Irisin inhibits neutrophil extracellular traps formation and protects against acute pancreatitis in mice

INTRODUCTION

Irisin is a newly discovered myokine which links exercise to inflammation and inflammation-related diseases through macrophage regulation. However, the effect of irisin on the activity of inflammation related immune cells (such as neutrophils) has not been clearly described.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of our study was to explore the effect of irisin on the neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation.

METHODS

Phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) was used to construct a classic neutrophil inflammation model that was used to observe the formation of NETs in vitro. We studied the effect of irisin on NETs formation and its regulation mechanism. Subsequently, acute pancreatitis (AP) was used to verify the protective effect of irisin in vivo, which was an acute aseptic inflammatory response disease model closely related to NETs.

RESULTS

Our study found that addition of irisin significantly reduced the formation of NETs via regulation of the P38/MAPK pathway through integrin αVβ5, which might be the one of key pathways in NETs formation, and which could theoretically offset the immunoregulatory effect of irisin. Systemic treatment with irisin reduced the severity of tissue damage common in the disease and inhibited the formation of NETs in pancreatic necrotic tissue of two classical AP mouse models.

CONCLUSION

The findings confirmed for the first time that irisin could inhibit NETs formation and protect mice from pancreatic injury, which further elucidated the protective effect of exercise on acute inflammatory injury.

Elevated serum ferritin levels are associated with severity and prognosis of severe acute pancreatitis: a preliminary cohort study

Background

Serum ferritin (SF), as an acute-phase response protein, is used to reflect the degree of oxidative stress and systemic inflammatory responses. This study was designed to assess the effect of elevated SF levels on the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP).

Methods

From January 2013 to December 2020, 200 consecutive patients with AP were retrospectively reviewed to analyze the relationships among the etiologies of pancreatitis, the severity of the disease and SF levels. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and logistic regression analysis were used to assess whether elevated SF levels could predict the onset of organ failure in AP.

Results

92 (46%) had high SF levels (> 275 ng/ml). SF levels were not associated with the etiology of AP disease. Among patients with high SF levels, there was a significant increase in the proportion of patients with severe AP (23.1% vs. 76.9%) and a higher proportion of systemic inflammatory response scores (25.9% vs. 44.6%) in comparison to patients with normal SF levels. The area under the ROC curve for SF in predicting persistent organ failure was 0.812 [95% confidence interval 0.721–0.904].

Conclusions

F concentrations were positively correlated with the severity of AP, and quantitative assessment of SF can predict disease severity and organ failure in patients with AP.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12876-022-02446-z.

Low expression of PCK2 in breast tumors contributes to better prognosis via inducing senescence of cancer cells

Cell cycle arrest, one of the main character of cellular senescence, has been described as a crucial barrier that needs to be bypassed for cancer progression. Typically, cellular senescence can be induced by multiple stresses including telomere shortening, oncogenic activation as well as therapy treatment; and contributes to the inhibition of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), tumor suppression or progression depending on the senescence associated secretory phenotype (SASP) components. However, the mechanisms underlying cancer cell senescence remain partially understood. Here, according to METABRIC database, we identified that patients with senescent-like breast tumors show better short term survival, lower tendency of neoplasm histological grades, lower tumor stages and negative status of estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) comparing with non-senescent ones. Interestingly, kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis identified insulin signaling was significantly repressed in senescent breast tumors. Further verification in cultured breast cancer cells indicated that phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2 (PCK2) was significantly inhibited after therapy treatment. In addition, knockdown of PCK2 induced a senescent phenotype of breast cancer cells. Moreover, comparing with non-senescent group, the senescent breast cancers displayed lower EMT capacity both in patients and breast cancer cell lines after knocking down PCK2. In conclusion, we described for the first time that low expression level of PCK2 may contribute to better prognosis via triggering senescent phenotype and thereby inhibiting EMT capacity in breast cancers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Impact of Fatty Pancreas on Postoperative Pancreatic Fistulae: A Meta-Analysis

Background

Soft pancreas is widely recognized as an important risk factor for the development of postoperative pancreatic fistula (POPF). Although fatty pancreas (FP) has not been formally defined as a cause of pancreatic fistula, existing research has shown that it can increase the incidence of POPF by increasing pancreatic tenderness; therefore, it may be a potential risk factor. This study aimed to discern whether FP was associated with POPF.

