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BackgroundAppendiceal tumors are considered to be a relatively rare tumor of the gastrointestinal tract and the prognosis is unclear. This study comprehensively investigated trends in the epidemiology and survival of appendiceal tumors in the United States over the past approximately 20 years.MethodsPatients with pathologically confirmed appendiceal tumors from 2000 to 2017 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Age-adjusted incidence rates were calculated by SEER*Stat 8.4.0. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze survival and prognostic factors were investigated by a multivariate Cox proportional risk model.ResultsUltimately, 13,546 patients with appendiceal tumors between 2000 and 2017 were included. The annual incidence of colonic adenocarcinoma and mucinous adenocarcinoma remained relatively stable. Interestingly, the annual incidence of appendiceal neuroendocrine tumors (aNETs) increased significantly, from 0.03 to 0.90 per 100,000 person-years, with the most dramatic increase in the number of patients with localized disease. Patients with aNETs showed a significant improvement in survival between 2009-2017, compared to the period 2000-2008. Moreover, this improvement in survival over time was seen at all stages (localized, regional, distant) of aNETs. However, this improved survival over time was not seen in colonic and mucinous adenocarcinoma.ConclusionsThe incidence of appendiceal neoplasms has increased significantly over the past nearly two decades, which is mainly due to the increased incidence and significant migration to earlier stages in aNETs. We must note that despite the increased incidence of aNETs, survival rates have improved at different disease stages.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) encompass short open reading frames (sORFs) that can be translated into small peptides. Here, we investigated the encoding potential of lncRNA LINC00665 in osteosarcoma (OS) cells. Bioinformatic analyses were utilized to predict the lncRNAs with encoding potential in human U2OS cells. Protein expression was assessed by an immunoblotting or immunofluorescence method. Cell viability was assessed by cell counting Kit-8 (CCK-8). Cell proliferation was detected by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) assay. Cell migration was gauged by transwell assay. The downstream effectors of the short peptide were verified using qualitative proteome analysis after immunoprecipitation (IP) experiments. The effect of the short peptide on protein interactions were confirmed by Co-Immunoprecipitation (CoIP) assays. We found that lncRNA LINC00665 encoded an 18-amino acid (aa)-long short peptide (named LINC00665_18aa). LINC00665_18aa suppressed the viability, proliferation, and migration of human MNNG-HOS and U2OS OS cells in vitro and diminished tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, LINC00665_18aa impaired the transcriptional activity, nuclear localization, and phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein 1 (CREB1). Moreover, LINC00665_18aa weakened the interaction between CREB1 and ribosomal protein S6 kinase A3 (RPS6KA3, RSK2). Additionally, increased expression of CREB1 reversed the inhibitory effects of LINC00665_18aa on OS cell proliferation and migration. Our findings show that the short peptide LINC00665_18aa exerts a tumor-inhibitory function in OS, providing a new basis for cancer therapeutics through the functions of the short peptides encoded by lncRNAs.

Salmonella, one of the major causes of foodborne infections, can cause bacterial foodborne illness. We investigated the serotype distribution, multidrug resistance (MDR), and β-lactamase resistance genes of human Salmonella isolates collected from clinical specimens in Guizhou, China, between 2013 and 2018. A total of 363 Salmonella isolates were collected from clinical specimens at 17 surveillance hospitals. Twenty-four serotypes were identified by sliding agglutination test. S. Enteritidis (33.9%), Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- (24.0%), S. Typhimurium (16.3%), S. London (6.3%), and S. Derby (3.9%) were the top five serotypes. In 2018, the most common serotype changed from S. Enteritidis to S. Typhimurium. Among the 363 Salmonella isolates, 97.5% of isolates were resistant to at least one class of antimicrobial agents. For cephalosporins, ceftriaxone had the highest resistance rate of 10.5%, and cefepime and cefoxitin were 8.0% and 2.2%, respectively. Three hundred and one (82.9%) Salmonella isolates showed MDR. Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- had the highest MDR rate with 94.2%, followed by S. London (91.3%) and S. Typhimurium (88.1%). Multidrug resistance rates of Salmonella isolates in Guizhou from 2013 to 2017 increased from 75.8% to 86.7%. Sixteen isolates (4.4%) showed extensive drug resistance. One hundred thirty-four antimicrobial resistance patterns were found. Two hundred and forty-one (66.4%) isolates carried at least one β-lactamase resistance gene. The blaTEM gene (61.2%) was the most prevalent resistant gene in all Salmonella isolates, followed by the blaCTX-M gene (6.1%) and blaOXA-1 gene (4.1%). Our findings showed that the MDR rate of Salmonella isolates from Guizhou province increased year by year. Therefore, systematic and long-term surveillance on MDR Salmonella isolates from clinical patients should be further strengthened.

To observe the effect of magnesium ion on vascular function in rats after long-term exhaustive exercise. Forty male SD rats were divided into two groups, the control group (CON group, n = 20) and the exhaustive exercise group (EEE group, n = 20). Exhausted rats performed 1W adaptive swimming exercise (6 times/W, 15min/time), and then followed by 3W formal exhaustive exercise intervention. Hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining was used to detect the morphological changes of rat thoracic aorta. The contents of interleukin-1 β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in serum of rats were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin 1 (ET-1) in serum of rats were determined by biochemical kit. Vascular ring test detects vascular function. Compared with the CON group, the smooth muscle layer of the EEE group became thicker, the cell arrangement was disordered, and the integrity of endothelial cells was destroyed; the serum Mg2+ in EEE group was decreased; the serum levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, MDA and ROS in EEE group were significantly higher than those in the CON group (P are all less than 0.05); the serum NO content in EEE group was significantly decreased, and the ratio of NO/ET-1 was significantly decreased. In the exhaustion group, the vasoconstriction response to KCl was increased, and the relaxation response to Ach was weakened, while 4.8mM Mg2+ could significantly improve this phenomenon (P are all less than 0.01). The damage of vascular morphology and function in rats after exhaustion exercise may be related to the significant increase of serum IL-1β, TNF-α, ROS, MDA and ET-1/NO ratio in rats after exhaustion exercise, while Mg2+ can significantly improve the vasomotor function of rats after exhaustion exercise.

A major challenge in extracting high-quality DNA from bryophytes is the treatment of bryophyte material in the field. The existing and commonly used treatment methods in the field have several shortcomings. Natural drying methods can lead to DNA breaks. In addition, it is highly cumbersome to carry large quantities of silica gel in the field due to its weight and high risk of contamination among samples. In this study, we explored more convenient drying methods to treat bryophyte specimens and promote more efficient DNA recovery. The quantity and quality of genomic DNA extracted from every bryophyte species using different drying methods, including hot-air drying methods (150°C, 80°C, and 40°C), natural drying method, and silica gel drying method, were measured. Spectrophotometry, electrophoresis, and PCR amplification were performed to assess the effects of different drying methods. The results of total DNA purity, total DNA concentration, PCR success, and OD 260/230 ratios suggested that the hot-air drying (40-80°C) was the best method. The morphological comparison revealed that hot-air drying at 40°C and 80°C exerted no significant adverse effects on plant morphology and taxonomic studies. Thus, this method prevents rapid DNA degradation and silica gel pollution and saves the workforce from carrying large amounts of silica gel to the field. Several inexpensive devices, such as portable hairdryers, fan heaters, and electric blankets, are available that can be easily carried to the field for drying molecular specimens.

