Caco-2 cells with a bioavailability of 2-21% for rice and 0.2-13% for leafy vegetables. The results obtained from the toxicokinetic model revealed that the predicted urinary Cd values from the estimated daily intake (EDI) of Cd, which accounted for bioaccessibility and bioavailability, were consistent with the actual measured values, and the EDIs were considerably lower than the acceptable daily intake. This suggests that the bioaccessibility and bioavailability adjusted dietary Cd exposure should be more precise. The key issues addressed in our study implores that a potential health risk cannot be neglected in people with high consumption of rice from high-level zone.

Maritimibacter alexandrii sp. nov., a New Member of Rhodobacteraceae Isolated from Marine Phycosphere

Marine phycosphere hosts cross-kingdom algae-bacteria interactions playing a variety of crucial roles in aquatic ecosystems especially for the prevention and control of harmful algal blooms (HABs). During the investigation of structural composition of phycosphere microbiota (PM) of diverse marine HAB dinoflagellates, a Gram-negative, strictly aerobic, non-motile and rod-shaped bacterium designated LZ-17^T was isolated from the phycosphere of highly toxic Alexandrium catenella LZT09. The 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis and the multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) based on five protein-coding housekeeping genes (atpD, gyrB, mutL, topA and rpoD) indicated that strain LZ-17^T was affiliated to the genus Maritimibacter within the family Rhodobacteraceae, and closely related to Maritimibacter alkaliphilus HTCC2654^T (99.1%), 'Maritimibacter harenae' DP07^T (97.9%) and M. lacisalsi X12M-4^T (95.7%). The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) values between strain LZ-17^T and the type strain of M. alkaliphilus were 96.9% and 74.7%. However, strain LZ-17^T could be clearly distinguished from its closest by the phenotypical and phenotypical characteristics. Strain LZ-17^T contained Q-10 as its major isoprenoid quinone, and summed feature 8 (C_18:1 ω7c and/or C_18:1 ω6c), C_16:0 and C_16:0 2-OH as the predominant fatty acids (>10%). The major polar lipids consisted of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine. The DNA G + C content was 64.3 mol%. Based on the polyphasic taxonomic characterization, strain LZ-17^T represents a novel species of the genus Maritimibacter, for which the name Maritimibacter alexandrii sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain LZ-17^T (=CCTCC 2019005^T = KCTC 72193^T).

Prognostic and predictive significance of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes for ductal carcinoma in situ

This study aims to identify the density of TILs in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in terms of prognostic significance with recurrence and the benefit of whole breast irradiation (WBI). The clinicopathological data of DCIS patients from Jan 2009 to Dec 2016 who received breast-conserving surgery (BCS) were retrospectively reviewed. Cox regression analysis was used to confirm independent prognostic factors of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR). Kaplan–Meier method was utilized to analyze IBTR and values of WBI. Touching-tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were defined by TILs touching or within one lymphocyte cell thickness from the malignant ducts’ basement membrane. In total, 129 patients were enrolled in this analysis with 98 patients who received WBI. After a median follow-up of 53.0 months, there were 16 IBTR events with five invasive IBTRs. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that touching-TILs >5 were an independent prognostic factor for higher IBTR (HR = 6.17, 95%CI 1.95–19.56, p < .01). The whole cohort was classified into two subgroups: dense group (>5 touching-TILs per duct) and sparse group (≤5 touching-TILs per duct). Dense touching-TILs were associated with unfavorable biologic characteristics. The 5-y rate of IBTR between dense and sparse group was 29.0% versus 4.5% (p < .01). For the sparse group, WBI significantly reduced the rate of 5-y-IBTR risk from 13.2% to 1.7% (p = .02), but there was no benefit of WBI in the dense group. Touching-TILs density was heterogeneous in patients with DCIS. Sparse touching-TILs were associated with better prognosis and benefit from WBI. Dense touching-TILs not only were associated with a higher risk of IBTR but also lack of benefit from WBI.

Sequential Linkage of Carbohydrate Antigens to Mimic Capsular Polysaccharides: Toward Semisynthetic Glycoconjugate Vaccine Candidates against Streptococcus pneumoniae Serotype 14

Vaccines based on isolated polysaccharides successfully protect humans from bacterial pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. Because polysaccharide production and isolation can be technically challenging, glycoconjugates containing synthetic antigens are an attractive alternative. Typically, the shortest possible oligosaccharide antigen is preferable as syntheses of longer structures are more difficult and time-consuming. Combining several protective epitopes or polysaccharide repeating units as blocks by bonds other than glycosidic linkages would greatly reduce the synthetic effort if the immunological response to the polysaccharide could be retained. To explore this concept, we bridged the well-understood and immunologically potent RU of S. pneumoniae serotype 14 (ST14) with an aliphatic spacer and conjugated it to the carrier protein CRM197. Mice immunized with the spacer-bridged glycan conjugates produced high levels of specific antibodies after just one or two vaccine doses, while the tetrasaccharide repeating unit alone required three doses. The antibodies recognized specifically ST14 CPS, while no significant antibody levels were raised against the spacer or unrelated CPS. Synthetic vaccines generated antibodies with opsonic activity. Mimicking polysaccharides by coupling repeating unit antigens via an aliphatic spacer may prove useful also for the development of other glycoconjugate vaccine candidates, thereby reducing the synthetic complexity while enhancing a faster immune response.

[Analysis of Nitrogen Pollution and Its Pollution Sources in the Muli River Basin]

To identify the sources of nitrogen pollutants in the Muli River basin in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, ammonium salt isotope tracer technology, nitrate isotope tracer technology, and a multiple linear mixing model were applied in this study to effectively identify the changes of nitrogen sources in the basin. The results showed that nitrogen pollution in the Muli River basin was serious, and the concentrations of NH₄⁺-N and NO₃^--N in the confluence were higher than in the two tributaries. In addition, although there was no obvious population residence at the upstream or downstream of the Muli River basin, higher nitrogen pollution still occurred at some sites (Dakengshan tributary and aquiculture area). Qualitative analysis of ammonium salt and nitrate isotopes showed that nitrogen pollution in the Muli River basin mainly came from soil, fertilizer, atmospheric particles, and animal and human excreta. The results of the multiple linear mixing model showed that the main source of nitrogen in the upper reaches of the Dakengshan tributary is atmospheric subsidence, with a contribution rate of about 80%. The average contribution rate of soil organic nitrogen in the upper reaches of the Jilongkeng tributary was 33%, higher than those of the Dakengshan tributary (9%) and Muli River (24%). The contribution rate of sewage and manure to nitrogen pollution was up to 70% in the lower reaches of the Dakengshan tributary, the lower reaches of the Jilongkeng tributary, and the middle and upper reaches of the Muli River. In addition, while all forms of livestock and poultry farming and aquiculture activity were stopped, the contribution rate of sewage and manure in Yangzhiqu was found to be still as high as 56%, which is much higher than that at the Danshui River Dam section in the lower part of the Muli River (3%); this may be due to residual livestock waste in the sediment. This study qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed the nitrogen sources of the Muli River basin, which provids a theoretical basis for pollution source management in the Greater Bay Area.

