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The present study aimed to investigate whether overexpression of integrin-linked kinase (ILK) affects drug resistance to temozolomide (TMZ) in glioma cells. To do this, a plasmid containing the ILK gene was transfected into the SHG-44 human glioma cell line, and cells were subsequently cultured in the absence or presence of TMZ. The expression levels of ILK, multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP) and multi-drug resistance protein (MDR) were assessed in these cells. Cell growth and apoptosis were measured by MTT and Hoechst staining, and flow cytometry, respectively. In addition, the expression levels of B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated x protein (Bax), and caspase-3 activity, were evaluated. The ILK-overexpressing SHG-44 cell was successfully constructed, and demonstrated increased expression levels of ILK, MDR and MRP compared with untransfected cells. Cell growth in the ILK+TMZ group was significantly greater, and the percentage of apoptotic cells in the ILK+TMZ group was significantly reduced, compared with the p enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-C1+ TMZ empty vector control group. Expression levels of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 were significantly increased and those of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax were significantly decreased (P<0.01) in the ILK+TMZ group compared with the pEGFP-C1+TMZ group. In addition, the activity of caspase-3 in ILK+TMZ group was significantly decreased compared with the pEGFP-C1+TMZ group (P<0.01). Overexpression of ILK therefore promoted the proliferation of SHG-44 human glioma cells, reduced apoptosis and reduced sensitivity to TMZ via decreasing the activity of caspase-3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new detection method using lateral excitation to test pile integrity is proposed. Concrete piles were subjected to lateral excitation, which produced transverse waves. These waves were processed with the Hilbert-Huang Transform (HHT), and the results were compared with those of a nondestructive testing method based on vertical excitation. The locations of the defects in the pile body detected by the lateral excitation method agree well with those derived by the vertical excitation method, which indicates that HHT analysis of the lateral acceleration wave signal obtained by HHT can detect defects in a pile body. Thus, lateral excitation technology can be applied in integrity assessments of pile foundations that have constraints or structural limits on their top. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy in women worldwide and always has recurrence owing to radioresistance. MicroRNA (miRNA or miR) has been identified to relate to the sensitivity of cancer radiotherapy. Here, we investigated the potential of miRNA-320 as a biomarker for radiosensitivity by targeting β-catenin in cervical cancer. A radioresistant cervical cancer cell line, C33AR, was established, and the radioresistance of C33AR cells was confirmed by a colony-formation assay. The expression of miRNA-320 was detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and compared between C33A and C33AR. β-catenin, the target of miRNA-320, was determined at the protein level by western blotting after transfecting the inhibitor of miRNA-320. The expression of miRNA-320 was markedly decreased in C33AR cells, which appeared to be more radioresistant, compared with its parental cell line C33A. Target prediction suggested that miRNA-320 negatively regulated the expression of β-catenin. Knockdown of β-catenin increased C33AR radiosensitivity, which revealed that the inhibition of β-catenin could rescue the miRNA-320-mediated cell radioresistance. On the other hand, overexpressing miRNA-320 increased C33AR radiosensitivity. In conclusion, miRNA-320 regulated the radiosensitivity of C33AR cells by targeting β-catenin. This finding provides evidence that miRNA-320 may be a potential biomarker of radiosensitivity in cervical cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tumor cell formation occurs through various mechanisms that may result in the growth of tumor blood vessels. Thus, novel methods are required to provide tumor therapy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the reliability of the abnormality-indicating alarm information provided by the automatic hematology analyzer in the measurement of immature granulocytes (IG) and assess the factors involved. The quality control groups at three concentration levels were repeatedly determined within 20 days to observe the within-run precision. The quality control groups at two concentration levels were repeatedly determined within 20 days to observe the between-run precision. The results obtained by the two methods were compared and the reliability of IG measurement using the hematology analyzer was analyzed. Additionally, IG parameters of 120 venous blood specimens collected from cancer patients were measured by cell counting using a hematology analyzer and stained blood smears were observed. The within-run precision experiment showed that the coefficient of variation (CV) values of the IG percentage in the high, middle and low concentration levels were 3.62, 6.75 and 13.69%, respectively, while the CV values of the IG percentage in the two-level between-run precision experiment were 5.6 and 7.1%, respectively. All of the CV values were <15% and within the permitted range. The true-positive rates obtained using the hematology analyzer in the IG≤1%, 110% groups were 11.5, 65.4 and 95.0%, respectively, and the false-negative rates were 0. The IG percentages obtained through the hematology analyzer measurement and from the microscopic observation were (6.98±11.18) and (9.36±20.71)%, respectively. Results of the correlation analysis revelaed that there was an excellent correlation between the two methods (r=0.1364). A significant difference between the two methods was observed using the signed-rank test (P=0.001). Manual microscopic observation is essential for the IG specimen that has been measured using an automatic hematology analyzer and has received an abnormality alarm. For cancer patients who receive chemotherapy, this application helps to provide laboratory data for clinical disease diagnosis and treatment monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]