Nontyphoidal Salmonella is a bacterial and foodborne pathogen that poses a severe public health threat. However, the genetic diversity of different serogroups of nontyphoidal Salmonella in Guizhou is unknown. This study aimed to obtain the RNA secondary structure of the typical direct repeat sequences, the characteristics of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) genotypes, and the genetic diversity of different serogroups of nontyphoidal Salmonella strains. The 342 nontyphoidal Salmonella strains were collected from nine cities (prefectures) of Guizhou province during 2013–2018, serotyped by slide agglutination, and examined the molecular genotypes by CRISPR method. The strains were divided into five serogroups. The dominant serogroup was group B (47.08%), followed by group D1 (36.55%). One hundred and thirty-five CRISPR genotypes were detected with 108 novel spacer sequences amongst 981 unique spacer sequences. The diversity of nontyphoidal Salmonella CRISPR loci was not only the deletion, duplication, or point mutation of spacer sequences but also the acquisition of new spacer sequences to form novel genotypes. The CRISPR genotyping was an effective typing method that could reveal the genetic diversity of different nontyphoidal Salmonella serotypes except for S. Enteritidis.

The interactions between layers of a multiplex network would generate new structural features, the most prominent feature being the existence of link overlaps between layers. How to capture the associations with the network behavior through the structural interaction between the combined layers of the multiplex network is a critical issue. In this paper, a new structure entropy is proposed by combining the overlapping links between the combined layers of a multiplex network. The correlation between layers is evaluated by structure entropy, and the results are consistent with the behaviors exhibited by the network. In addition, the validity and applicability of the proposed method were verified by conducting trials on four sets of real multiplex network data, which included the multiplex social network of a research department at Aarhus, tailor shop multiplex network, C. elegans multiplex network, and the network collected by Vickers from 29 seventh grade students in a school in Victoria.

ObjectiveTo analyze the effects of primary tumor resection and metastatic lesion resection on the survival of metastatic small intestinal tumors.MethodsThe research subjects were patients with metastatic small bowel tumors identified from 2004 to 2016 in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Propensity score matching and Kaplan-Meier analyses were performed to analyze the effect of surgery on the prognosis.ResultsA total of 4,034 patients from the SEER database were analyzed. Both before and after the propensity score-matching analysis, the prognosis of patients who underwent primary tumor surgery and metastatic surgery was better than that of patients who did not undergo surgery; all were patients with metastatic small bowel adenocarcinoma (mSIA) or metastatic small intestinal neuroendocrine tumors (mSI-NETs) (all p < .005). Patients with mSIA and adequate lymph node dissection had a longer prognosis than mSIA patients with inadequate lymph node dissection, but this survival benefit was not present in mSI-NET patients. It made no difference in the prognosis of mSIA and mSI-NETs whether localized surgery or intestine-ectomy was performed. Patients with mSIA who underwent primary and metastatic excision plus chemotherapy had the best overall survival and cancer-specific survival rates, whereas mSI-NET patients who underwent primary and metastatic excision had the best overall survival and cancer-specific survival rates (all p < .001).ConclusionIn these carefully selected patients, primary tumor resection and/or metastatic lesion resection significantly improved the survival rates for patients with mSIA and mSI-NETs. The mSIA patients with resectable primary tumors seemed to require a sufficient number of lymph node dissections more than the patients with well-differentiated mSI-NETs.

Objective This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oxycodone hydrochloride (OxyContin) rectal administration in cancer pain patients. This is geared towards providing the research evidence for a novel route of OxyContin administration. Methods Relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched in electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Scientific Journal Database (VIP database), Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM). Moreover, unpublished academic data were obtained by contacting the colleague, professor, or Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The RCTs of transrectal Oxycodone administration of sustained-release tablets for moderate and severe pain patients were searched in the databases from inception to December 2020. Results According to the inclusion criteria, a total of 8 RCTs were included, with a total of 648 patients. Meta analysis results showed that there was no statistically significant difference in the efficacy of moderate to severe pain control between the rectal administration group and the oral administration group (RR = 1.04, 95%CI: 0.99–1.10, p = 0.13>0.05). At the same time, the incidence of adverse reactions in the rectal administration group was low. In terms of constipation, the rectal administration group was less than the oral administration group, with a statistically significant difference (RR = 0.43, 95%CI: 0.31–0.58, p< 0.00001). In terms of nausea and vomiting, the rectal administration group was less than the oral administration group, and the difference was statistically significant(RR = 0.30, 95%CI: 0.21–0.42, p0.05). In terms of dizziness, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (RR = 0.43, 95%CI:0.27–0.68, p = 0.31>0.05). In terms of dyuria, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (RR = 0.37, 95%CI: 0.02–7.02, p = 0.51>0.05). In terms of KPS scores there was no significant difference was noted between the rectal and oral administration groups (RR = 1.04, 95%CI: 0.89–1.21, p = 0.63>0.05). Conclusion In summary, we found no significant differences in efficacy between rectal administration of OxyContin and oral administration. Thus, rectal administration should be considered in managing cancer pain among patients with difficulty in oral OxyContin administration. PROSPERO registration number CRD42021209660.

In recent years, China’s “lottery culture” has developed vigorously. Moreover, the investment participation rate of Chinese families in the formal financial market is low, whereas that in the informal financial market is high. Is there a certain relationship between “lottery culture” and family financial decision-making? If so, what is the underlying mechanism? Based on the 2017 CHFS data and lottery sales data of provinces, this study explores the impact of “lottery culture” on household participation in the formal and informal financial markets and the diversity of household financial portfolios. Results show that “lottery culture” can impede household participation in the formal financial market and the diversity of household financial portfolios while promoting household participation in the informal financial market in China. Furthermore, we analyze two channels of “lottery culture” impacts on household financial decisions: (1) risk attitude and (2) human capital. Results illustrate that “lottery culture” can influence household financial decisions by increasing risk tolerance and reducing the human capital of households.

BackgroundStudies on the susceptibility of vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms to coronary artery disease (CAD) reached controversial results. We performed this study for a more accurate evaluation between the VDR polymorphisms and CAD susceptibility.MethodsPubMed, Embase, CNKI, Wan Fang, and VIP databases were searched. The odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to evaluate the associations. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was introduced to estimate the positive associations. The potential functions of the VDR polymorphisms were analyzed based on the SNPinfo and ENSEMBL databases.ResultsThirteen studies were finally included. In the overall analysis, increased CAD risks were observed in the VDR rs1544410 polymorphism and verified by the TSA; for the rs2228570 and rs731236 polymorphisms, significant associations with high heterogeneity were detected; decreased risk was remarkably observed for the rs7975232 polymorphism. In the subgroup analysis, wide associations with reduced heterogeneity were observed in the rs2228570, rs1544410, and rs731236 polymorphisms. The RNAfold analysis indicated the mutant G allele of the rs1544410 polymorphism was easier to disperse from the DNA double helix structure and may have a potential crucial role in the VDR transcription process.ConclusionsOur analysis supports the role of the rs1544410 polymorphism in the VDR gene as a risk factor for CAD. The VDR rs2228570 and rs731236 polymorphisms were associated with increased CAD risks in the White population. Restrict decreased CAD risk was firstly discovered in the rs7975232 polymorphism.LimitationsFirstly, the language was restricted to English and Chinese, which will cause the limited number of studies included; secondly, other unknown polymorphisms in VDR polymorphisms could also be associated the CAD susceptibility, and more case-control studies with comprehensive clinical outcomes and GWAS studies were required; thirdly, the rs1544410, rs7975232 and rs731236 polymorphism are in strong LD, haploid factors with CAD risk need to be considered; fourthly, the mechanisms of the VDR polymorphism on the VDR gene or RNA or protein were not discussed enough, further mechanistic studies are required; at last, genetic factor was the one side for CAD susceptibility, the interaction between environmental risk factors should be considered.

