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Background Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is a common disease of the digestive system with pathological characteristics of a decreasing number, or disappearance, of inherent glands of the gastric mucosa. CAG has been defined as a precancerous condition of gastric cancer. Intestinal metaplasia or intraepithelial neoplasia accompanying atrophied glands of the stomach is regarded as one of the most important precancerous lesions of gastric cancer. As a common malignant tumour, gastric cancer remains without a satisfactory therapy and its pathogenesis remains unclear, seriously threatening human life. Therefore, some scholars have proposed to prevent the incidence of gastric cancer by avoiding precancerous lesions. If CAG can be reversed, the incidence of gastric cancer can be substantially reduced. To reverse and prevent CAG and study its pathogenesis and therapy, it is necessary to develop an ideal, safe, stable, animal model. Aim To study a rapid, stable, and safe method of establishing a mouse model of human CAG. Methods Six-week-old Kunming mice were divided into a phosphate buffered solution control group, a Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) group, an N-methyl-N'-nitroguanidine (MNNG) group, an ammonia water group, and a group combining H. pylori, MNNG, and ammonia water (hereinafter referred to as the combined group). The mice were administrated with drinking water containing ammonia or infected with H. pylori through gavage. At the 30th, 60th, 90th, and 120th day after the last H. pylori infection, mice were selected randomly to collect their gastric mucosa for hematoxylin eosin staining, terminal nick-end labelling staining detection, and immunohistochemical staining for Bax and Bcl-2. In addition, H. pylori was isolated, cultured, and identified, and its extent of colonisation calculated. Blood was collected to detect inflammatory factors interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and immune function markers CD4 and CD8 to confirm successful establishment of the CAG model. Results The combined group showed slight CAG at the 90th day and moderate CAG at the 120th day, while other groups did not show CAG at that time. Conclusion The combination of H. pylori, MNNG, and ammonia is an effective method of developing a mouse model of human CAG.

Purpose: A opposite expression levels and roles of miR-330-5p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been reported in previous studies, so the clinicopathological implications and the prospective molecular mechanism of miR-330-5p in HCC require elaboration.Materials and methods: To examine the mRNA expression profile of hsa-miR-330-5p in HCC, a in-house RT-qPCR was performed, and the expression data was extracted from sequencing data and gene microarrays from the datasets of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), ONCOMINE, ArrayExpress, and Sequence Read Archive (SRA). To have an overview of the clinical value of miR-330-5p, all possible data were integrated to calculate the standard mean difference (SMD) and area under the curve (AUC) from summary receiver operating characteristic curve (sROC). The target genes of miR-330-5p were also predicted and the relative signaling pathways were investigated by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses.Results: According to the integrative analysis, the expression value of miR-330-5p in HCC was higher than in non-tumor tissue (SMD=0.47, 95CI%=0.31-0.63), and high expression of miR-330-5p was related with advanced HCC stage (SMD=0.27, 95CI%=0.08-0.46), poor differentiation (SMD=0.39, 95CI%=0.21-0.58) and poor prognosis (HR=1.91, Log-rank P=0.014). GLUD1, GOT1 and GLS2 were highly likely to be targeted by miR-330-5p, and the progression and prognosis of HCC might be influenced via the miR-330-5p–GLUD1/GOT1/GLS2 axis.Conclusion: The result showed a high-expressed level of miR-330-5p was in the HCC tissue compared with non-tumor tissue, and the overexpression of miR-330-5p indicated poor progression and prognosis in HCC.

Background: The expression level and clinical significance of integrin subunit beta 4 (ITGB4) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) remain unclear. Materials and Methods: Expression of I...

IL24 mRNA is known to have an apoptotic effect on cancer cells but not on noncancer cells. However, the expression level of the IL24 mRNA in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and its subgroups is rarely studied. In this study, the clinical implication of IL24 mRNA was evaluated in the common subgroups of HNSCC, including oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) for analysis. Substantial IL24 mRNA expression data were calculated from several databases, such as the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), ArrayExpress, Sequence Read Archive (SRA), ONCOMINE, and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. We ultimately collected a total of 41 microarrays and RNA-seq including 1,564 HNSCC and 603 noncancer tissue samples. IL24 mRNA was highly expressed in OSCC, LSCC, and NPC as shown by the separated standard mean difference (SMD), as well as HNSCC as a whole part (SMD = 1.47, 95% confdence interval (CI) = 1.24−1.70, P<0.0001). In all subgroups, the IL24 mRNA upregulation had the ability to distinguish cancer from noncancer tissue with area under the curves (AUCs) of the summary receiver operating characteristic (sROC) higher than 0.85. In conclusion, IL24 mRNA may be used as a potential marker for cancer screening, and its clinical diagnostic value needs to be further studied. It also provides a new idea for the treatment of the IL24 gene in HNSCC and its subgroups in the future.