Method

Two reviewers independently performed literature searches from five electronic databases. According to the established inclusion criteria, we extracted necessary data from the studies that met the criteria for further analysis. We pooled the odds ratios (ORs) from individual studies using a random-effects model to investigate the associations between POPF and the prognosis of FP.

Result

A total of 11 studies involving 2484 individuals were included. The pooled prevalence of POPF was 18% (95% CI: 12-24%). Body mass index (BMI) was associated with a significantly increased risk of POPF (OR=3.55; 95% CI: 1.83, 6.86; P=0.0002; I²=0). FP was obviously associated with the occurrence of POPF (OR=3.75; 95% CI: 1.64, 8.58; P=0.002; I²=78).

Conclusion

FP is closely associated with the development of POPF, and the early identification of these high-risk patients can help to reduce the incidence of POPF.

Systematic Review Registration

The Registration URL link is (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/). The ID is "CRD42021265141".

Feasibility and effectiveness of prone position ventilation technique for postoperative acute lung injury in infants with congenital heart disease: study protocol for a prospective randomized study

Background

Prone position ventilation is a widely used lung protection ventilation strategy. The strategy is more convenient to implement in children compared to adults. Due to the precise mechanism of improving oxygenation function, development of pediatric prone ventilation technology has been largely focused on children with acute respiratory distress syndrome. There is a paucity of high-quality studies investigating the effects of prone position ventilation after pediatric cardiac surgery. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of prone position ventilation in infants who develop postoperative acute lung injury after surgery for congenital heart disease.

Methods

A single-center, randomized controlled trial of pediatric patients with acute lung injury after surgery for congenital heart disease who will receive prone position ventilation or usual care (control group). A total of 68 children will be enrolled according to the inclusion criteria. The main outcome measures will be lung compliance and oxygenation index. The secondary outcomes will be duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay in cardiac intensive care unit, reintubation rate, and complication rate.

Discussion

This study will investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of prone position ventilation techniques in children who develop postoperative acute lung injury after surgery for congenital heart disease. The results may help inform strategies to improve airway management after surgery for congenital heart disease.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04607993. Initially registered on 29 October 2020.

The mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between family functioning and quality of life among elders with chronic diseases

Aim

To explore whether self‐efficacy has any positive or negative mediating effects between family functioning and quality of life among elders with chronic diseases.

Design

A cross‐sectional study.

Methods

Questionnaires were collected from 516 community‐dwelling elderly individuals with chronic diseases using a convenience sampling method. The questionnaires included the Self‐efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease Six‐Item Scale, the Family Adaptation Partnership Growth Affection Resolve Index and the MOS 36‐Item Short Form Health Survey.

Results

Family functioning and self‐efficacy impacted the quality of life of community‐dwelling elderly individuals with chronic diseases. Family functioning was mediated by self‐efficacy and had an indirect impact on quality of life. The mediating effect accounted for 62.50% of the total effect.

Theoretical investigation of the scanning tunneling microscopy of Majorana bound states in topological superconductor vortices

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) is an indispensable tool in detecting Majorana bound states (MBSs) in vortices of topological superconductors. By reducing the computational complexity via non-uniform grids, we systematically study the tunnel coupling as well as the temperature dependence of the differential conductance of MBSs in two dimensional devices. Numerical results show that the conductance peak approaches the quantized value 2e ²/h in strong coupling limit at low temperatures which are characteristic features of MBSs. More interestingly, a conductance local minimum in the spatially scanning is observed when the STM tip is placed at the vortex center. The dip structure can be enhanced with increased temperature or enlarged vortex size. We ascribe this observation to the sensitivity of the Andreev reflection processes of carriers at the vortex center where the thermal energy could be comparable to the vanishing pair potential. We also investigate the STM of two-vortex systems where the hybridization of the vortices can lead to oscillatory behavior of the state energy. With small inter-vortex distances, the original MBSs in vortices can merge into topologically trivial states and the conductance peak can be significantly suppressed.