Tourism consumption is not only an important means by which to improve residents' sense of happiness but is also the main way to promote national economic development. In a traditional relational society such as China, it remains unclear how social network affects tourism consumption by households. Here, we evaluated the impact of the social network on tourism consumption by Chinese households using the data of 3254 samples from the China Family Panel Studies. The empirical results from the ordinary least square method showed that the social network promotes tourism consumption, which can be projected to increase by about 28% for every 1% increase in social network strength. This was further confirmed using the instrumental variable method to address the issue of endogenous social network formation, as well as other robustness checks. The impact of the social network on tourism consumption was heterogeneous. Compared with other residents, there were higher positive effects for high-income families, households with a head aged 35-44 years, urban families, and households in eastern China. The quantile regression results revealed that the impact of the social network was weakened with increasing tourism consumption by households. These results are crucial for policymakers, in that they could form good habits of tourism consumption and strengthen tourism market management, especially for the management of tourism negative events in the context of new media.

Salmonella enterica serovar 4,[5],12:i:-, a monophasic variant of Salmonella Typhimurium lacking the phase 2 flagellin, is one of the common serotypes causing Salmonellosis worldwide. However, information on Salmonella serovar 4,[5],12:i:- from Guizhou Province has lacked so far. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance, the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence genes, and characterize the MLST genotypes of Salmonella serovar 4,[5],12:i:- isolates from Guizhou province, China. We collected 363 non-typhoid Salmonella (NTS) isolates of Guizhou from 2013 to 2018. Biochemical identification, serogroups testing, and specific multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) assay were conducted to identify Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- isolates. Isolates were determined the antimicrobial resistance by the micro broth dilution method, detected the presence of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence genes by PCR, and examined the molecular genotyping by Multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Eighty-seven Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- isolates were detected, accounting for 23.9% (87/363) of the total NTS isolates. All Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- isolates showed highly resistant to sulfaoxazole (93.1%), streptomycin (90.8%), ampicillin (88.5%), tetracycline (86.2%) and doxycycline (86.2%). A high proportion (94.2%) of multi-drug resistance (MDR) isolates were found. Most (83.9%) Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- isolates carried four antimicrobial resistance genes, especially blaTEM-1, strA-strB, sul2, and tetB genes. Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- isolates showed a high rate of invA, sseL, mgtC, siiE, sopB, gipA, gtgB, sspH1, and sspH2 (72.4%~98.9%). On the contrary, none of the isolates were detected the spvC and pefA genes. MLST analysis revealed three sequence types (STs), and ST34 (97.7%) was the dominant sequence type. This study is the first report of Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- in humans from Guizhou province, China. The data might be useful for rational antimicrobial usage against Salmonella 4,[5],12:i:- infections, risk management, and public health strategies in Guizhou.

CYP4B1 belongs to the mammalian CYP4 enzyme family and is predominantly expressed in the lungs of humans. It is responsible for the oxidative metabolism of a wide range of endogenous compounds and xenobiotics. In this study, using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, a secondary analysis was performed to explore the expression profile of CYP4B1, as well as its prognostic value in patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Based on the obtained results, a significantly decreased CYP4B1 expression was discovered in patients with LUAD when compared with their normal counterparts (p

BackgroundAdolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is the most common form of scoliosis. However, the underlying mechanisms linking spinal curvature in AIS to foot characteristics and walking performance remain unclear.ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare walking performance between adolescents with mild, moderate, and severe scoliosis and matched healthy peers with foot posture as covariates.MethodsThis cross-sectional study of 96 adolescents was conducted between April 2020 to October 2020 in China, with 32 healthy peers in the control group and 64 patients in the AIS group. Foot posture and morphology, plantar pressure distribution, and gait characteristics were analyzed. One-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni correction and a post hoc comparison of the mean differences between the different groups was performed. Multiple analyses of covariance adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, foot posture index (FPI), arch index (AI), and walking speed were performed.ResultsOf the 64 adolescents with scoliosis, 18 had mild AIS, 32 had moderate AIS, and 14 had severe AIS. The AI and FPI were much higher in the moderate and severe AIS groups (p = 0.018) and the severe AIS group (pConclusionModerate and severe AIS significantly influenced walking performance; however, no significant differences were observed between adolescents with mild AIS and healthy controls. Thus, early intervention could target the prevention of specific functional deficits and prevent it from progressing to a severe state.

ObjectiveTo analyze the effect of neoadjuvant radiotherapy (nRT) on prognosis in patients with locoregional Siewert type II gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma (GEA).MethodAll patients pathologically diagnosed as Siewert type II GEA between 2004 and 2015 were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and Final Results (SEER) database. We analyzed the impact of different treatment regimens on the prognosis in each stage. Survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier (K-M) method. Multivariate Cox model and propensity score matching was further used to verify the results.Results4,160 patients were included in this study. The efficacy of nRT was superior to that of adjuvant radiotherapy (aRT) (p = 0.048), which was the same as that of surgery combined with chemotherapy (p = 0.836), but inferior to the overall survival (OS) of surgical treatment alone (pConclusionIn these carefully selected patients, the present study made the following recommendations: nRT can improve the prognosis of patients with T3N0M0/T1-3N+M0 and T4 Siewert type II GEA, and it seems to be a better treatment for T4 patients. Surgery alone seems to be sufficient, and nRT is not conducive to prolonging the survival of Siewert II GEA patients with T1-2N0M0 stage. Of course, further prospective trials are needed to verify this conclusion.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103482.].

BackgroundChronic low back pain (CLBP) is a common and often disabling musculoskeletal condition. Yoga has been proven to be an effective therapy for chronic low back pain. However, there are still controversies about the effects of yoga at different follow-up periods and compared with other physical therapy exercises.ObjectiveTo critically compare the effects of yoga for patients with chronic low back pain on pain, disability, quality of life with non-exercise (e.g. usual care, education), physical therapy exercise.MethodsThis study was registered in PROSPERO, and the registration number was CRD42020159865. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of online databases included PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase which evaluated effects of yoga for patients with chronic low back pain on pain, disability, and quality of life were searched from inception time to November 1, 2019. Studies were eligible if they assessed at least one important outcome, namely pain, back-specific disability, quality of life. The Cochrane risk of bias tool was used to assess the methodological quality of included randomized controlled trials. The continuous outcomes were analyzed by calculating the mean difference (MD) or standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) according to whether combining outcomes measured on different scales or not.ResultsA total of 18 randomized controlled trials were included in this meta-analysis. Yoga could significantly reduce pain at 4 to 8 weeks (MD = -0.83, 95% CI = -1.19 to -0.48, pConclusionThis meta-analysis provided evidence from very low to moderate investigating the effectiveness of yoga for chronic low back pain patients at different time points. Yoga might decrease pain from short term to intermediate term and improve functional disability status from short term to long term compared with non-exercise (e.g. usual care, education). Yoga had the same effect on pain and disability as any other exercise or physical therapy. Yoga might not improve the physical and mental quality of life based on the result of a merging.