AIM To explore the induction effects and mechanism of Solanum lyratum Thumb (ST) on human hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells through the mitochondrial pathway. METHODS The experiments were conducted on three groups: an experimental group (with ST ethanol extracts’ concentration being 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/L), a negative control group (with only nutrient solution, 0 mg/L ST ethanol extracts), and a positive control group (2.5 mg/L DDP). The inhibition rate of cell proliferation was checked by using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium method, and cell apoptosis was tested by TUNEL method. Furthermore, RT-PCR was used to examine mRNA expression of Fas, FasL, caspase-8, caspase-3, p53 and Bcl-2 genes. RESULTS Compared with the negative control group, the inhibition and apoptosis rates of the experimental group with different concentrations of ST extracts on human hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells significantly increased (P < 0.05). Besides, the mRNA expression of FasL and Bcl-2 significantly decreased (P < 0.05) while the mRNA expression of Fas, caspase-8, caspase-3 and p53 increased significantly. When compared with the positive control group, the experimental groups with 5 mg/L ST ethanol extracts showed effects similar to the positive control group. CONCLUSION ST ethanol extracts induced the apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma SMMC-7721 cells through up-regulated Fas, caspase-8, caspse-3 and p53, and down-regulated FasL and Bcl-2 in the mitochondrial pathway.

STUDY DESIGN This study is a result of manual and radiologic measurements of 50 isolated anatomic specimens of C1 and five patients of atlantoaxial instability treated by screw fixation via posterior arch and lateral mass. OBJECTIVES To investigate the feasibility of screw placement via posterior arch and lateral mass in atlas. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Several types of posterior approaches have been adopted for stabilization and fusion of atlantoaxial complex. Before this study, Gallie in 1939 gave a report on a posterior wiring technique that depended on a structural bone graft. Since then, double-looped wiring with two bone grafts and Halifax clamp technique had been introduced. A transarticular screw fixation technique was introduced by Magerl and Seeman in 1987, and a C1 lateral mass screw fixation technique was described by Harms in 2001. However, the feasibility of screw fixation in atlas via posterior arch and lateral mass has not been addressed until now. METHODS Fifty dry samples of atlas were measured manually and radiologically with vernier calipers, protractors, and CT. The parameters of posterior arch, lateral mass, vertebral artery groove, axis length of screw path via posterior arch and lateral mass, the entry point, and screw direction were measured. Five patients of atlantoaxial instability were treated with this technique and the radiographs and CT scans were evaluated after surgery. RESULTS The longest trajectory distance of the screw path was about 30 mm. The outer thickness at the thinnest part of groove was 4.58 mm, and it was found to be

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a kind of chronic infectious pathogen which can cause chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastric cancer and other diseases. The genetic structure of the pathogenic genes of H. pylori varies largely, which contributes to the differences in virulence among various strains, and in clinical symptoms. Virulence genes of H. pylori can be categorized into three main classes: those related to adhesion and colonization, those related to gastric mucosal injury, and others. This review focuses on the relationship between genetic polymorphisms of the three classes of virulence genes of H. pylori and diseases. Most of the genetic polymorphisms of the main virulence factors of H. pylori are summarized in this paper.

AIM: To investigate the rate of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) resistance to clarithromycin among ethnic minority patients in Guangxi, explore the underlying mechanisms, and analyze factors influencing genotype distribution of H. pylori isolates. METHODS: H. pylori strains were isolated, cultured and subjected to drug sensitivity testing. The 23S rRNA gene of H. pylori isolates was amplified by PCR and analyzed by PCR-RFLP and direct sequencing to detect point mutations. REP-PCR was used for genotyping of H. pylori isolates, and NTsys_2 software was used for clustering analysis based on REP-PCR DNA fingerprints. Factors potentially influencing genotype distribution of H. pylori isolates were analyzed. RESULTS: The rate of clarithromycin resistance was 31.3%. A2143G and A2144G mutations were detected in the 23S rRNA gene of all clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori isolates. At a genetic distance of 78%, clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori isolates could be divided into six groups. Significant clustering was noted among H. pylori isolates from patients with peptic ulcer or gastritis. CONCLUSION: The rate of clarithromycin resistance is relatively high in ethnic minority patients in Guangxi. Main mechanisms of clarithromycin resistance are A2143G and A2144G mutations in the 23S rRNA gene. Clarithromycin-resistant H. pylori isolates can be divided into six groups based on REP-PCR DNA fingerprints. Several factors such as disease type may influence the genotype distribution of H. pylori isolates.