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Cyclooxygenase-2 ( COX-2) plays an important role in the carcinogenesis and progression of gastric cancer. It has been demonstrated that COX-2 overexpression depends on different cellular pathways, involving both transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation. Micro RNAs (mi RNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs that function as post-transcriptional regulators. Here, we characterize miR-101 expression and its role in the regulation of COX-2 expression, which in turn, will provide us with additional insights into the potential therapeutic benefits of exogenous mi R-101 for treatment of gastric cancer. Our results showed that mi R-101 levels in gastric cancer tissues were significantly lower than those in the matched normal tissue ( P < 0.01). Furthermore, lower levels of mi R-101 were associated with increased tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis ( P < 0.05). We also found an inverse correlation between mi R-101 and COX-2 expression in both gastric cancer specimens and cell lines. Significant decreases in COX-2 mRNA and COX-2 levels were observed in the pre-mi R-101-infected gastric cancer cells. One possible mechanism of interaction is that mi R-101 inhibited COX-2 expression by directly binding to the 3′- UTR of COX-2 m RNA. Overexpression of mi R-101 in gastric cancer cell lines also inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in vitro, as well as inhibiting tumor growth in vivo. These results collectively indicate that mi R-101 may function as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer, with COX-2 as a direct target. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, C(11)H(10)Cl(2), is a useful inter-mediate for the synthesis of 1H-cyclo-propa[b]naphthalene. Strain in the mol-ecule is evidenced by the fact that the cyclo-hexane ring is essentially planar and nearly coplanar with the benzene ring [dihedral angle 1.87 (18)°], and the cyclo-propyl ring is almost perpendicular to the cyclo-hexane ring [dihedral angle 70.99 (12)°]. The mol-ecules are loosely connected into one-dimensional chains by inter-molecular Cl⋯Cl inter-actions with a distance of 3.571 (1) Å. The centroid-to-centroid distance between stacked benzene rings is ca 5.89 Å, indicating that no π-π stacking exists in the crystal structure.

Objective: To analyze the spatial distribution of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and to explore environmental factors associated with HPAI using geographic information system (GIS) techniques in Mainland China., Methods: Databases were set up using the information of HPAI during epidemics in 2004, and linked to digital maps at provincial and county administrative layers in the country through the ArcGIS 8.3 software. Spatial cluster analyses, spatial statistics analyses and tracking analyses on epidemic situation of HPAI were implemented. Environmental factors associated with HPAI were also analyzed on data related to weather, vegetation and migratory birds etc., Results: Findings from spatial cluster analyses showed that high incidence area was centralized in 113.261 degrees ordm; east longitude and 23. 119 degrees ordm; north latitude with a radius of 1090.52 kilometers (relative risk= 2.646, P value= 0.001). Spatial statistical analyses showed that HPAI took place mainly in capital cities of provinces and surrounding areas as well as in the circumference areas of arterial rivers, lakes and seacoasts. Results also showed that HPAI occurrences were associated with low air temperature, high relative humidity and high air pressure as well as with east & central migration routes of migratory birds. The average normalized difference vegetation index was 0.36 +/- 0.11 in epidemic areas of HPAI., Conclusion: HPAI was unrandomly distributed and geographically clustered in China.