Meat adulteration is currently a common practice worldwide. In China, adulteration of donkey meat products with the similar species (horse and mule/hinny) meat and mislabeling are becoming widespread concerns. In this study, a sensitive and species-specific duplex real-time PCR assay based on the simultaneous amplification of fragments of the creatine kinase muscle gene family, was developed and optimized for the identification of horse, donkey and mule /hinny species in raw and heat-processed meat products. Duplex real-time PCR results showed different fluorescence amplification curves for horse and donkey. Both kinds of fluorescence amplification curves appeared simultaneously for mule/hinny. The limit of detection (LOD) of the method was up to 0.01 ng /μL. The method and strategy developed in this study could be applied to detect the presence of adulterants from horse and mule /hinny meat in raw donkey meat and meat products.

Gliomas are the most common malignant tumors of the brain and are characteristic of severe migration and invasion. Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) promotes glioma development process. However, the regulatory mechanisms of promoting occurrence and development of glioma have not yet been clearly elucidated. In the present study, the mechanism by which GDNF promotes glioma cell migration and invasion through regulating the dispersion and location of the Golgi apparatus (GA) is described. Following GDNF treatment, a change in the volume and position of GA was observed. The stack area of the GA was enlarged and it was more concentrated near the nucleus. Golgin-160 and Golgi microtubule-associated protein 210 (GMAP210) were identified as target molecules regulating GA positioning. In the absence of either golgin-160 or GMAP210 using lentivirus, the migration and invasion of U251 cells were decreased, while it was increased following GDNF. It was also found that the GA was decreased in size and dispersed following golgin-160 or GMAP210 knockdown, as determined by GA green fluorescence assay. Once GDNF was added, the above phenomenon would be twisted, and the concentrated location and volume of the GA was restored. In combination, the present data suggested that the regulation of the position and size of the GA by golgin-160 and GMAP210 play an important role in U251 cell migration and invasion.

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is the most common and essential serotype that causes salmonellosis in Guizhou province. This study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and molecular genotyping of 79 S. Enteritidis clinical isolates from 2011 to 2016 in Guizhou, China. Antimicrobial resistance and minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of S. Enteritidis clinical isolates were detected by micro broth dilution method against ten classes 16 antimicrobial agents, and molecular genotyping were examined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). All (100%) isolates showed resistance to at least one antimicrobial. Resistance to nalidixic acid (98.7%) was the highest, followed by sulfamethoxazole (87.3%) and ampicillin (77.2%). The majority of isolates (92.4%) showed decreased susceptibility to ciprofloxacin. Resistance to the third and fourth-generation cephalosporins was observed. Twenty-six AMR profiles were observed, and the predominant AMR profile was ampicillin-streptomycin-sulfamethoxazole-amoxicillin/clavulanic acid-nalidixic acid. A high burden of multidrug resistance (MDR) (81.0%) was found. Seventy-nine S. Enteritidis isolates were divided into 33 different pulsotypes (PTs), and the most frequent PT was PT18. Twenty-six different MLVA types (MTs) were generated with seven VNTR loci analysis of these isolates. The dominant PTs and MTs were persistent during 2011-2016. S. Enteritidis clinical isolates showed higher genetic diversity using PFGE combined with MLVA grouped into 60 PT-MT genotypes. No correlation was observed between genotypes, AMR profiles and geographic location. These data revealed the characteristics of AMR and molecular genotyping of S. Enteritidis clinical isolates in Guizhou province. These results highlight that strengthening the AMR and molecular genotyping surveillance is essential to prevent and control salmonellosis in Guizhou. PFGE combined with MLVA should be powerful tools for the molecular genotyping of S. Enteritidis isolates.

BackgroundChronic pancreatitis (CP) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the pancreas. This study aimed to compare the natural course of alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (ACP) and idiopathic chronic pancreatitis (ICP).MethodsCP patients admitted to our center from January 2000 to December 2013 were enrolled. Characteristics were compared between ACP and ICP patients. Cumulative rates of diabetes mellitus (DM), steatorrhea, pancreatic stone, pancreatic pseudocyst, biliary stricture, and pancreatic cancer after the onset and the diagnosis of CP were calculated, respectively. The cumulative rates of DM and steatorrhea after diagnosis of pancreatic stone were also calculated.ResultsA total of 2,037 patients were enrolled. Among them, 19.8% (404/2,037) were ACP and 80.2% (1,633/2,037) were ICP patients. ACP and ICP differs in many aspects, especially in gender, age, smoking, complications, morphology of pancreatic duct, and type of pain. The development of DM, steatorrhea, PPC, pancreatic stone, and biliary stricture were significantly earlier and more common in ACP patients. No significant difference was observed for pancreatic cancer development. There was a rather close correlation between exocrine/endocrine insufficiency and pancreatic stone in ACP patients, which was much less correlated in ICP patients.ConclusionThe long-term profile of ACP and ICP differs in some important aspects. ACP patients usually have a more severe course of CP. These differences should be recognized in the diagnosis and treatment of CP.

To discuss the dual energy spectral computer tomography (CT) imaging features of the pathological grading of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and the correlation between spectral CT imaging features and pathology.We performed analyses of 62 patients with confirmed diagnosis of ccRCC. All patients underwent non-enhanced CT and dual-phase (cortex phase, CP and parenchyma phase, PP) contrast-enhanced CT with dual energy spectral mode. The subjects were pathologically divided into two groups: low-grade group (Fuhrman 1/2) and high-grade group (Fuhrman 3/4). The CT value of each lesion was measured on the monochromatic image at 70 keV. The normalized iodine concentrations (NIC) and the slope of the spectrum curve were calculated. The qualitative morphological parameters, including tumor shape, calcification, pseudocapsule, necrosis, and enhancement mode, were compared between the two groups. The quantitative data were compared using Student's t-test, and the enumeration data were analyzed using the chi-square test between low-grade and high-grade ccRCC.Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the quantitative parameters in two groups.The CT value, NIC, and mean slope of the low-grade group were increased compared with the high-grade group during CP (P = 0.001, P = 0.043, and P

Cancer/testis antigen TFDP3 belongs to the transcription factor DP(TFDP) family. It can bind to E2F family molecules to form a heterodimeric transcription factor E2F/TFDP complex. The complex is an important regulatory activator of cell cycle, involved in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and other important physiological activities. In addition, TFDP3 has also been found to be a tumor-associated antigen that only expresses in malignant tumor tissue and normal testicular tissue; Thus, it is closely related to tumor occurrence and development. In this study, our group investigated the expression of TFDP3 in mononuclear cell samples from a variety of tissue-derived malignant tumors, breast cancer and benign breast lesions. The results show that TFDP3 is expressed in the malignant form of various tissues. Moreover, our recent research had focused on the ability of TFDP3 to influence the drug resistance and apoptosis of tumor cells. To further clarify the mechanisms involved in tumor resistance, this study also examined the expression of TFDP3 and tumor cell autophagy regulation; Autophagy helps cells cope with metabolic stress (such as in cases of malnutrition, growth factor depletion, hypoxia or hypoxia) removes erroneously folded proteins or defective organelles to prevent the accumulation of abnormal proteins; and removes intracellular pathogens. Our results showed that TFDP3 expression can induce autophagy by up-regulating the expression of autophagic key protein LC3(MAP1LC3) and increasing the number of autophagosomes during chemotherapy of malignant tumors. Then, DNA and organelles damage caused by the chemotherapy medicine are repaired. Thus, TFDP3 contributes toward tumor cell resistance. When siRNA inhibits TFDP3 expression, it can reduce cell autophagy, improving the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapy drugs.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common subtype of degenerative dementia. To our knowledge, available information about the clinical features of DLB in China remains limited. Our study therefore aimed to address this issue. Thirty-seven Chinese patients with probable DLB were recruited for this study. All subjects underwent neuropsychological assessment by trained neurologists, as well as undergoing MRI, 11C-PIB PET scans for Aβ deposition and 18F-FDG PET scans for regional cerebral glucose metabolism. Our results showed that the gender ratio of patients was 16:21 (F:M). The mean age of onset was 69.5 ± 9.0 years and the mean age at diagnosis was 71.8 ± 9.1 years. At diagnosis, the prevalence of three core clinical features of DLB was: 64.9% for fluctuating cognition, 73.0% for visual hallucinations and 62.2% for parkinsonism. The result from 11C-PiB PET and 18F-FDG PET scans confirmed Aβ deposition in the cortex and demonstrated hypometabolism in the bilateral temporoparietooccipital region, the frontal lobe, the insular lobe, and the posterior cingulate, precuneus and caudate nuclei. Our study elucidated the clinical features of Chinese DLB patients, and will improve the understanding and the early diagnosis of DLB in Chinese patients.