Peroxiredoxin 1 as an inflammatory marker in diarrhea-predominant and postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome

BACKGROUND

Low-grade inflammation occurs in some patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, the exact inflammatory markers of IBS and the relationship of these markers with IBS subtypes and symptoms are poorly defined. Peroxiredoxin 1 (PRDX1) plays an important role in inflammatory responses, including intestinal inflammation. We investigated whether PRDX1 is associated with the diagnosis, subtypes, and symptom severity of IBS.

METHODS

A total of 177 IBS patients and 174 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The PRDX1 levels in the sera and colonic mucosa of the participants were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and immunohistochemistry. The severity of IBS symptoms was assessed using the IBS Severity Scoring System (SSS) questionnaire.

RESULTS

The PRDX1 levels in the sera (F = 71.81, P < .001) and colonic mucosa (F = 5.359, P < .001) of postinfectious (PI-IBS) and diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) groups were significantly higher than those of the other three IBS subtypes and HC group. The PRDX1 level in the serum and colonic mucosa of IBS-D (serum, P < .01, mucosa, P < .001) and PI-IBS (serum, P < .05, mucosa, P < .001) groups with the most severe symptoms was significantly higher than that in the groups with mild and moderate symptoms. Correlation analysis revealed that in patients with IBS-D (P < .001) and PI-IBS (P < .05), the levels of PRDX1 and TNF-α in sera had a significant positive correlation with IBS-SSS.

CONCLUSION

Elevated PRDX1 in the serum and colon mucosa may be closely related to the progression of IBS (especially IBS-D and PI-IBS) and the expression of gastrointestinal symptoms.

Quantum interference of Josephson current in topological Anderson insulator junctions

We investigate the critical supercurrent in Josephson junctions consisting of topological Anderson insulators (TAIs) via the Matsubara Green's function formalism. Our numerical results show that the disorder-induced edge states display distinct differences in dominating normal and supercurrent transport in the TAI phase. Unlike the hallmark of the TAI phase which exhibits a quantized conductance plateau, the critical supercurrent over the disorder strength exhibits a peak structure where the maximum value is reached at the weak-disorder boundary of the TAI phase. Although the magnitude of the averaged critical supercurrent is suppressed with increasing disorder strength, periodic oscillations of the supercurrent on an external magnetic flux survive in the TAI phase. These findings indicate that the supercurrent quantum interference effect can be an effective probe in detecting the emergence of disorder-induced edge state in TAIs.

Imperatorin shows selective antitumor effects in SGC-7901 human gastric adenocarcinoma cells by inducing apoptosis, cell cycle arrest and targeting PI3K/Akt/m-TOR signalling pathway

PURPOSE

The main purpose of the present study was to determine the anticancer properties of imperatorin - a naturally occurring coumarin compound - against SGC-7901 human gastric adenocarcinoma cells and the mouse fibroblast cell line 3T3 (normal cell line).

METHODS

Imperatorin effects on apoptosis induction, cell cycle phase distribution and PI3K/Akt/m-TOR signalling pathways were studied. MTT cell viability assay examined the compound's cytotoxic potential, while inverted phase contrast microscopy and fluorescence microscopy techniques were used to study morphological changes induced in SGC-7901 cells by imperatorin. Flow cytometry examined its effects on cell cycle progression while Western blot assay was used to study changes in protein expressions of PI3K/Akt/m-TOR pathway.