Global genetic diversity of Spirometra tapeworms

Spirometra larvae are etiological agents of human sparganosis. However, the systematics of spirometrid cestodes has long been controversial. In order to determine the current knowledge on the evolution and genetic structure of Spirometra, an exhaustive population diversity analysis of spirometrid cestodes using the mitochondrial gene: cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) was performed. All publicly available cox1 sequences available in the GenBank and 127 new sequencing genes from China were used as the dataset. The haplotype identify, network, genetic differentiation and phylogenetic analysis were conducted successively. A total of 488 sequences from 20 host species, representing four spirometrid tapeworms (S. decipiens, S. ranarum, S. erinaceieuropaei and Sparganum proliferum) and several unclassified American and African isolates from 113 geographical locations in 17 countries, identified 45 haplotypes. The genetic analysis revealed that there are four clades of spirometrid cestodes: Clade 1 (Brazil + USA) and Clade 2 (Argentina + Venezuela) included isolates from America, Clade 3 contained African isolates and one Korean sample, and the remainders from Asia and Australia belonged to Clade 4; unclassified Spirometra from America and Africa should be considered the separate species within the genus; and the taxonomy of two Korea isolates (S. erinaceieuropaei KJ599680 and S. decipiens KJ599679) was still ambiguous and needs to be further identified. In addition, the demographical analyses supported population expansion for the total spirometrid population. In summary, four lineages were found in the spirometrid tapeworm, and further investigation with deeper sampling is needed to elucidate the population structure.

Heterologous Expression of CLIBASIA_03915/CLIBASIA_04250 by Tobacco Mosaic Virus Resulted in Phloem Necrosis in the Senescent Leaves of Nicotiana benthamiana

Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, is the most notorious citrus disease worldwide. Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CaLas) is a phloem-restricted bacterium associated with HLB. Because there is no mutant library available, the pathogenesis of CaLas is obscure. In this study, we employed tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) to express two mature secretion proteins CLIBASIA_03915 (m03915) and CLIBASIA_04250 (m04250) in Nicotiana benthamiana (N. benthamiana). Phloem necrosis was observed in the senescent leaves of N. benthamiana that expressed the two low molecular weight proteins, while no phloem necrosis was observed in the plants that expressed the control, green fluorescent protein (GFP). Additionally, no phloem necrosis was observed in the senescent leaves of N. benthamiana that expressed the null mutation of m03915 and frameshifting m04250. The subcellular localizations of m03915 and m04250 were determined by fusion with GFP using confocal microscopy. The subcellular localization of m03915 was found to be as free GFP without a nuclear localization sequence (NLS). However, m04250 did have an NLS. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) was carried out to probe the citrus proteins interacting with m03915 and m04250. Six citrus proteins were found to interact with m03915. The identified proteins were involved in the metabolism of compounds, transcription, response to abiotic stress, ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, etc. The prey of m04250 was involved in the processing of specific pre-mRNAs. Identification of new virulence factors of CaLas will give insight into the pathogenesis of CaLas, and therefore, it will eventually help develop the HLB-resistant citrus.

[Morphological changes of the central sulcus in children with complete growth hormone deficiency: a 3.0 T MRI study]

Objective: To analyze morphological changes in central sulcus of the cerebral cortex in children with complete growth hormone deficiency (CGHD). Methods: Patients attending the Shandong Provincial Hospital who were diagnosed with CGHD or idiopathic short stature were recruited from January 2015 to January 2019. Thirty children with CGHD (18 males and 12 females, 5 to 14 years old) and 30 children with idiopathic short stature (22 males and 8 females, 5 to 14 years old) were included. Measurements of the central sulcus, including the average width, maximum depth, average depth, top length, bottom length and depth position-based profiles (DPP), were obtained using Brain VISA software. The significant differences between groups were statistically analyzed. Results: The average width of bilateral central sulci in children with CGHD (left: (2.26±0.41) mm; right: (2.19±0.34) mm) were significantly higher than those in children with idiopathic short stature (left: (2.10±0.27) mm; right: (2.02±0.18) mm) (P<0.05) ; The maximum depth of the left central sulcus ((19.67±1.29) mm) and the average depth of the right central sulcus ((14.18±1.41) mm) were significantly lower than those in children with idiopathic short stature (left maximum depth: (20.69±1.43) mm; right average depth: (14.92±1.21) mm) (P<0.05) . Children with CGHD had significantly lower DPP at the middle part of the left central sulcus (sites: 46-54) and the inferior part of the right central sulcus(sites: 91-98). Conclusion: There are significant morphological changes of the central sulcus in children with CGHD, which may represent the structural basis of their relatively slower development in motor, cognitive and linguistic functional performance.

Glycyrrhizin mitigates radiation-induced acute lung injury by inhibiting the HMGB1/TLR4 signalling pathway

Radiation‐induced lung injury (RILI) is the major complication of thoracic radiation therapy, and no effective treatment is available. This study explored the role of high‐mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) in acute RILI and the therapeutic effect of glycyrrhizin, an inhibitor of HMGB1, on RILI. C57BL/6 mice received a 20 Gy dose of X‐ray radiation to the whole thorax with or without administration of glycyrrhizin. Severe lung inflammation was present 12 weeks after irradiation, although only a mild change was noted at 2 weeks and could be alleviated by administration of glycyrrhizin. Glycyrrhizin decreased the plasma concentrations of HMGB1 and sRAGE as well as TNF‐α, IL‐1β and IL‐6 levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). The expression of RAGE was decreased while that of TLR4 was significantly increased at 12 weeks, but not 2 weeks, after irradiation in mouse lung tissue. In vitro, the expression of TLR4 increased in RAW 264.7 cells after conditioning with the supernatant from the irradiated MLE‐12 cells containing HMGB1 but showed no change when conditioned medium without HMGB1 was used. However, conditioned culture had no effect on RAGE expression in RAW 264.7 cells. Glycyrrhizin also inhibited the related downstream transcription factors of HMGB/TLR4, such as NF‐κB, JNK and ERK1/2, in lung tissue and RAW 264.7 cells when TLR4 was activated. In conclusion, the HMGB1/TLR4 pathway mediates RILI and can be mitigated by glycyrrhizin.