The bone marrow cavity (BMC) has recently been identified as an alternative site to the liver for islet transplantation. This study aimed to compare the BMC with the liver as an islet allotransplantation site in diabetic monkeys. Diabetes was induced in Rhesus monkeys using streptozocin, and the monkeys were then divided into the following three groups: Group1 (islets transplanted in the liver with immunosuppressant), Group 2 (islets transplanted in the tibial BMC), and Group 3 (islets transplanted in the tibial BMC with immunosuppressant). The C-peptide and blood glucose levels were preoperatively measured. An intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was conducted to assess graft function, and complete blood cell counts were performed to assess cell population changes. Cytokine expression was measured using an enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) and MILLIPLEX. Five monkeys in Group 3 exhibited a significantly increased insulin-independent time compared with the other groups (Group 1: 78.2 ± 19.0 days; Group 2: 58.8 ± 17.0 days; Group 3: 189.6 ± 26.2 days) and demonstrated increases in plasma C-peptide 4 months after transplantation. The infusion procedure was not associated with adverse effects. Functional islets in the BMC were observed 225 days after transplantation using the dithizone (DTZ) and insulin/glucagon stains. Our results showed that allogeneic islets transplanted in the BMC of diabetic Rhesus monkeys remained alive and functional for a longer time than those transplanted in the liver. This study was the first successful demonstration of allogeneic islet engraftment in the BMC of non-human primates (NHPs).

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), tentatively identified as non-protein coding RNA, are transcripts more than 200nt in length and accounting for 98% of the whole genome of human being. Accumulating evidence showed aberrant expressions of lncRNAs are strongly correlated to the development of cancers. In this study, AF113014 is a new lncRNA identified from Microarray. We found AF113014 is differentially expressed between HCC cell lines and normal hepatocytes. Functionally, AF113014 inhibited proliferation of HCC cells both in vitro and in vivo, whereas the opposite effect was observed when AF113014 knockdown. Moreover, we identified that Egr2, a tumor suppressor gene, was a downstream target gene of AF113014. Furthermore, we discovered that AF113014 up-regulated Egr2 expression through interacting with miR-20a by using dual-luciferase reporter assay, qRT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. Our data provides a new insight for understanding the mechanisms of HCC.

Glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥6.5% (or 48mmol/mol) has been recommended as a new diagnostic criterion for diabetes; however, limited literature is available regarding the effect of age on the HbA1c for diagnosing diabetes and the causes for this age effect remain unknown. In this study, we investigated whether and why age affects the diagnostic efficiency of HbA1c for diabetes in a community-based Chinese population.In total, 4325 participants without previously known diabetes were enrolled in this study. Participants were stratified by age. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was plotted for each age group and the area under the curve (AUC) represented the diagnostic efficiency of HbA1c for diabetes defined by the plasma glucose criteria. The area under the ROC curve in each one-year age group was defined as AUCage. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify factors inducing the association between age and AUCage based on the changes in the β and P values of age.The current threshold of HbA1c (≥6.5% or 48mmol/mol) showed low sensitivity (35.6%) and high specificity (98.9%) in diagnosing diabetes. ROC curve analyses showed that the diagnostic efficiency of HbA1c in the ≥75 years age group was significantly lower than that in the 45-54 years age group (AUC: 0.755 vs. 0.878; P

H. pylori virulence factors, especially vacA and cagA are important in gastroduodenal disease pathogenesis and affect cure rates. This meta-analysis aimed to clarify the association between vacA or cagA status and eradication outcome of H. pylori infection.A literature search was performed using electronic databases to identify studies. Twenty-six prospective studies were determined eligible. Meta-analytical techniques were conducted to calculate eradication rates and pooled relative ratios (RR).The eradication rate was greater approximately 10% in vacA s1 compared with vacA s2 infected patients, and the pooled RR was 1.164 (95%CI: 1.040-1.303, P = 0.008). A significant association existed between vacA s1 and higher eradication rates in Europe (RR: 1.203, 95%CI: 1.003-1.442, P = 0.046) and Asia (RR: 1.187, 95%CI: 1.028-1.371, P = 0.020), in triple therapy patients (RR: 1.175, 95%CI: 1.012-1.365, P = 0.035). Eradication rates were similar for vacA m1 and m2 genotypes (RR: 0.981, 95%CI: 0.891-1.080, P = 0.690), whereas they were higher by approximately 8% in cagA-positive compared with cagA-negative infected patients, with a pooled RR of 1.094 (95%CI: 1.025-1.168, P = 0.007). A significant association existed between cagA-positive and increased eradication rates in Europe (RR: 1.138, 95%CI: 1.000-1.295, P = 0.049) and Asia (RR: 1.118, 95%CI: 1.051-1.190, P

Prostate cancer (PCa) becomes a leading cause of death in males nowadays. Recent reports showed that androgen-responsive long non-coding RNAs played important roles in tumorigenesis and progression of PCa. In this study, we focused on a special transcript of GAS5 (ENST00000456293.5, GAS5-007), which was reported as a tumor suppressor. Here, we demonstrated GAS5-007 was reduced by androgen treatment and inhibited by AR. Next, we explored the expression level of GAS, finding the expression of it in PCa tissue was higher than normal tissue in both public databases and human tissue samples. Functional analysis of GAS5 showed it was related to regulating translational elongation, protein biosynthesis, and transcription. Moreover, we observed GAS5-007 knockdown inhibited the proliferation, cell cycle and promoted cell apoptosis of PCa. We also constructed a GAS5-miRNA network to explain the different roles of different GAS5 transcripts in PCa. This study provides novel insights to identify potential diagnostic biomarker and therapy target for prostate cancer in clinical treatment.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:Vitamin D exerts metabolic activities. We investigated whether the 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] is associated with liver fat content (LFC) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a middle-aged, elderly Chinese population. SUBJECT/METHODS:A total of 2,960 participants (954 men and 2,006 women) aged over 45 years old were enrolled. Each participant underwent a standard interview, anthropometric measurements and laboratory examinations. Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was diagnosed when serum 25(OH) D level was < 50 and 50-75nmol/L. An ultrasound quantitative method was used to assess the LFC. RESULTS:Among the 2,960 participants, 1,982 (67.0%) subjects had vitamin D deficiency, 769 (26.0%) had vitamin D insufficiency, and 209 (7%) had normal vitamin D. Male subjects with vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency had significantly higher LFC than those with normal 25(OH)D (P = 0.034), while the LFC values showed no significant difference among the female subjects with vitamin D sufficiency, insufficiency and deficiency (P = 0.396). Univariate correlation analysis showed that 25(OH)D had a significantly negative association with LFC in men (r = -0.085, P = 0.009), but not in women. After adjusting for age, cigarette smoking, examination season, serum calcium, PTH and all possible confounders that displayed significant associations with LFC in univariate correlation analysis, serum 25(OH)D remained associated with LFC in middle-aged and elderly Chinese men. CONCLUSION:Serum 25(OH)D level was inversely associated with LFC in middle-aged and elderly Chinese men.