RESULTS

Imperatorin induced a dose-dependent growth inhibition of the SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells with an IC50 value 62.6 μM, while in case of normal 3T3 mouse fibroblast cells, the drug did not show significant toxicity (IC50 value 195.8 μM), indicating that the drug selectively induced cytotoxicity in gastric cancer cells. The cells became rounded up, shrunken in size and got detached from the monolayer attached to well surface. Cells treated with 10, 75 and 175 μM imperatorin indicated that they began to emit yellow or red fluorescence which is an indication of early or late apoptosis respectively. Imperatorin also induced significant DNA fragmentation along with increasing the fraction of sub-G1 cells, indicating a sub-G1 cell cycle arrest.

CONCLUSION

Imperatorin could prove an important lead molecule for the treatment of gastric cancer and deserves further research in vivo against more cell lines.

[Nested case-control study on associated factors for anemia during pregnancy]

Objective: To explore the related factors of anemia during pregnancy and provide scientific evidence for the primary prevention of anemia during pregnancy. Methods: The pregnant women (≤12 pregnant weeks) who received the first pregnancy care in a local medical institution in Hunan province from June 2013 to November 2014 were included in this cohort study, and for them anemia had been excluded by physical examination. Baseline survey and follow up till childbirth were conducted for them. A queue-based nested case-control study (1 ∶ 2) was conducted (380 pregnant women with anemia detected in this study as case group, 760 pregnant women without anemia randomly selected and matched by age, habitual residence during pregnancy as control group. And t test, χ(2) test and logistic regression analysis were conducted to identify related factors of anemia during pregnancy. Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that low family annual income level (net income) (OR=2.08, 95%CI: 1.22-3.59), low educational level (OR=2.09, 95%CI: 1.22-3.59), pre-pregnancy perm/hair dye (OR=2.23, 95%CI: 1.63-3.05), early pregnancy vomiting (OR=2.51, 95%CI: 1.56-4.03) were the risk factors for anemia during pregnancy. Intake of vitamin and trace element supplements (OR=0.69, 95%CI: 0.50-0.94), frequent meat, fish, shrimp, egg intakes (OR=0.68, 95%CI: 0.49-0.92), frequent soy milk, milk intakes (OR=0.51, 95%CI: 0.27-0.95) were the protective factors for anemia during pregnancy. Conclusion: A number of factors, such as family annual income level, education level, poisonous and harmful material contact, pregnancy reaction, nutrition, are related to the incidence of anemia during pregnancy, it is necessary to take preventive measures to reduce the incidence of anemia during pregnancy.

[Advance in studies on antitumor and immunomodulatory effects of wogonin]

Wogonin is a kind of natural flavonoid compound. According to findings in the latest studies, wogonin shows a wide range of antitumor effects, with the characteristics of multi-pathway, multi-link and multi-target, such as promoting tumor cell apoptosis through ROS or Ca(2+)-mediated signal paths, enhancing tumor cytotoxicity by TNF-α and TRAIL, blocking tumor cell cycle, inhibiting tumor angiogenesis and resisting cancer synergistically with chemotherapeutic drugs. Moreover, Wogonin could enhance body immune function by enhancing immune cell infiltration, regulating the immune cell phenotype and promoting relevant cytokine secretion. In this paper, the authors summarized the advance in studies on wogonin's antitumor and immunomodulatory effects.

IL-15, in synergy with RAE-1ɛ, stimulates TCR-independent proliferation and activation of CD8(+) T cells