Neural Stem Cell Transplantation Improves Locomotor Function in Spinal Cord Transection Rats Associated with Nerve Regeneration and IGF-1 R Expression

Transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) is a potential strategy for the treatment of spinal cord transection (SCT). Here we investigated whether transplanted NSCs would improve motor function of rats with SCT and explored the underlying mechanism. First, the rats were divided into sham, SCT, and NSC groups. Rats in the SCT and NSC groups were all subjected to SCT in T10, and were administered with media and NSC transplantation into the lesion site, respectively. Immunohistochemistry was used to label Nestin-, TUNEL-, and NeuN-positive cells and reveal the expression and location of type I insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1 R). Locomotor function of hind limbs was assessed by Basso, Beattie, Bresnahan (BBB) score and inclined plane test. The conduction velocity and amplitude of spinal nerve fibers were measured by electrophysiology and the anatomical changes were measured using magnetic resonance imaging. Moreover, expression of IGF-1 R was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. The results showed that NSCs could survive and differentiate into neurons in vitro and in vivo. SCT-induced deficits were reduced by NSC transplantation, including increase in NeuN-positive cells and decrease in apoptotic cells. Moreover, neurophysiological profiles indicated that the latent period was decreased and the peak-to-peak amplitude of spinal nerve fibers conduction was increased in transplanted rats, while morphological measures indicated that fractional anisotropy and the number of nerve fibers in the site of spinal cord injury were increased after NSC transplantation. In addition, mRNA and protein level of IGF-1 R were increased in the rostral segment in the NSC group, especially in neurons. Therefore, we concluded that NSC transplantation promotes motor function improvement of SCT, which might be associated with activated IGF-1 R, especially in the rostral site. All of the above suggests that this approach has potential for clinical treatment of spinal cord injury.

Tripterygium glycoside fraction n2: Alleviation of DSS-induced colitis by modulating immune homeostasis in mice

BACKGROUND

The Tripterygium glycosides (TG) is the main active extractive of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F and is widely used in clinical practice to treat inflammatory diseases (including inflammatory bowel disease). However, due to its severe toxicity, TG is restricted to the treatment of many diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to study a new method to obtain the attenuated and synergistic extracts from TG.

PURPOSE

Tripterygium glycosides-n2 (TG-n2) was obtained from TG by a new preparation method. In this study, we aimed to investigate the difference in the chemical compositions between TG and TG-n2, further explored its toxicity and therapeutic effects on DSS-induced colitis in mice.

METHODS

The major chemical compositions of TG and TG-n2 were analyzed by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC). Subsequently, acute toxicity test was applied to evaluate the toxicity difference between TG and TG-n2. Dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced acute colitis model was used to explore the therapeutic effect of TG and TG-n2 and their potential mechanisms of action.

RESULTS

We found that the chemical compositions of TG-n2 is different from TG. The main difference is the ratio of triptriolide (T11) / triptolide (T9). Acute toxicity test proved that TG-n2 was less toxic than TG. Base on this, further studies showed that TG-n2 has a similar therapeutic effect as compared to TG on attenuating the symptoms of colitis, such as diarrhea, bloody stools, body weight loss, colonic atrophy, histopathological changes, inhibiting cytokines secretion and reducing absolute lymph number. In addition, TG and TG-n2 can increase the apoptosis of T lymphocyte in vivo. Further investigated showed that TG and TG-n2 could increase the expressions of Bax and p62 on CD3-positive T cells.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that oral administration of TG-n2 is safer than TG. Moreover, the attenuated TG-n2 has the similar therapeutic effect on treating experimental colitis in mice when compared to TG. Its mechanism may be related to activating the expression of Bax in T cells and inducing T cells autophagy to regulate the survival of T lymphocytes in colitis mice, thus reducing inflammation in colon.

Serum C3/C4 ratio is a novel predictor of renal prognosis in patients with IgA nephropathy: a retrospective study

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is an autoimmune disease associated with complement activation. It is unclear whether the ratio of serum C3 and C4 concentrations (C3/C4 ratio) can predict renal outcomes in IgAN patients. A total of 1503 patients diagnosed with IgAN via renal biopsy were recorded in this study. Poor renal outcomes were defined as > 50% decrease in the baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or development of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) during follow-up. In total, 712 patients meeting the exclusion/inclusion criteria were selected, and the mean follow-up period was 40.6 (12.34) months. Patients with decreased C3/C4 ratios displayed significantly more severe clinical characteristics and renal pathological features and a higher proportion of poor renal outcomes and ESRD. The optimal multivariate Cox regression models identified the C3/C4 ratio (hazard ratio (HR) 0.63, 95% CI 0.5-0.9), serum uric acid (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.2-2.2), serum creatinine (HR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.6), systolic blood pressure (HR 1.57, 95% CI 1.2-2.0) and T score (relative to T0, T1: HR 1.96, 95% CI 1.1-3.7, T2: HR 3.03, 95% CI 1.6-5.9) as strong predictors of poor renal outcomes. Subgroup analysis showed that patients with low C3/C4 ratios benefited from glucocorticoids or other immunosuppressive agents (hazard ratio 0.30 and 0.18, 95% CI 0.13-0.72 and 0.07-0.46, respectively). Serum C3/C4 ratios may be an independent novel predictor of renal outcomes in IgAN patients. Decreased C3/C4 ratios suggest poor renal outcomes and the potential to benefit from aggressive immunosuppressive therapies.

Oncoprotein HBXIP induces PKM2 via transcription factor E2F1 to promote cell proliferation in ER-positive breast cancer

We have reported that hepatitis B X-interacting protein (HBXIP, also termed LAMTOR5) can act as an oncogenic transcriptional co-activator to modulate gene expression, promoting breast cancer development. Pyruvate kinase muscle isozyme M2 (PKM2), encoded by PKM gene, has emerged as a key oncoprotein in breast cancer. Yet, the regulatory mechanism of PKM2 is still unexplored. Here, we report that HBXIP can upregulate PKM2 to accelerate proliferation of estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast cancer. Immunohistochemistry analysis using breast cancer tissue microarray uncovered a positive association between the expression of HBXIP and PKM2. We also discovered that PKM2 expression was positively related with HBXIP expression in clinical breast cancer patients by real-time PCR assay. Interestingly, in ER+ breast cancer cells, HBXIP was capable of upregulating PKM2 expression at mRNA and protein levels in a dose-dependent manner, as well as increasing the activity of PKM promoter. Mechanistically, HBXIP could stimulate PKM promoter through binding to the -779/-579 promoter region involving co-activation of E2F transcription factor 1 (E2F1). In function, cell viability, EdU, colony formation, and xenograft tumor growth assays showed that HBXIP contributed to accelerating cell proliferation through PKM2 in ER+ breast cancer. Collectively, we conclude that HBXIP induces PKM2 through transcription factor E2F1 to facilitate ER+ breast cancer cell proliferation. We provide new evidence for the mechanism of transcription regulation of PKM2 in promotion of breast cancer progression.

