A case report of encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis followed by cesarean section: Clinical diagnosis and treatment experience.

RATIONALE: Encapsulating peritoneal sclerosis (EPS), also known as abdominal cocoon syndrome, is an uncommon condition that typically presents with features of bowel obstruction. EPS followed by cesarean section is extremely rare. Intestinal obstruction caused by EPS lacks specificity and poses clinical difficulties for diagnosis and treatment. We present the case of a patient with recurrent intestinal obstruction followed by cesarean section, and the diagnosis of EPS was confirmed intraoperatively. The patient recovered well postoperatively, and achieved satisfactory therapeutic results. Management of this condition tests the surgeon's knowledge and experience of the disease. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 27-year-old woman with recurrent abdominal pain and distention accompanied by reduced anal discharge and defecation there months. The patient had a history of cesarean section 4 months earlier and recovered well after operation. She had no other history of abdominal surgery or diseases. On examination, a 10-cm long transverse incision was made in the lower abdomen, and marking on the intestinal movements were observed in the left mid-abdomen. A long, soft lump with good mobility was touched in the left lower abdomen. The abdominal computed tomography and small bowel barium meal examination revealed incomplete intestinal obstruction. DIAGNOSIS: Incomplete small bowel obstruction due to abdominal adhesions after the cesarean section was initially considered. INTERVENTIONS: After conservative treatment, the symptom of intestinal obstruction still recurred. Thus, we decided to perform a surgery of repeated decortication of fibrous peritoneal membranes. OUTCOMES: The operation successfully released the intestinal obstruction and abdominal pain, postoperative course recovered smoothly. LESSONS: After cesarean section could develop EPS. Intestinal obstruction caused by EPS lacks specificity and poses clinical difficulty in diagnosis and treatment. The management of this condition tests the surgeon's knowledge and experience, and surgery is an effective treatment measure.

MicroRNA­8063 targets heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein AB to inhibit the self­renewal of colorectal cancer stem cells via the Wnt/ß­catenin pathway.

The presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is a major cause of therapeutic failure in a variety of cancer types, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the underlying mechanisms that regulate the self­renewal of colorectal cancer stem cells (CRCSCs) remain unclear. Our previous study utilized CRCSCs and their parent cells; through gene microarray screening and bioinformatics analysis, we hypothesized that microRNA (miR)­8063 may bind to, and regulate the expression of, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein AB (hnRNPAB) to facilitate the regulation of CRCSC self­renewal. The aim of the present study was to confirm this conjecture through relevant experiments. The results indicated that compared with that in parent cells, miR­8063 expression was significantly downregulated in CRCSCs, while hnRNPAB expression was increased. Furthermore, hnRNPAB was identified as a direct target of miR­8063 using a dual­Luciferase assay. Overexpression of hnRNPAB promoted the acquisition of CSC characteristics in CRC cells (increased colony formation ability, enhanced tumorigenicity, and upregulated expression of CSC markers), as well as the upregulation of key proteins (Wnt3a, Wnt5a and ß­catenin) in the Wnt/ß­catenin signaling pathway. Similarly, after silencing miR­8063 in CRC cells, the characteristics of CSC were altered, and the expression of hnRNPAB protein was promoted. However, post overexpression of miR­8063 in CRCSCs, the self­renewal ability of CSCs was weakened with the downregulation of hnRNPAB protein, Wnt3a, Wnt5a and ß­catenin. These results suggest that as a tumor suppressor, miR­8063 is involved in regulating the self­renewal of CRCSCs, where loss of miR­8063 expression weakens its inhibition on hnRNPAB, which leads to the activation of Wnt/ß­catenin signaling to promote the self­renewal of CRCSCs.

OCT4B1 Promoted EMT and Regulated the Self-Renewal of CSCs in CRC: Effects Associated with the Balance of miR-8064/PLK1.

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are the main cause of tumor generation, recurrence, metastasis, and therapy failure in various malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC). Accumulating evidence suggests that tumor cells can acquire CSC characteristics through the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process. However, the molecular mechanism of CSCs remains unclear. OCT4B1 is a transcript of OCT4, which is initially expressed in embryonic stem and carcinoma cells, and is involved in the regulation and maintenance of an undifferentiated state of stem cells. In this study, three-dimensional (3D) microspheres were confirmed as CRC stem cells. Compared with that of parental cells, their self-renewal ability was significantly increased, and OCT4B1 expression was increased and promoted the EMT process. The knockdown of OCT4B1 decreased the self-renewal of CSCs and reversed EMT. Moreover, OCT4B1 induced the expression of Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1), which is a key regulator of EMT in tumor cells. Further examination showed that OCT4B1 regulated the miR-8064/PLK1 balance to exert its function. Taken together, our data suggest that OCT4B1 may be involved in regulating the self-renewal of colorectal CSCs through EMT, which is at least partially due to the miR-8064/PLK1 balance. This study indicates that OCT4B1 is a potential therapeutic target for CRC by targeting CSCs.

OCT4B1 promotes cell growth, migration and invasion suppressing sensitivity to οxaliplatin in colon cancer.

OCT4B1, a splice variant of OCT4, is a key regulator in maintaining the properties of pluripotency and self-renewal in embryonic stem (ES) cells. Recent results have shown that OCT4B1 is involved in tumorigenesis. However, the contribution of OCT4B1 in the tumorigenesis and drug resistance of colon cancer remains to be determined. The aim of the present study was to determine whether OCT4B1, which maintains the stemness of ES cells, promoted cell growth by facilitating transition of the cell cycle and reduced apoptosis in colon cancer and drug­resistant cells using flow cytometry and western blotting. The results showed that, OCT4B1 promoted the growth of colon cancer and drug­resistant cancer cells by maintaining the activity of ES cells and by facilitating the transition of the cell cycle and reducing apoptosis. Additionally, OCT4B1 was able to reduce sensitivity to oxaliplatin by altering the expression of two important mediators in drug resistance, P-gp and ABCG2 [ATP-binding cassette, sub­family G (WHITE), member 2]. Furthermore, OCT4B1 enhanced the ability of migration and invasion through alteration of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in colon cancer. In conclusion, to the best of our knowledge, the results demonstrated for the first time that OCT4B1 functions as an oncogene in colon cancer and provides the development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat colon cancer, particularly drug resistance.