PURPOSE:To investigate whether liver lobe based T2* values measured on gradient recalled echo T2*-weighted imaging are associated with the presence and Child-Pugh class of hepatitis B-related cirrhosis. METHODS:Fifty-six patients with hepatitis B-related cirrhosis and 23 healthy control individuals were enrolled in this study and underwent upper abdominal T2*-weighted magnetic resonance imaging. T2* values of the left lateral lobe (LLL), left medial lobe (LML), right lobe (RL) and caudate lobe (CL) were measured on T2*-weighted imaging. Statistical analyses were performed to determine the association between liver lobe based T2* values and the presence and Child-Pugh class of cirrhosis. RESULTS:The T2* values of the LLL, LML and RL decreased with the progression of cirrhosis from Child-Pugh class A to C (r = -0.231, -0.223, and -0.395, respectively; all P < 0.05), except that of the CL (r = -0.181, P > 0.05). To a certain extent, Mann-Whitney U tests with Bonferroni correction for multigroup comparisons showed that the T2* values of the LLL, LML and RL could distinguish cirrhotic liver from healthy liver (all P < 0.05), whereas the T2* values of the CL could not (P > 0.05). Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated that the T2* value of the RL could best distinguish cirrhosis from healthy liver, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.713 among T2* values of the liver lobes, and that only the T2* value of the RL could distinguish Child-Pugh class C from A-B, with an AUC of 0.697 (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION:The T2* value of the RL can be associated with the presence and Child-Pugh class of hepatitis B-related cirrhosis.

Chemo-resistance is the leading cause of failure in cancer therapy, however, much remains to be understood about the intrinsic mechanisms. In the present study, we discovered the novel miR-4443 that regulated malignancy of breast cancer both in vitro and in vivo.We examined the expression of miR-4443 in MDA-MB-231/S and MDA-MB-231 Epirubicin-resistant cell lines with 76 breast cancer formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues by real-time PCR. Also, we investigated the loss- and gain-functions of miR-4443 by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Furthermore, we detected miR-4443 mediated tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 expression in cells by TargetScan, RT-qPCR and western blot.We identified the up-regulated expression of miR-4443 in Epi-resistant cell lines versus MDA-MB-231/S cell(Epi versus S) and in post-chemotherapy FFPE tissues, along with statistically differential expressions in PR(partial response) versus SD(stable disease)/PD(progressive disease) patients. Overexpression of miR-4443 increased the IC50 value of Epi for the target cells transfected, while inhibition of miR-4443 could restored sensitivity of the target cells to Epi. Besides, down-regulation of endogenous miR-4443 by miRNA-inhibitors significantly enhanced Epi-induced apoptosis while up-regulation of miR-4443 by miRNA-mimics lead to less Epi-induced apoptotic cells. Consequently, changes in TIMP2 mRNA and protein expression revealed that miR-4443 mimics suppressed expression of TIMP2 and induced migration in breast cancer cells. Furthermore, TIMP2 expression associated with better prognosis(HR = 0.721, 95%CI: 0.529-0.983).We revealed that miR-4443 induced malignancy of breast cancer mainly in chemo-resistance aspect for the very first time, providing a novel biomarker in breast cancer diagnosis and therapy.

The principle of enzyme kinetics suggests that the temperature sensitivity (Q10) of soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition is inversely related to organic carbon (C) quality, i.e., the C quality-temperature (CQT) hypothesis. We tested this hypothesis by performing laboratory incubation experiments with bulk soil, macroaggregates (MA, 250-2000 μm), microaggregates (MI, 53-250 μm), and mineral fractions (MF, MF>bulk soil >MI(P

The first genome-wide association study for coronary artery disease (CAD) in the Han Chinese population, we reported recently, had identified rs6903956 in gene ADTRP on chromosome 6p24.1 as a novel susceptibility locus for CAD. The risk allele of rs6903956 was associated with decreased mRNA expression of ADTRP. To further study the correlation of ADTRP expression and CAD, in this study we evaluated the associations of eight common variants in the expression-regulating regions of ADTRP with CAD in the Southern Han Chinese population. Rs169790 in 3'UTR, rs2076189 in 5'UTR, four SNPs (rs2076188, rs7753407, rs11966356 and rs1018383) in promoter, and two SNPs (rs3734273, rs80355771) in the last intron of ADTRP were genotyped in 1716 CAD patients and 1572 controls. The correlations between these loci and total or early-onset CAD were investigated. None of these loci was discovered to associate with total CAD (P > 0.05). However, with early-onset CAD, significant both allelic and genotypic associations of rs7753407, rs11966356 and rs1018383 were identified, after adjustment for risk factors of age, gender, hypertension, diabetes, lipid profiles and smoking (adjusted P < 0.05). A haplotype AGCG (constructed by rs2076188, rs7753407, rs11966356 and rs1018383) was identified to protect subjects from early-onset CAD (OR = 0.332, 95% CI = 0.105-0.879, adjusted P = 0.010). Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay showed that the risk alleles of the associated loci were significantly associated with decreased expression of ADTRP mRNA. Moreover, the average level of ADTRP mRNA expression in early-onset CAD cases was significantly lower than that in controls. Our results provide new evidence supporting the association of ADTRP with the pathogenesis of early-onset CAD.

The duck hepatitis A virus (DHAV), a member of the family Picornaviridae, is the major cause of outbreaks with high mortality rates in young ducklings. It has three distinctive serotypes and among them, serotypes 1 (DHAV-1) and 3 (DHAV-3) were recognized in China. To investigate evolutionary and antigenic properties of the major capsid protein VP1 of these two serotypes, a primary target of neutralizing antibodies, we determined the VP1 coding sequences of 19 DHAV-1 (spanning 2000-2012) and 11 DHAV-3 isolates (spanning 2008-2014) associated with disease outbreaks. By bioinformatics analysis of VP1 sequences of these isolates and other DHAV strains reported previously, we demonstrated that DHAV-1 viruses evolved into two genetic lineages, while DHAV-3 viruses exhibited three distinct lineages. The rate of nucleotide substitution for DHAV-1 VP1 genes was estimated to be 5.57 x 10(-4) per site per year, which was about one-third times slower than that for DHAV-3 VP1 genes. The population dynamics analysis showed an upward trend for infection of DHAV-1 viruses over time with little change observed for DHAV-3 viruses. Antigenic study of representative DHAV-1 and DHAV-3 strains covering all observed major lineages revealed no detectable changes in viral neutralization properties within the serotype, despite the lack of cross-neutralization between serotypes 1 and 3 strains. Structural analysis identified VP1 mutations in DHAV-1 and DHAV-3 viruses that underpin the observed antigenic phenotypes. Results of our experiments described here shall give novel insights into evolution and antigenicity of duck picornaviruses.