[Surface morphology and surface properties of Ti and TiZr implant materials]

Objective: To investigate the effects of hydrophilic treatment on the surface morphology and surface properties of pure titanium and titanium-zirconium alloy implants, and to provide reference for the studies of implant surface modification. Methods: The pure titanium group, the hydrophilic pure titanium group, the titanium zirconium alloy group and the hydrophilic titanium-zirconium alloy group were prepared by sandblasting and acid-etching or hydrophilic sandblasting and acid-etching, (11 specimens in each group). The surface morphology and surface properties of four types of titanium specimens were analyzed by surface contact angle meter, scanning electron microscope (SEM), optical profilometer, atomic force microscope (AFM) and Raman spectrometer. Results: The surface contact angles of hydrophilic pure titanium and hydrophilic titanium-zirconium alloy were 1.6°±0.3° and 1.5°±0.2°, and the surface contact angles of pure titanium and titanium-zirconium alloy were 101.4°±4.6° and 96.2°±3.0°, respectively. SEM showed that the nano-protrusions on the surface of pure titanium and titanium-zirconium alloys were less or even absent, while the nano-protrusions on the surface of hydrophilic pure titanium and hydrophilic titanium-zirconium alloys were relatively more; the nano-protrusions on the surface of hydrophilic pure titanium surface were small and dense relatively, but the nano-protrusions of the hydrophilic titanium-zirconium alloy had large diameters and were dispersed relatively. The optical profiler and AFM showed that the surface roughness of hydrophilic pure titanium and hydrophilic titanium-zirconium alloy was significantly higher than that of pure titanium and titanium-zirconium alloy (P<0.05). Raman spectroscopy showed that only the amorphous TiO(2) was present on the surface of the pure titanium group, while the rutile TiO(2) characteristic peak was observed in the other three groups, but the lateral inhomogeneity was observed. After Raman shift 610 cm(-1), the Raman spectra of four groups were similar. Conclusions: Hydrophilic sandblasting and acid-etching treatment can improve the surface hydrophilicity and surface roughness of pure titanium and titanium zirconium alloy, and improve the surface properties of pure titanium and titanium zirconium alloy implants.

miRNA-7a-2-3p Inhibits Neuronal Apoptosis in Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation (OGD) Model

Neuronal apoptosis is a major pathological hallmark of the neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD); however, the role of miR-7a-2-3p in the regulation of HIBD remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore the possible roles of miR-7a-2-3p in brain injury using a hypoxia-ischemia model in rats and oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) model in vitro. Firstly, we established the hypoxia-ischemia (HI) model and verified the model using Zea Longa scores and MRI in rats. Next, the changes of miR-7a-2-3p were screened in the ischemic cortex of neonatal rats by qRT-PCR at 12, 48, and 96 h after HIBD. We have found that the expression of miR-7a-2-3p in the HI rats decreased significantly, compared with the sham group (P < 0.01). Then, we established the OGD model in PC12 cells, SH-SY5Y cells and primary cortical neurons in vitro and qRT-PCR was used to confirm the changes of miR-7a-2-3p in these cells after the OGD. In order to determine the function of miR-7a-2-3p, PC12 cells, SH-SY5Y cells and rat primary cortical neurons were randomly divided into normal, OGD, mimic negative control (mimic-NC) and miR-7a-2-3p groups. Then, Tuj1+ (neuronal marker) staining, TUNEL assay (to detect apoptotic cells) and MTT assay (to investigate cell viability) were performed. We have found that the number of PC12 cells, SH-SY5Y cells and cortical neurons in the miR-7a-2-3p groups increased significantly (P < 0.01) in comparison to the OGD groups. The survival of cortical neurons in the miR-7a-2-3p group was improved markedly (P < 0.01), while the apoptosis of neurons in the miR-7a-2-3p group was significantly decreased (P < 0.01), compared with the normal group. Lastly, we investigated the target genes of miR-7a-2-3p by using the prediction databases (miRDB, TargetScan, miRWalk, and miRmap) and verified the target genes with qRT-PCR in the HI rats. Bioinformatics prediction showed that Vimentin (VIM), pleiomorphic adenoma gene 1(PLAG1), dual specificity phosphatase 10 (DUSP10), NAD(P)H dehydrogenase, quinone 1 (NQO1) and tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 1B (TNFRSF1B) might be the targets of miR-7a-2-3p and the qRT-PCR confirmed that VIM increased in the HI rats (P < 0.01). In conclusion, miR-7a-2-3p plays a crucial role in the hypoxic-ischemic injury, and is associated with regulation of VIM.

[Effect of hydrogen-rich saline on the CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) Treg cells of allergic rhinitis guinea pigs model]

Objective: To explore the effect of hydrogen-rich saline on the CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) Treg cells in a guinea pig model of allergic rhinitis (AR) and investigate the underling anti-inflammatory mechanism. Methods: Using random number table, eighteen guinea pigs were divided into three groups (control group/AR group/HRS group, n=6 of each group). AR guinea pig model was built with ovalbumin and aluminum. The guinea pigs were injected with hydrogen-rich saline (HRS group) for ten days after sensitation. And control group was injected with equal normal saline at the same time. Number of sneezes, degree of runny nose and nasal rubbing movements were scored. Peripheral blood eosinophil count was recorded. The content of interleukin 10(IL-10) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) in the serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immunohistochemical method was taken to detect IL-10 and TGF-β in nasal mucosa. The proportion of CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) T cells in the CD4(+) T cells of spleen and peripheral blood were determined with flow cytometry. SPSS 17.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results: There was significant difference in symptom scores among them. The scores of AR group preceded control group, and HRS could decrease the scores of AR ((6.29±1.79) vs (1.01±0.71), (4.50±0.84) vs (6.29±1.79), F=24.725, all P<0.05). The highest number of eosinophils in the peripheral blood belonged to control group, and the number of eosinophils were dramatically reduced after HRS administration ((0.41±0.05)×10(9)/L vs (0.25±0.03 )×10(9)/L, (0.32±0.03)×10(9)/L vs (0.41±0.05)×10(9)/L, F=70.05, all P<0.05). The content of IL-10 and TGF-β in control group is peak ((86.88±17.17) pg/ml, (598.28±72.70) pg/ml, respectively), and compared with AR group, HRS also increased the expression of IL-10 and TGF-β of peripheral blood ((72.54±11.75) pg/ml vs (53.49±10.07) pg/ml, (530.23±57.15) pg/ml vs (482.69±65.96) pg/ml, F value was 28.357, 14.128, respectively, all P<0.05). The proportion of CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) Treg cells in controls exceeded HRS group and AR group (1.81%±0.10%, 1.29%±0.74%, respectively), and HRS treatment increased the ratio of CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) Treg cells than AR group of peripheral blood ((1.50%±0.11%) vs (1.15%±0.11%), F=168.96, P<0.05). But there was no significant diferences in splene tissue ((1.01%±0.08%) vs (0.98%±0.09%), F=97.381, P>0.05). Conclusion: Both the number and the cytokine secretion of CD4(+) CD25(+) Foxp3(+) Treg cells are decreased in AR group, HRS may inhibit inflammatory response and ameliorate AR via improving the number and the cytokine secretion.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus alters cell wall glycosylation to evade immunity