CD8(+) T cells play critical roles in immunosurveillance by killing malignant or virally infected cells. Interleukin 15 (IL-15) is a critical cytokine for promoting proliferation and the effector capacity of CD8(+) T cells, and has been used to support the growth of CD8(+) T cells in cellular therapies of neoplastic diseases. Recent studies have shown that IL-15, in synergy with other cytokines, such as IL-6, enhances the T-cell receptor (TCR)-independent proliferation and function of CD8(+) T cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of BaF3-mb15-RAE cells in stimulating mouse CD8(+) T cells. BaF3 cells were cultured and B16F10 cells were grown in DMEM. MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation of CD8(+) T cells. Cells were analyzed using flow cytometry. The results showed that IL-15 synergistically acts with another T-cell stimulatory molecule, RAE1ɛ, to potently promote the proliferation of CD8(+) T cells, induce CD8(+) T-cell activation and enhance granzyme B and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production in the absence of signaling via the TCR. Moreover, IL-15 in combination with RAE1ɛ resulted in a cooperative effect on CD8(+) T-cell-mediated cytotoxicity against B16F10 tumor cells. Thus, results of the present study showed that IL-15, in synergy with RAE1ɛ, enhances the TCR-independent effector function of CD8(+) T cells in vitro, which may be useful in the cellular immunotherapy of cancer.

Construction of a plasmid for co-expression of mouse membrane-bound form of IL-15 and RAE-1ε and its biological activity

Interleukin 15 (IL-15) is a pivotal cytokine for the proliferation and activation of a specific group of immune cells such as natural killer (NK), IFN-producing killer dendritic cells (IKDC) and CD8 T cells. RAE-1ε, the ligand for the activating NKG2D receptor, which also play an important role in the proliferation and activation of NK cells and IKDCs. In this study, a membrane-bound form of IL-15 (termed mb15) encoding sequence and RAE-1ε gene were obtained by SOE-PCR or PCR amplification. The amplified mb15 and RAE-1ε gene were then digested and inserted into the multiple cloning site1 (MCS1) and MCS2 of pVITRO2-mcs vector, respectively. A recombinant eukaryotic expression vector for co-expression of mb15 and RAE-1ε was successfully constructed. After it was transfected to BaF3 cells, the expression of IL-15 and RAE-1ε in recombinant BaF3/mb15/RAE-1ε cells were verified by RT-PCR, western blot and FCM analysis. Furthermore, BaF3/mb15/RAE-1ε cells had the ability of promoting NK cells proliferation and IFN-γ secretion. In conclusion, BaF3/mb15/RAE-1ε cells were successfully constructed, which is very useful for further studies, especially for the expansion and activation of certain subsets of immune cells such as NK cells and IKDCs.

[Identification of T cell epitopes of p210(bcr-abl); antigen and detection of epitope-specific CTLs.]

AIM

To study the immunogenicity of p210(bcr-abl);, the epitopes of HLA-A2 restricted T cells and the distribution of epitope-specific CTLs in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients and in normal controls.

METHODS

Two epitopes, BCR-ABL(642); and BCR-ABL(926m);, were selected using bioinfomatics software and further confirmed by T2 cell binding assay. The soluble HLA-A2 tetramers bound with each epitope were generated to detect the CD8(+); T cell frequencies in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

RESULTS

The epitope-specific CD8(+); T cell frequencies of both BCR-ABL(642); and BCR-ABL(926m); were significantly higher in CML patients, compared with those in healthy individuals(P<0.01), but no significant difference was observed in influenza epitope-specific CTLs between the patients and healthy individuals (P>0.05). The frequency of BCR-ABL(642); peptide-specific CTLs at chronic phase was significantly higher than that at blast phase in CML patients (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION

The two candidate epitopes selected from p210(bcr-abl); are characterized by their immunogenicity and based on them, vaccines or adoptive CTL therapies can be developed.

[Effects of recombinant soluble MICA protein on the biologic activities of NK cells]

AIM

To study the effects of recombinant soluble MHC class I chain-related protein A (sMICA) on the cytotoxicity, secretion of IFN-gamma, proliferation and apoptosis of peripheral NK cells.

METHODS

After NK cells were co-cultured with recombinant soluble MICA proteins overnight, the cytotoxicity of NK cell on target cells was detected by flow cytometry. The supernant was collected to determine the concentration of IFN-gamma by ELISA. The proliferation of NK cells to sMICA was detected by MTS/PMS. NK cells were labeled with annexin V and PI to analyze their apoptosis.