Heart failure affects 1-2% of the adult population worldwide and coronary artery disease (CAD) is the underlying etiology of heart failure in 70% of the patients. The pathway of apelin and its apelin receptor (APJ) was implicated in the pathogenesis of heart failure in animal models, but a similar role in humans is unknown. We studied a functional variant, rs9943582 (-154G/A), at the 5'-untranslated region, that was associated with decreased expression of the APJ receptor gene (APLNR) in a population consisting of 1,751 CAD cases and 1,022 controls. Variant rs9943582 was not associated with CAD, but among CAD patients, it showed significant association with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (431 CAD patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LV ejection fraction or LVEF< 40%) versus 1,046 CAD patients without LV systolic dysfunction (LVEF>50%) (P-adj = 6.71 × 10(-5), OR = 1.43, 95% CI, 1.20-1.70). Moreover, rs9943582 also showed significant association with quantitative echocardiographic parameters, including left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (effect size: increased 1.67 ± 0.43 mm per risk allele A, P = 1.15 × 10(-4)), left atrial size (effect size: increased 2.12 ± 0.61 mm per risk allele A, P = 9.56 × 10(-4)) and LVEF (effect size: decreased 2.59 ± 0.32 percent per risk allele A, P = 7.50 × 10(-15)). Our findings demonstrate that allele A of rs9943582 was significantly associated with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, the left atrial diameter and LVEF in the CAD population, which suggests an important role of the apelin/APJ system in the pathology of heart failure associated with ischemic heart disease.

The androgen receptor (AR) is a member of the steroid receptor superfamily that regulates gene expression in a ligand-dependent manner. The NTD of the AR plays a key role in AR transactivation including androgen-independent activation of the AR in castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) cells. We recently reported that amino acids (a.a.) 50-250 of the NTD are capable of modulating AR nucleocytoplasmic trafficking. To further explore the mechanism associated with a.a. 50-250, GFP pull-down assays were performed in C4-2 CRPC cells transfected with GFP tagged a.a. 50-250 of the AR. Mass spectrometry analysis of the pulled down proteins identified poly (A) binding protein cytoplasmic 1 (PABPC1) interaction with this region of the AR. In silico analysis of gene expression data revealed PABPC1 up-regulation in prostate cancer tissue specimens and this up-regulation correlates to increased disease recurrence. Co-immunoprecipitation assays confirmed the association of PABPC1 with a.a. 50-250 of the NTD of the AR. Knockdown of PABPC1 decreased nuclear AR protein levels and inhibited androgen activation of the AR target PSA in LNCaP and C4-2 cells. Additionally, knockdown of PABPC1 inhibited transactivation of the PSA promoter by NAR (AR lacking the LBD) and attenuated proliferation of AR-positive prostate cancer cells. These findings suggest that PABPC1 is a novel co-regulator of the AR and may be a potential target for blocking activation of the AR in CRPC.

Although many studies have indicated a relationship between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and hyperuricemia, a few studies specifically examining the effects of the severity of liver fat content (LFC) on serum uric acid (SUA) and the presence of hyperuricemia because of the limitation of the examination methods for NAFLD. In this study, we investigate the relationship between the NAFLD and SUA levels in the Chinese population using standardized quantitative ultrasound.A community-based study was conducted from May 2010 to December 2012. A total of 4,305 people aged 45 years and above without excessive drinking were enrolled. A standard interview and anthropometric and laboratory blood parameters were collected for each person. The standardized ultrasound hepatic/renal ratio and hepatic attenuation rate was used to quantify LFC.The prevalence of NAFLD and hyperuricemia was 33.1% and 17.1%, respectively. A total of 23.5% of the NAFLD subjects had hyperuricemia, and their SUA was higher than that of non-NAFLD subjects (327.2 ± 76.8 vs 301.9 ± 77.4 μmol/L, P < 0.001). The LFC was positively correlated with SUA (r = 0.130, P < 0.001) and an independent factor for SUA (standardized β = 0.054, P < 0.001). The OR for the presence of hypreuricemia was 1.175 (95% CI 1.048-1.318; P < 0.001) with a 1 SD increase in the log LFC. LFC greater than 10% was related to elevated SUA and an increased presence of hyperuricemia.LFC accumulation was associated with an increase in the prevalence of hyperuricemia and elevated SUA in our community-based population. LFC greater than 10% is related to the risk for hyperuricemia.

LHY (late elongated hypocotyl) is an important gene that regulates and controls biological rhythms in plants. Additionally, LHY is highly expressed in the SSH (suppression subtractive hybridization) cDNA library-induced stripe rust pathogen (CYR32) in our previous research. To identify the function of the LHY gene in disease resistance against stripe rust, we used RACE-PCR technology to clone TaLHY in the wheat variety Chuannong19. The cDNA of TaLHY is 3085 bp long with an open reading frame of 1947 bp. TaLHY is speculated to encode a 70.3 kDa protein of 648 amino acids , which has one typical plant MYB-DNA binding domain; additionally, phylogenetic tree shows that TaLHY has the highest homology with LHY of Brachypodium distachyon(BdLHY-like). Quantitative fluorescence PCR indicates that TaLHY has higher expression in the leaf, ear and stem of wheat but lower expression in the root. Infestation of CYR32 can result in up-regulated expression of TaLHY, peaking at 72 h. Using VIGS (virus-induced gene silencing) technology to disease-resistant wheat in the fourth leaf stage, plants with silenced TaLHY cannot complete their heading stage. Through the compatible interaction with the stripe rust physiological race CYR32, Chuannong 19 loses its immune capability toward the stripe rust pathogen, indicating that TaLHY may regulate and participate in the heading of wheat, as well as the defense responses against stripe rust infection.

Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a clinicoradiologic neurodegenerative syndrome characterized by predominant impairment of higher visual functions. Neuroimaging and neuropathological studies show that PCA is probably an atypical presentation of Alzheimer's disease. However, in China PCA has rarely been studied and remains largely unknown. Our study therefore aimed to analyze the clinical manifestations and patterns of cerebral atrophy, amyloid beta deposition and regional glucose metabolism in Chinese PCA patients, comparing them directly with those of typical Alzheimer's disease (TAD). Seven PCA patients, 6 TAD patients and 5 controls underwent neuropsychological assessment, MRI scan, 11C-PIB PET scan and 18F-FDG PET scan. Cerebral atrophy including ventricular enlargement, posterior atrophy and medial temporal lobe atrophy were evaluated with MRI. The uptake of 11C-PIB was quantified at the voxel level using the standardized uptake value ratio. Comparisons of regional cerebral glucose metabolism were calculated with statistical parametric mapping. PCA patients showed significant impairment on visuospatial function in neuropsychological assessment. And PCA patients showed more severe posterior atrophy and less severe left medial temporal lobe atrophy compared with TAD patients. The data from 11C-PIB PET scanning showed that amyloid beta deposition in PCA was comparable to TAD. Moreover, in PCA the results from 18F-FDG PET scanning revealed significant hypometabolism in the temporoparietooccipital region and identified specific hypometabolism in the right occipital lobe, compared with TAD. Our study thus provides a preliminary view of PCA in Chinese patients. A further study with a larger number of subjects would be recommended to confirm these findings.