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a frequent cause of difficult-to-treat, often fatal infections in humans^1,2. Most humans have antibodies against S. aureus, but these are highly variable and often not protective in immunocompromised patients³. Previous vaccine development programs have not been successful⁴. A large percentage of human antibodies against S. aureus target wall teichoic acid (WTA), a ribitol-phosphate (RboP) surface polymer modified with N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)^5,6. It is currently unknown whether the immune evasion capacities of MRSA are due to variation of dominant surface epitopes such as those associated with WTA. Here we show that a considerable proportion of the prominent healthcare-associated and livestock-associated MRSA clones CC5 and CC398, respectively, contain prophages that encode an alternative WTA glycosyltransferase. This enzyme, TarP, transfers GlcNAc to a different hydroxyl group of the WTA RboP than the standard enzyme TarS⁷, with important consequences for immune recognition. TarP-glycosylated WTA elicits 7.5-40-fold lower levels of immunoglobulin G in mice than TarS-modified WTA. Consistent with this, human sera contained only low levels of antibodies against TarP-modified WTA. Notably, mice immunized with TarS-modified WTA were not protected against infection with tarP-expressing MRSA, indicating that TarP is crucial for the capacity of S. aureus to evade host defences. High-resolution structural analyses of TarP bound to WTA components and uridine diphosphate GlcNAc (UDP-GlcNAc) explain the mechanism of altered RboP glycosylation and form a template for targeted inhibition of TarP. Our study reveals an immune evasion strategy of S. aureus based on averting the immunogenicity of its dominant glycoantigen WTA. These results will help with the identification of invariant S. aureus vaccine antigens and may enable the development of TarP inhibitors as a new strategy for rendering MRSA susceptible to human host defences.

Brain-Derived Glia Maturation Factor β Participates in Lung Injury Induced by Acute Cerebral Ischemia by Increasing ROS in Endothelial Cells

Brain damage can cause lung injury. To explore the mechanism underlying the lung injury induced by acute cerebral ischemia (ACI), we established a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model in male Sprague-Dawley rats. We focused on glia maturation factor β (GMFB) based on quantitative analysis of the global rat serum proteome. Polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, and immunofluorescence revealed that GMFB was over-expressed in astrocytes in the brains of rats subjected to MCAO. We cultured rat primary astrocytes and confirmed that GMFB was also up-regulated in primary astrocytes after oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). We subjected the primary astrocytes to Gmfb RNA interference before OGD and collected the conditioned medium (CM) after OGD. We then used the CM to culture pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) acquired in advance and assessed their status. The viability of the PMVECs improved significantly when Gmfb was blocked. Moreover, ELISA assays revealed an elevation in GMFB concentration in the medium after OGD. Cell cultures containing recombinant GMFB showed increased levels of reactive oxygen species and a deterioration in the state of the cells. In conclusion, GMFB is up-regulated in astrocytes after ACI, and brain-derived GMFB damages PMVECs by increasing reactive oxygen species. GMFB might thus be an initiator of the lung injury induced by ACI.

The expression of circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer and its detection

This study aimed to investigate the expression of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood and relevant detection methods as well as the clinical values of determination of CTCs for the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Peripheral blood specimens were acquired from the patients with NSCLC who came to the Thoracic Surgery Department of Jining No.1 People’s Hospital, Shandong, China for the first visit between January 2015 and November 2016. Whether there was metastasis of CTCs or not was determined by detecting the number of epithelial cell adhesion molecules (EpCAM) which had expression in the CTCs of the peripheral blood with fluorescence polymerase chain reaction. Moreover, the correlation between the expression level of EpCAM of patients with NSCLC during postoperative adjuvant treatment and the efficacy of adjuvant therapy was initially explored. The expression level of EpCAM of the NSCLC patients was remarkably different to that of the patients with benign lung diseases. The expression level of EpCAM of the patients with NSCLC was notably different with that of the healthy volunteers. The expression level of EpCAM of the patients with NSCLC was much higher than that of patients with benign lung diseases and the volunteers. Moreover, the expression level of NSCLC at stages I, II and IIIA had significant differences; the expression level of EpCAM tended to increase as the stage of NSCLC developed. The expression level of EpCAM in CTCs of peripheral blood can be regarded as a reference for the early diagnosis and detection of NSCLC before and after surgery.

[Clinical presentations of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders with ultra-longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis]

Objective: To analyze the clinical presentations of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) with ultra-longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis (uLETM), in order to improve the diagnostic accuracy of this disorder. Methods: Twenty-two uLETM patients was recruited and retrospectively analyzed for general clinical characteristics, laboratory tests and MRI characteristics, as well as therapeutic. Results: (1)The Male-to-female ratio was 1∶6. The median onset age was 31 years old. The duration from the first relapse to the onset was 5.5 months. (2)The positive rate of serum water channel aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-Ab) in the acute phase was 86.4%. The positive rate of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AQP4-Ab in the acute phase was 69.2%. The positive rate of autoimmune antibodies was 72.7%. There was a remarkable difference (Z=-12.632, P=0.000) in serum AQP4-Ab titer levels between with the acute and remission period (median titer of 1∶244.78 to 1∶139.63). There was a remarkable difference (Z=-20.161, P=0.000) in geometric mean of serum AQP4-Ab titer levels between with CSF AQP4-Ab positive (1∶289.8) and negative (1∶36.2). (3)63.6% of the uLETM patients had 10-15 contiguous segments, 31.8% had 16-19 contiguous segments and 4.5% had whole spinal cord affected. 72.7% of the lesions of uLETM were sliver. The detection rate of optic nerve lesion by MRI was 63.6% and brain sliver lesions was seen in 63.6% of the patients.(4) All patients improved after treatment with high-dose glucocorticoids (GCs) in the acute phase. 15 cases treated with long-term oral administration of low-dose GCs in remission stage of NMOSD. 6 cases treated with mycophenolate mofetil. 1 case treated with intravenous immunoglobulins. Conclusions: NMOSD with uLETM is predominantly seen in young woman. The high risk period of relapse is 5.5 months after the onset. A high portion of NMOSD patients with uLETM have serum and CSF AQP4-Ab in acute phase. The therapy of GCs is recommended in acute phase. Combination of GCs with immunosuppressant can achieve stable and satisfactory effect in remission period of NMOSD.