RESULTS

Soluble MICA inhibited the cytotoxicity of NK cells and down-regulated the secretion of IFN-gamma, but it showed no effects on the proliferation and apoptosis of freshly isolated peripheral NK cells.

CONCLUSION

The soluble MICA shedding from tumor cells could be a pathway of cancer immune evasion by down-regulating the biologic activities of NK cells.

[Correlation of Helicobacter pylori infection with the expression of COX-2 and EGFR and VEGF in human gastric carcinoma]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the correlation of Helicobactor pylori (Hp) infection with the expression of COX-2, EGFR and VEGF in human gastric carcinoma.

METHODS

The expression of COX-2, EGFR and VEGF was detected by immunohistochemistry in samples of 61 gastric cancers and 20 cancer-adjacent tissues. Western blotting was performed in samples of 10 gastric cancers and corresponding cancer-adjacent tissues. Hp infection was detected in 47 patients by fast urea enzyme test and (13)C breath test.

RESULTS

The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the positive expressions of COX-2, EGFR and VEGF in gastric carcinoma were 59.02%, 36.07% and 60.66%, respectively, significantly higher than that in the normal mucosa (25.00%, 0 and 30.00%, respectively). There was a positive correlation between the expression of COX-2, EGFR and VEGF and gastric carcinoma. The expression of COX-2 and EGFR was 75.76% and 45.45% in the gastric carcinomas with Hp infection, significantly higher than that in those without (28.57% and 14.29%). The protein expression of COX-2, EGFR and VEGF detected by Western blot in gastric carcinomas was also significantly higher than that in normal mucosa.

CONCLUSION

COX-2, EGFR and VEGF are overexpressed in gastric carcinoma, and there is a positive correlation among them. Hp infection may upregulate the expression of COX-2 and EGFR in gastric cancer tissues.

[Immune protective mechanisms of gene vaccines with co-expressing bcr-abl fusion gene fragment and mouse IL-7 gene]

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the influence of mIL-7 on the immune response induced by vaccine of bcr-abl fusion gene fragment in mouse.

METHODS

BALB/c mice were immunized by i. m. injection of pVbcr-abl/mIL-7 and pVbcr-abl, respectively. The specific antibody to p210bcr-abl protein was assayed by ELISA. The CTL activity of spleen cells from the immunized mice was assessed with LDH release test.

RESULTS

The pVbcr-abl/mIL-7 and pVbcr-abl-immunized BALB/c mice elicited higher specific antibodies to p210bcr-abl protein. The specific antibody level of former group was higher than that in latter group, but the difference was statistically not significant. The spleen cells from the immunized mice showed more effective CTL activity than that from control group. The cytotoxic activity of spleen CTLs induced by pVbcr-abl/mIL-7 immunized mice exceeded that of pVbcr-ab-immunized mice.

CONCLUSION

The mIL-7 may influence the growth and differentiation of T cells, promote some T cells migrating into tumor tissue and up-regulate the specific cellular immune response. The results of this study provided an useful experimental basis for preclinical research on gene vaccine for chronic myeloid leukemia.

Expression of epidermal growth factor receptor and cyclooxygenase-2 and their correlations in gastric carcinoma

AIM: To investigate the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) as well as their correlations in gastric carcinoma.

METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of EGFR and COX-2 in 61 cases of gastric cancer and 20 cases of cancer-adjacent tissues, while Western blot was used to examine the protein expression of EGFR and COX-2 in 10 cases of gastric cancer and their corresponding cancer-adjacent tissues.

RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of EGFR and COX-2 in gastric carcinoma were significantly higher than those in normal mucosa (36.07% vs 0%, χ² = 9.903, P < 0.01; 59.02% vs 25%, χ² = 6.972, P < 0.01). COX-2 expression was correlated with the depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, TNM classification and pathologic differentiation degree (χ² = 6.333, P < 0.05; χ² = 5.588, P < 0.05; χ² = 8.826, P < 0.01; χ² = 5.653, P < 0.05). EGFR expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis, and TNM classification (χ² = 10.648, P < 0.01; χ² = 4.150, P < 0.05). There was also significant correlation between COX-2 and EGFR expression (r = 0.316, P < 0.05). Western blot also showed that the protein expression of EGFR and COX-2 in gastric carcinoma were significantly higher than those in normal mucosa (35.89 ± 12.50 vs 15.14 ± 2.15, P < 0.01; 51.29 ± 23.42 vs 27.65 ± 7.42, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: EGFR and COX-2 are over-expressed in gastric carcinoma, which is associated with the invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer. COX-2 expression is positively correlated with EGFR expression.

Key Words: Gastric cancinoma; Epidermal growth factor receptor; Cyclooxygenase-2; Correlation; Invasion; Metastasis

[Influences of bcr-abl gene vaccine on inoculated SP2/0/bcr-abl tumor cells in mice]

To study the influence of vaccine of bcr-abl fusion gene fragment on inoculated SP2/0/bcr-abl tumor cells in mice, BALB/c mice were immunized with pVbcr-abl, pVbcr-abl/mIL7 plasmids, respectively, then SP2/0/bcr-abl cells expressing the fragment of bcr-abl fusion gene were inoculated subcutaneously into the groin of BALB/c mice in order to observe the effect of vaccine on growth of inoculated SP2/0/bcr-abl tumor cells. The results showed that there were distinct differences on the time of tumor growth, the time of tumor ulceration, tumor volume and survival time of mice bearing tumor between two immunized groups and two control groups (blank and vacant plasmid groups). The mice immunized with pVbcr-abl/mIL7 lived longer as compared to mice immunized with pVbcr-abl. The tissue of inoculated tumor was more compact, tumor organ was larger, tumor form was irregular in 2 control groups, while the tissue of inoculated tumor was looser, tumor volume was smaller, and with mass inflammatory infiltration in two immunized groups. Moreover, the metastatic tumor cells were found in the livers of control groups, but not observed in two immunized groups. It is concluded that the protection occurred in immunized mice which inhibited the growth of SP2/0/bcr-abl tumor cell in vivo.

Detection of Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Milk Production Traits on Bovine Chromosome 6 in a Chinese Holstein Population by the Daughter Design

Fourteen microsatellite markers with a coverage of 63.5 cM on bovine chromosome 6 were selected, and 26 sire families with 2,260 daughters were analyzed for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting 5 milk production traits in a Chinese Holstein population. In the analyses across 26 families and within the largest significant families with a one-QTL model fitted, a QTL near BMS470 was detected that affected fat yield at the 5% experiment-wide significance level. When a 2-QTL model was fitted in the across-family analysis, it was found that there might exist 2 QTL affecting the 3 yield traits, although the exact or empirical thresholds for the significance testing were unknown. In all analyses, the results for milk yield and protein yield were generally consistent, which might have resulted from the same genetic background for milk and protein yield.

[Establishment of mouse SP2/0 cell line stably expressing bcr-abl fusion gene fragment]

To establish SP2/0 cell line H-2(d) stably expressing bcr-abl fusion gene fragment, the bcr-abl fusion gene was subcloned into retroviral vector pLXSN from pGEMbcr-abl. The recombinant retroviral vector pLXSNbcr-abl was transfected into PT67 packaging cells with the help of lipofectamine. The positive clones were selected out and cultured after G418 selection. Then viral supernatant was collected to determine viral titer, the viral titer was 2 x 10(7) CFU/ml. The SP2/0 cells were infected with the collected viral supernatant. The results showed that after G418 selection, the bcr-abl fusion gene was integrated into the chromosome of SP2/0 cells infected stably, with recombinant retrovirus and expressed in SP2/0 cells confirmed by PCR and RT-PCR respectively. In conclusion, the mouse tumor cell lines expressing the bcr-abl fusion protein were successfully established and would be used as a experimental cell model for anti-CML immunotherapy.