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MUC1, a member of the mucin family, is expressed in tumors of various human organs and may function as an antiadhesion molecule that inhibits cell-to-cell adhesion, inducing tumor metastasis, and served as a potential biomarker of tumor progression in early gastric cancer. However, its prognostic significance in gastric cancer is still in dispute. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between MUC1 expression and prognosis of gastric cancer. A total of ten eligible studies with 834 cases and 548 controls were included. MUC1 positive cases were highly positive in intestinal-type carcinomas (OR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.27–2.44, P=0.0008 fixed-effect), higher rate of vascular invasion (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.13–2.39, P=0.009 fixed-effect), and lymph node metastasis (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.20–3.67, P=0.01 random-effect), as well as lower 5-year survival rate (HR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.11–0.66, P=0.004 random-effect). However, the presence of MUC1 was not associated with gender, tumor size, histologic differentiation, and clinical stage. In summary, MUC1 is a prognostic factor in gastric cancer, which acts as a marker of poor outcome in patients with gastric cancer. Further clinical studies are needed to confirm the role of MUC1 in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study we found that a blue shrimp (Litopenaeus stylirostris) lysozyme gene (Lslzm) was up-regulated in WSSV-infected shrimp, suggesting that lysozyme is involved in the innate response of shrimp to this virus. Shrimp were intramuscularly injected with Lslzm protein to identify how this recombinant protein protects L. stylirostris from WSSV infection and to determine how this protein influences nonspecific cellular and humoral defense mechanisms. Higher survival rates and a lower viral load (compared with controls) were reported for shrimps that were first injected with the Lslzm protein and then infected with WSSV. In addition, the Lslzm expression level and the immunological parameters (including THC, phagocytic activity, respiratory burst activity, phenoloxidase activity and lysozyme activity) were all significantly higher in the WSSV-infected shrimp treated with the Lslzm protein, compared with the controls. These results indicate that lysozyme is effective at blocking WSSV infection in L. stylirostris and that lysozyme modulates the cellular and humoral defense mechanisms after they are suppressed by the WSSV virus. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Osteosarcoma was locally aggressive and frequently metastasizes to the lung. However, the etiology of osteosarcoma was unknown. Thus, exploring the mechanisms behind the occurrence of osteosarcoma was important for its prediction and prevention. To investigate the usefulness of mammalian Eps15 homology domain 1 (EHD1) as a prognostic marker for osteosarcoma, the expression of EHD1 in 57 osteosarcoma patients was measured using immunohistochemistry techniques and correlated with the clinicopathological features of patients. Methods: Correlations of EHD1 expression levels with clinicopathological features of patients were assessed using the Pearson χ2 test for categorical variables and the Student t test for continuous variables. Cumulative disease-free survival (DFS) curves and overall survival (OS) curves were plotted using the Kaplan–Meier method, and the relationship between each of the variables and survival was assessed by log-rank tests using univariate analysis. Subsequently, the parameters were tested using the multivariate Cox proportional hazards model, which was used to identify independent variables for predicting survival. EHD1 expression [P = 0.020; HR, 5.582; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.314–23.72] was an independent prognostic indicator of DFS in osteosarcoma patients; tumor size and EHD1 expression of osteosarcomas were independent prognostic indicators of OS in osteosarcoma patients. Results: EHD1 protein expression was a positive expression in examined tumor tissues. The median OS time of patients with high expression of EHD1 was 46.8 months (95% CI, 29.8–63.8 months), and the median OS time of patients with low expression of EHD1 was 58.8 months (95% CI, 31.6–86.0 months). The prognosis for patients with low expression of EHD1 in osteosarcomas was significantly better than that for patients with high expression of EHD1 (log-rank test, P = 0.019). Conclusion: The expression of EHD1 was negatively correlated with DFS and OS of osteosarcoma patients; therefore, the expression of EHD1 is a prognostic marker for prediction and prevention of osteosarcomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The ROS production, the percentage of dead and damaged haemocytes, the DNA Olive Tail Moment (OTM) value and the gene expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and thioredoxin (TRx), were studied in the Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, when exposed to acute pH stress. The increased ROS production in haemocytes and the increased OTM value in both the haemocytes and the hepatopancreas cells suggest that oxidative damage occurred in shrimp exposed to pH 5.6 and pH 9.3, with apoptosis, mainly being associated with excess Ca2+influx and changes in cell viability. Acid and alkaline pH-induced DNA damage was time dependent in the haemocytes and the hepatopancreas cells. The concentration of intracellular free calcium [Ca2+] i after different pH treatments increased significantly over time, reaching its highest concentration after 12 h, but decreasing gradually to normal levels after 24 h. The [Ca2+] i content in shrimp cells when exposed to pH 9.3 and pH 5.6 for 12 h had increased by 58%–81%, compared with exposure to pH 7.4 (control). In addition, the gene expression of cMnSOD, CAT, GPx and TRx in the hepatopancreas of L. vannamei was induced by acid and alkaline pH stress, although there were differences in the expression response with respect to the duration of induction and the different pH treatments (acid or alkaline). Our results show that acidic or alkaline-induced oxidative stress may cause DNA damage, and cooperatively activate expression of CAT, GPx and TRx mRNA. Calcium ions appear to be important in mediating shrimp responses to pH stress. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]