1,3-Dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin as promoter for glycosylations using thioglycosides

1,3-Dibromo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DBDMH), an inexpensive, non-toxic and stable reagent, is a competent activator of thioglycosides for glycosidic bond formation. Excellent yields were obtained when triflic acid (TfOH) or trimethylsilyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TMSOTf) were employed as co-promoters in solution or automated glycan assembly on solid phase.

Family of Ricinus communis Monosaccharide Transporters and RcSTP1 in Promoting the Uptake of a Glucose-Fipronil Conjugate

Enhancing the systemic distribution of a bioactive compound by exploiting the vascular transport system of a plant presents a means of reducing both the volume and frequency of pesticide/fungicide application. The foliar uptake of the glucose-fipronil conjugate N-[3-cyano-1-[2,6-dichloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]-4-[(trifluoromethyl)sulfinyl]-1H-pyrazol-5-yl]-1-(β-d-glucopyranosyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-methanamine (GTF) achieved in castor bean (Ricinus communis) and its transport via the phloem are known to be mediated by monosaccharide transporter(s) [MST(s)], although neither the identity of the key MST(s) involved nor the mechanistic basis of its movement have yet to be described. On the basis of homology with Arabidopsis thaliana sugar transporters, the castor bean genome was concluded to harbor 53 genes encoding a sugar transporter, falling into the eight previously defined subfamilies INT, PMT, VGT, STP, ERD6, pGlucT, TMT, and SUT. Transcriptional profiling identified the product of RcSTP1 as a candidate for mediating GTF uptake, because this gene was induced by exposure of the plant to GTF. When RcSTP1 was transiently expressed in onion epidermis cells, the site of RcSTP1 deposition was shown to be the plasma membrane. A functional analysis based on RcSTP1 expression in Xenopus laevis oocytes demonstrated that its product has a high affinity for GTF. The long-distance root-to-shoot transport of GTF was enhanced in a transgenic soybean chimera constitutively expressing RcSTP1.

Identification of the epileptogenic zone of temporal lobe epilepsy from stereo-electroencephalography signals: A phase transfer entropy and graph theory approach

The aim of this research is to apply an approach based on phase transfer entropy (PTE) and graph theory to study the interactions between the stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG) activities recorded in multilobar origin, in order to evaluate their ability to detect the epileptogenic zone (EZ) of temporal lobe epilepsies (TLE). Forty-three patients were included in this retrospective study. Five to sixteen (median = 12) multilead electrodes were implanted per patient, and, for each patient, a sub-set of between 10 and 32 (median = 22) bipolar derivations was selected for analysis. The leads were classified into the onset leads (OLs), the early propagation leads (EPLs), and the rest of the leads (RLs). The results showed that a significantly different dynamic trend of the out/in ratio (more obvious in the gamma band) distinguishes the OLs from RLs in the 23 patients who were seizure-free not only during the ictal event (significant elevation), but also during the inter-,pre-, late-ictal periods, and especially in the post-ictal (sharp decline) state. However, in the 20 patients who were not-seizure-free, the differences between the OLs and RLs during the post-ictal period were not found in any frequency band. The dynamic trend was used to predict surgical outcome, and the results showed that the sensitivity was 91% and the specificity was 70%. In brief, this study indicates that our approach may add new and valuable information, providing efficient quantitative measures useful for localizing the EZ.

[The Improvement in the Primary Culture of Alveolar Epithelial Type of Rats]

OBJECTIVES

To improve the method of culturing and obtain purified alveolar epithelial type1 (AT1) cells of SD rats.

METHODS

1 d newborn SD rats were applied for cell culture and brains were decapitated for lung tissues obtaining after respiratory cessation. Collagenase1and DNase1 were used to digest and isolate cells. Then, cells were put into the plate coated with type1 rat tail collagen and different adherence was used to purify cells. Meanwhile, culture medium replacement was conducted after 48 h. The growth status was observed under an inverted microscope. Immunofluorescence including specific marker AQP5, SPC, BSI, Vimentin were used to identify cells.

RESULTS

2 d after incubation, the cells began to adhere to plate. At day 4 and 6, cells began to proliferate and exhibited a shape of spindle, cube and polygon. 8 d after incubation, the character of proliferation reached the highest and the cell viability was (87±8)% and purification was (87±5)%.

CONCLUSION

By modifying the methods of tissues harvest, isolation and culture, we can obtain AT 1 cells with high yield, good growth state and super purity.

[Improving Primary Culture of Pulmonary Microvascular Endothelial Cells of Rats]

OBJECTIVES

To improve the culturing method of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMEVCs) of SD rats.

METHODS

The culturing processes in regard to obtaining peripheral lung tissue, attaching tissue block,preparing medium and subculturing were modified.These included an injection of heparin sodium before anesthesia, abdominal bleeding, opening of chest when breathing stopped, improvement of operational details, reduction of pollution by adding penicillin and streptomycin, discard of tissues after 48 h of primary culturing, remove of fibroblasts by a second digestion, and identification of cells using a fluorescence microscope for binding with lectin from BSI (FITC-BSI).An inverted microscope was used to observe the morphological characteristics of PMEVCs.

RESULTS

Purified PMEVCs were obtained,which displayed a polygon or short fusiform, exhibiting a typical cobblestone-like morphology. The morphology of PMVECs turned into swirling or long fusiform following subculture or changes in culture conditions. The results of FITC-BSI assay showed that more than 90% cells were stained with green fluorescence.

CONCLUSIONS

Purified PMEVCs with a good growth state and subculture stability can be obtained using the modified method.

Association analysis between carcass weight and meat quality of Bamei pigs

A total of 48 crossbred Bamei pig carcasses were divided into three groups (A, 60-69 kg; B, 70-79 kg; and C, 80-90 kg) to investigate the influence of carcass weight on meat quality. The intramuscular fat content of the three groups increased from 2.20% (Group A) to 4.14% (Group C). Group B had higher drip loss (6.83%, P < 0.05) than the other two groups. Warner-Bratzler shear force decreased with increasing weight (61.16 > 51.63 > 43.64 N, P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in meat color, cooking percentage, and water holding capacity among the three groups. The polyunsaturated fatty acids/saturated fatty acids ratio in group B (0.23) was significantly higher than that in the other two groups. In conclusion, our results suggested that a carcass weight of 70-79 kg is suitable for the production of Bamei pigs.