BackgroundHouttuynia cordata Thunb. is an important traditional medical herb in China and other Asian countries, with high medicinal and economic value. However, a lack of available genomic information has become a limitation for research on this species. Thus, we carried out high-throughput transcriptomic sequencing of H. cordata to generate an enormous transcriptome sequence dataset for gene discovery and molecular marker development.Principal findingsIllumina paired-end sequencing technology produced over 56 million sequencing reads from H. cordata mRNA. Subsequent de novo assembly yielded 63,954 unigenes, 39,982 (62.52%) and 26,122 (40.84%) of which had significant similarity to proteins in the NCBI nonredundant protein and Swiss-Prot databases (E-value ConclusionsThis is the first application of Illumina paired-end sequencing technology to investigate the whole transcriptome of H. cordata and to assemble RNA-seq reads without a reference genome. These data should help researchers investigating the evolution and biological processes of this species. The SSR markers developed can be used for construction of high-resolution genetic linkage maps and for gene-based association analyses in H. cordata. This work will enable future functional genomic research and research into the distinctive active constituents of this genus.

Banana Fusarium wilt is a soil-spread fungal disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum. In China, the main virulence fungi in banana are F. oxysporum race 1 (F1, weak virulence) and race 4 (F4, strong virulence). To date, no proteomic analyses have compared the two races, but the difference in virulence between F1 and F4 might result from their differentially expressed proteins. Here we report the first comparative proteomics of F1 and F4 cultured under various conditions, and finally identify 99 protein species, which represent 59 unique proteins. These proteins are mainly involved in carbohydrate metabolism, post-translational modification, energy production, and inorganic ion transport. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that among the 46 proteins identified from F4 were several enzymes that might be important for virulence. Reverse transcription PCR analysis of the genes for 15 of the 56 proteins revealed that their transcriptional patterns were similar to their protein expression patterns. Taken together, these data suggest that proteins involved in carbohydrate metabolism and ion transport may be important in the pathogenesis of banana Fusarium wilt. Some enzymes such as catalase-peroxidase, galactosidase and chitinase might contribute to the strong virulence of F4. Overexpression or knockout of the genes for the F4-specific proteins will help us to further understand the molecular mechanism of Fusarium-induced banana wilt.

To explore the effects of neuronal Per-Arnt-Sim domain protein 4 (Npas4) on seizures in pilocarpine-induced epileptic rats, Npas4 expression was detected by double-label immunofluorescence, immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting in the brains of pilocarpine-induced epileptic model rats at 6 h, 24 h, 72 h, 7 d, 14 d, 30 d, and 60 d after status epilepticus. Npas4 was localized primarily in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm of neurons. The Npas4 protein levels increased in the acute phase of seizures (between 6 h and 72 h) and decreased in the chronic phases (between 7 d and 60 d) in the rat model. Npas4 expression was knocked down by specific siRNA interference. Then, the animals were treated with pilocarpine, and the effects on seizures were evaluated on the 7th day. The onset latencies of pilocarpine-induced seizures were decreased, while the seizure frequency, duration and attack rate increased in these rats. Our study indicates that Npas4 inhibits seizure attacks in pilocarpine-induced epileptic rats.

BACKGROUND: GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3) was recently proposed to function as a tumor suppressor gene in some types of human cancer. This study aims to investigate GATA3 expression and its prognostic significance in primary gastric adenocarcinoma. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and immunohistochemical staining methods, GATA3 expression was analyzed in tissue samples from a consecutive series of 402 gastric adenocarcinoma patients who underwent resections between 2003 and 2006. The relationship between GATA3 expression, clinicopathological factors, and patient survival was investigated. The expression status of GATA3 was shown to be clearly reduced in the tumor tissue samples compared with that in the matched adjacent non-tumor tissue samples by RT-qPCR (P = 0.0014). Immunohistochemistry analysis indicated that GATA3 expression was significantly decreased in 225 of the 402 (56%) gastric adenocarcinoma cases. Reduced GATA3 expression was also observed in patients with large tumors (P = 0.017), signet ring cell carcinoma or mucinous carcinoma (P = 0.005) and tumors with lymphatic or venous invasion (P = 0.040). Additionally, reduced expression of GATA3 was more commonly observed in tumors that were staged as T4a/b (P

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and prognostic significance of Uroplakin1A (UPK1A) in gastric adenocarcinoma patients. Functional studies were also analyzed in vitro. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), western blotting, and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining methods were used to analyze the expression of UPK1A in primary gastric adenocarcinoma tissue samples. Compared with matched adjacent non-tumor, the expression of UPK1A in fresh surgical specimens was reduced, which was confirmed by RT-qPCR (P

The mitotic spindle checkpoint (SAC) genes have been considered targets of anticancer therapies. Here, we sought to identify the attractive mitotic spindle checkpoint genes appropriate for human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) therapies. Through expression profile analysis of 137 selected mitotic spindle checkpoint genes in the publicly available microarray datasets, we showed that 13 genes were dramatically up-regulated in HCC tissues compared to normal livers and adjacent non-tumor tissues. A role of the 13 genes in proliferation was evaluated by knocking them down via small interfering RNA (siRNA) in HCC cells. As a result, several mitotic spindle checkpoint genes were required for maintaining the proliferation of HCC cells, demonstrated by cell viability assay and soft agar colony formation assay. Then we established sorafenib-resistant sublines of HCC cell lines Huh7 and HepG2. Intriguingly, increased TTK expression was significantly associated with acquired sorafenib-resistance in Huh7, HepG2 cells. More importantly, TTK was observably up-regulated in 46 (86.8%) of 53 HCC specimens. A series of in vitro and in vivo functional experiment assays showed that TTK overexpression promoted cell proliferation, anchor-dependent colony formation and resistance to sorafenib of HCC cells; TTK knockdown restrained cell growth, soft agar colony formation and resistance to sorafenib of HCC cells. Collectively, TTK plays an important role in proliferation and sorafenib resistance and could act as a potential therapeutic target for human hepatocellular carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether right liver lobe volume (RV) and spleen size measured utilizing magnetic resonance (MR) imaging could identify the presence and severity of cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis B. METHODS: Two hundred and five consecutive patients with clinically confirmed diagnosis of cirrhosis due to hepatitis B and 40 healthy control individuals were enrolled in this study and underwent abdominal triphasic enhanced scans using MR imaging. Spleen maximal width (W), thickness (T) and length (L), together with RV and spleen volume (SV), were measured utilizing MR imaging. Spleen multidimensional index (SI) was obtained by multiplying previously acquired parameters W×T×L. Then statistical assessment was performed to evaluate the ability of these parameters, including RV, SV, RV/SV and SI, to identify the presence of cirrhosis and define Child-Pugh class of this disease. RESULTS: SV and SI tended to increase (r = 0.557 and 0.622, respectively; all P

Galectin-3 has a relatively high level of expression in triple-negative breast cancers and is a potential marker for this disease. However, the clinical and prognostic implications of galectin-3 expression in breast cancer remain unclear. We examined mastectomy specimens from 1086 breast cancer cases and matching, adjacent non-cancerous tissues using immunohistochemistry. Overall, triple-negative breast cancers expressed galectin-3 more strongly than did other breast cancers types (63.59% vs 21.36%, P = 0.001). Galectin-3 expression was not found to be an independent prognostic factor for breast cancer by Cox regression analysis, but was associated with chemotherapeutic resistance. Apoptosis was only weakly induced by arsenic trioxide (ATO) treatment in galectin-3-positive breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7), although ATO treatment up-regulated galectin-3 expression. Knockdown of galectin-3 in MDA-MB-231 cells sensitized them to killing by ATO. These findings support a possible role for galectin-3 as a marker for triple-negative breast cancer progression and as a therapeutic target in combination with ATO treatment, although the mechanisms that underlie this synergy require further investigation.