Identification of a Panax ginseng fruit fingerprint by HPLC-ESI-MS

Over many years, parts of Panax ginseng (root and rhizome) have been identified and applied for medical purposes as traditional Chinese herbal medicine. Recently, research has indicated that ginseng fruit also contains similar compounds and is as rich as the other parts of the ginseng. This discovery may dramatically improve the efficient of outputs derived from ginseng products. Here, a new technique combining high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) was employed to identify the fingerprint of P. ginseng fruit. Using HPLC, compounds that are important for medical purposes were extracted and purified. Combined with ESI-MS, the characteristic peaks (nine common peaks) of those compounds were identified, and the accuracy was confirmed by analysis using the Chromatographic Fingerprint Similarity Evaluation System (2004A edition). Overall, 15 batches of ginseng fruit had a similarity of more than 0.80, 13 batches of samples had a similarity between 0.97 and 0.99, and two batches had a similarity less than 0.90. The test solution and mobile phase selection was discussed. The HPLC-ESI-MS method can produce repeatable and reliable results and can be applied in the quality control of P. ginseng fruit.

Expression pattern of JMJD1C in oocytes and its impact on early embryonic development

Cell reprogramming mediated by histone methylation and demethylation is crucial for the activation of the embryonic genome in early embryonic development. In this study, we employed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) to detect mRNA levels and expression patterns of all known histone demethylases in early germinal vesicle stage and in vitro-matured metaphase II (MII) oocytes (which are commonly used as donor cells for nuclear transfer). On screening, the Jumonji domain containing 1C (JMJD1C) gene had the highest level of expression and hence was used for subsequent experiments. We also found that JMJD1C was primarily expressed in the nucleus and showed relatively high levels of expression at the 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, 16-cell, morula, and blastocyst stages of embryos developed from MII oocytes fertilized in vitro. Further, we knocked down the JMJD1C gene in MII oocytes using siRNA and monitored the cleavage of zygotes and development of early embryos after in vitro fertilization. The results showed that the zygote cleavage and blastocyst rates of the transfection group were reduced by 57.1 ± 0.07 and 50 ± 0.01% respectively, which were significantly lower than those of the negative control group (P < 0.05). These data suggest that JMJD1C plays a key role in the normal development of early bovine embryos. Our results also provide a theoretical basis for the investigation of the role and molecular mechanism of histone demethylation in the early development of bovine embryos.

EDAG positively regulates erythroid differentiation and modifies GATA1 acetylation through recruiting p300

Erythroid differentiation-associated gene (EDAG) has been considered to be a transcriptional regulator that controls hematopoietic cell differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis. The role of EDAG in erythroid differentiation of primary erythroid progenitor cells and in vivo remains unknown. In this study, we found that EDAG is highly expressed in CMPs and MEPs and upregulated during the erythroid differentiation of CD34(+) cells following erythropoietin (EPO) treatment. Overexpression of EDAG induced erythroid differentiation of CD34(+) cells in vitro and in vivo using immunodeficient mice. Conversely, EDAG knockdown reduced erythroid differentiation in EPO-treated CD34(+) cells. Detailed mechanistic analysis suggested that EDAG forms complex with GATA1 and p300 and increases GATA1 acetylation and transcriptional activity by facilitating the interaction between GATA1 and p300. EDAG deletion mutants lacking the binding domain with GATA1 or p300 failed to enhance erythroid differentiation, suggesting that EDAG regulates erythroid differentiation partly through forming EDAG/GATA1/p300 complex. In the presence of the specific inhibitor of p300 acetyltransferase activity, C646, EDAG was unable to accelerate erythroid differentiation, indicating an involvement of p300 acetyltransferase activity in EDAG-induced erythroid differentiation. ChIP-PCR experiments confirmed that GATA1 and EDAG co-occupy GATA1-targeted genes in primary erythroid cells and in vivo. ChIP-seq was further performed to examine the global occupancy of EDAG during erythroid differentiation and a total of 7,133 enrichment peaks corresponding to 3,847 genes were identified. Merging EDAG ChIP-Seq and GATA1 ChIP-Seq datasets revealed that 782 genes overlapped. Microarray analysis suggested that EDAG knockdown selectively inhibits GATA1-activated target genes. These data provide novel insights into EDAG in regulation of erythroid differentiation.

Panax quinquefolium saponin attenuates cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by thapsigargin through inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress

BACKGROUND

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related apoptosis is involved in the pathophysiology of many cardiovascular diseases, and Panax quinquefolium saponin (PQS) is able to inhibit excessive ER stress-related apoptosis of cardiomyocytes following hypoxia/reoxygenation and myocardial infarction. However, the pathway by which PQS inhibits the ER stress-related apoptosis is not well understood. To further investigate the protective effect of PQS against ER stress-related apoptosis, primary cultured cardiomyocytes were stimulated with thapsigargin (TG), which is widely used to model cellular ER stress, and it could induce apoptotic cell death in sufficient concentration.

METHODS

Primary cultured cardiomyocytes from neonatal rats were exposed to TG (1 µmol/L) treatment for 24 h, following PQS pre-treatment (160 µg/mL) for 24 h or pre-treatment with small interfering RNA directed against protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (Si-PERK) for 6 h. The viability and apoptosis rate of cardiomyocytes were detected by cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry respectively. ER stress-related protein expression, such as glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), calreticulin, PERK, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) were assayed by western blotting.

RESULTS

Both PQS pre-treatment and PERK knockdown remarkably inhibited the cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by TG, increased cell viability, decreased phosphorylation of both PERK and eIF2α, and decreased protein levels of both ATF4 and CHOP. There was no statistically significant difference between PQS pre-treatment and PERK knockdown in the cardioprotective effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data indicate that the PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-CHOP pathway of ER stress is involved in the apoptosis induced by TG, and PQS might prevent TG-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis through a mechanism involving the suppression of this pathway. These findings provide novel data regarding the molecular mechanisms by which PQS inhibits cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

MicroRNA-34c targets TGFB-induced factor homeobox 2, represses cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma

MicroRNAs (miRs) are short, non-coding RNAs with post-transcriptional regulatory functions. Previous studies have demonstrated that miR-34c is involved in diverse biological processes, including carcinogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of miR-34c and its target genes in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Expression levels of miR-34c and its predicted target genes were measured. The target genes were validated by a luciferase assay. The effects of miR-34c restoration were evaluated by the detection of HBV antigens, cell proliferation and apoptosis in vitro, in addition to the tumor growth in vivo. The data demonstrated that miR-34c was downregulated in HBV-associated HCC clinical tissues and HCC cell lines compared with their corresponding controls. transforming growth factor-β-induced factor homeobox 2 (TGIF2), a transcription factor repressing transforming growth factor-β (TGFβ) signaling, was observed to be upregulated and was identified as a target gene of miR-34c. The restoration of miR-34c in HepG2.2.15 cells suppressed TGIF2 expression, HBV replication and viral antigen synthesis; inhibited cell proliferation; and induced apoptosis. miR-34c also inhibited tumor growth in a mouse model. The present study indicates that miR-34c may act as a tumor suppressor by targeting TGIF2 during HBV-associated hepatocellular carcinogenesis. miR-34c and TGIF2 may represent key regulatory factors, diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for the prevention and treatment of HBV-associated HCC.

Calreticulin translocation aggravates endoplasmic reticulum stress-associated apoptosis during cardiomyocyte hypoxia/reoxygenation

Background:

Calreticulin (CRT) is major Ca²⁺-binding chaperone mainly resident in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen. Recently, it has been shown that non-ER CRT regulates a wide array of cellular responses. We previously found that CRT was up-regulated during hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) and this study was aimed to investigate whether CRT nuclear translocation aggravates ER stress (ERS)-associated apoptosis during H/R injury in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes.

Methods:

Apoptosis rate and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage in culture medium were measured as indices of cell injury. Immunofluorescence staining showed the morphological changes of ER and intracellular translocation of CRT. Western blotting or reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of target molecules.

Results:

Compared with control, H/R increased apoptosis rate and LDH activity. The ER became condensed and bubbled, and CRT translocated to the nucleus. Western blotting showed up-regulation of CRT, Nrf2, activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), CHOP and caspase-12 expression after H/R. Exogenous CRT overexpression induced by plasmid transfection before H/R increased cell apoptosis, LDH leakage, ER disorder, CRT nuclear translocation and the expression of ERS-associated molecules. However, administration of the ERS inhibitor, taurine, or CRT siRNA alleviated cell injury, ER disorder, and inhibited ERS-associated apoptosis.

Conclusions:

Our results indicated that during H/R stress, CRT translocation increases cell apoptosis and LDH leakage, aggravates ER disorder, up-regulates expression of nuclear transcription factors, Nrf2 and ATF4, and activates ERS-associated apoptosis.

Cytosolic calreticulin inhibits microwave radiation-induced microvascular endothelial cell injury through the integrin-focal adhesion kinase pathway

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effects of cytosolic CRT on MR-induced MMEC injury, and the underlying mechanism.

METHODS

MMECs were randomized into eight groups: control, AdCRT (infected with pAdCMV/V5-DEST-CRT adenovirus), stCRT (transfected with rCRT-siRNAs), Mock (transfected with scrambled siRNAs), MR (exposed to MR for six minutes), AdCRT + MR, stCRT + MR, and Mock + MR. The magnitude of cell injury were assessed by Annexin V-PI staining, LDH activity in culture medium, MMEC migration ability, ultrastructure and cytoskeletal stability. Subcellular colocalization of CRT and ConA or integrin were evaluated by immunocytochemistry. The mRNA and protein expression levels of target genes were examined by qRT-PCR and western blotting, respectively.

RESULTS

MR-induced cytotoxicity was dose-dependent. Overexpression of cytosolic CRT suppressed MR injury, shown as decreased cell apoptosis, reduced LDH activity, enhanced cell migration capability, and maintenance of ultrastructure and cytoskeleton integrity. Conversely, CRT deficiency aggravated MR-induced injury. Exposure of AdCRT MMECs to MR promoted membrane translocation of CRT and the interaction of CRT-integrin-α. Correlation analysis revealed that integrin-α expression or FAK phosphorylation was positively associated with cytosolic CRT expression.

CONCLUSIONS

Cytosolic CRT inhibits MR-induced MMEC injury through activation of the integrin-FAK pathway.

Effects of THAP11 on erythroid differentiation and megakaryocytic differentiation of K562 cells

Hematopoiesis is a complex process regulated by sets of transcription factors in a stage-specific and context-dependent manner. THAP11 is a transcription factor involved in cell growth, ES cell pluripotency, and embryogenesis. Here we showed that THAP11 was down-regulated during erythroid differentiation but up-regulated during megakaryocytic differentiation of cord blood CD34+ cells. Overexpression of THAP11 in K562 cells inhibited the erythroid differentiation induced by hemin with decreased numbers of benzidine-positive cells and decreased mRNA levels of α-globin (HBA) and glycophorin A (GPA), and knockdown of THAP11 enhanced the erythroid differentiation. Conversely, THAP11 overexpression accelerated the megakaryocytic differentiation induced by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) with increased percentage of CD41+ cells, increased numbers of 4N cells, and elevated CD61 mRNA levels, and THAP11 knockdown attenuated the megakaryocytic differentiation. The expression levels of transcription factors such as c-Myc, c-Myb, GATA-2, and Fli1 were changed by THAP11 overexpression. In this way, our results suggested that THAP11 reversibly regulated erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation.

[Optimization of conditions for human erythropoiesis in human-mouse xenotransplant model]

This study was purposed to investigate the conditions for improving human-mouse xenograft and the erythroid differentiation of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in the xenotransplant model. The engraftments of different mouse strains (NOD/SCID or NOD/SCID/IL2rγ(null)), schemes of irradiation (single-time or 2-times radiation; Co(60)γ-ray or X-ray) and strategies of CB CD34(+) cells ex vivo culture time and lentivirus infection were compared. The results showed that at 4 weeks after transplantation, the ratio of hCD45 positive cells in bone marrow of NOD/SCID/IL2rγ(null) mice increased to (51.4 ± 13.9)%, and erythroid precursor could be detected. All of the mice receiving X-ray irradiation for 2 times (a dose of 1 Gy, then the second of 1.5 Gy, with an interval of 15 min) survived. Fresh isolated CB CD34(+) cells were cultured and infected with lentivirus for 72 h and then transplanted into receptor mouse. After 4 weeks, higher engraftment [hCD45 (51.4 ± 13.9)%] and better erythroid development [hCD71(+) GPA(+) (5.98 ± 3.46)%] were observed. It is concluded that NOD/SCID/IL2rγ(null) mice receiving X-ray irradiation for 2 times and were injected with fresh isolated CB CD34(+) cells cultured and infected with lentivirus ex vivo within 72 h show a better xenograft and erythroid development.