Characteristics of the Intestine Extracts and Their Effect on the Crude Collagen Fibers of the Body Wall from Sea Cucumber Apostichopus japonicus.

Sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus will vomit their intestines during certain stimulations, and the collagen of the body wall will then be degraded. To define the effect of the sea cucumber intestine extracts on the body wall, the intestinal extracts and crude collagen fibers (CCF) of sea cucumber A. japonicus were prepared. According to the gelatin zymography, the type of endogenous enzymes in intestinal extracts were mainly serine endopeptidases with optimal activities at pH 9.0 and 40 °C. According to the rheology results, the viscosity of 3% CCF decreased from 32.7 Pa·s to 5.3 Pa·s by adding intestine extracts. The serine protease inhibitor phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride inhibited the activity of intestinal extracts and increased the viscosity of collagen fibers to 25.7 Pa·s. The results proved that serine protease in the intestinal extracts participated in the process of body wall softening in sea cucumbers.

Tripartite motif-containing protein 46 accelerates influenza A H7N9 virus infection by promoting K48-linked ubiquitination of TBK1.

BACKGROUND: Avian influenza A H7N9 emerged in 2013, threatening public health and causing acute respiratory distress syndrome, and even death, in the human population. However, the underlying mechanism by which H7N9 virus causes human infection remains elusive. METHODS: Herein, we infected A549 cells with H7N9 virus for different times and assessed tripartite motif-containing protein 46 (TRIM46) expression. To determine the role of TRIM46 in H7N9 infection, we applied lentivirus-based TRIM46 short hairpin RNA sequences and overexpression plasmids to explore virus replication, and changes in type I interferons and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) phosphorylation levels in response to silencing and overexpression of TRIM46. Finally, we used Co-immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination assays to examine the mechanism by which TRIM46 mediated the activity of TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1). RESULTS: Type I interferons play an important role in defending virus infection. Here, we found that TRIM46 levels were significantly increased during H7N9 virus infection. Furthermore, TRIM46 knockdown inhibited H7N9 virus replication compared to that in the control group, while the production of type I interferons increased. Meanwhile, overexpression of TRIM46 promoted H7N9 virus replication and decrease the production of type I interferons. In addition, the level of phosphorylated IRF3, an important interferon regulatory factor, was increased in TRIM46-silenced cells, but decreased in TRIM46 overexpressing cells. Mechanistically, we observed that TRIM46 could interact with TBK1 to induce its K48-linked ubiquitination, which promoted H7N9 virus infection. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that TRIM46 negatively regulates the human innate immune response against H7N9 virus infection.

Hierarchical integrated processing of reward-related regions in obese males: A graph-theoretical-based study.

Abnormal activities in reward-related regions are associated with overeating or obesity. Preliminary studies have shown that changes in neural activity in obesity include not only regional reward regions abnormalities but also impairments in the communication between reward-related regions and multiple functional areas. A recent study has shown that the transitions between different neural networks are nonrandom and hierarchical, and that activation of particular brain networks is more likely to occur after other brain networks. The aims of this study were to investigate the key nodes of reward-related regions in obese males and explore the hierarchical integrated processing of key nodes. Twenty-four obese males and 24 normal-weight male controls of similar ages were recruited. The fMRI data were acquired using 3.0 T MRI. The fMRI data preprocessing was performed in DPABI and SPM 12. Degree centrality analyses were conducted using GRETNA toolkit, and Granger causality analyses were calculated using DynamicBC toolbox. Decreased degree centrality was observed in left ventral medial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and right parahippocampal/hippocampal gyrus in group with obesity. The group with obesity demonstrated increased effective connectivity between left vmPFC and several regions (left inferior temporal gyrus, left supplementary motor area, right insular cortex, right postcentral gyrus, right paracentral lobule and bilateral fusiform gyrus). Increased effective connectivity was observed between right parahippocampal/hippocampal gyrus and left precentral/postcentral gyrus. Decreased effective connectivity was found between right parahippocampal/hippocampal gyrus and left inferior parietal lobule. This study identified the features of hierarchical interactions between the key reward nodes and multiple function networks. These findings may provide more evidence for the existing view of hierarchical organization in reward processing.

Cerebral blood flow alterations in hemodialysis patients with and without restless legs syndrome: an arterial spin labeling study.

Hemodialysis with restless legs syndrome (HD-RLS) is associated with alterations in neuronal function, the blood-brain barrier and iron deposition, thus affecting cerebral metabolism and perfusion. This study utilized three-dimensional arterial spin labeling (ASL) to identify HD-RLS-related perfusion patterns and potential relationships with disease severity. Twenty-six HD-RLS patients, 30 hemodialysis patients without restless legs syndrome (HD-nRLS) and 30 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls were included in this study. One-way analysis of covariance and post hoc analyses were used to assess differences in cerebral blood flow (CBF) values, demographics and clinical data among the three groups. Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted between altered CBF values in the HD-RLS group and clinical data. Compared with HD-nRLS patients, HD-RLS patients showed increased CBF in the right primary motor cortex (false discovery rate [FDR]-corrected P < 0.05). Compared with the normal controls, both HD subgroups (i.e., those with and without RLS) exhibited consistent CBF changes, including increased CBF in the left medial superior frontal gyrus and bilateral thalamus and decreased CBF in the left insular cortices (FDR-corrected P < 0.05). This abnormal hyperperfusion in the sensorimotor cortex and basal ganglia provides evidence for a sensory processing disorder in RLS that may be involved in the pathogenesis of RLS in HD patients.

Effects of microplastics exposure on ingestion, fecundity, development, and dimethylsulfide production in Tigriopus japonicus (Harpacticoida, copepod).

The effects of microplastics pollution on the marine ecosystem have aroused attention. Copepod grazing stimulates dimethylsulfide (DMS) release from dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) in phytoplankton, but the effect of microplastics exposure on DMS and DMSP production during copepod feeding has not yet been revealed. Here, we investigated the effects of polyethylene (PE) and polyamide-nylon 6 (PA 6) microplastics on ecotoxicity and DMS/DMSP production in the copepod Tigriopus japonicus. The microplastics had detrimental effects on feeding, egestion, reproduction, survival, and DMS and DMSP production in T. japonicus and presented significant dose-response relationships. The 24 h-EC50 for ingestion rates (IRs) of female T. japonicus exposed to PE and PA 6 were 57.6 and 58.9 mg L-1, respectively. In comparison, the body size of the copepods was not significantly affected by the microplastics during one generation of culture. Ingesting fluorescently labeled microplastics confirmed that microplastics were ingested by T. japonicus and adhered to the organs of the body surface. T. japonicus grazing promoted DMS release originating from degradation of DMSP in algal cells. Grazing-activated DMS production decreased because of reduced IR in the presence of microplastics. These results provide new insight into the biogeochemical cycle of sulfur during feeding in copepods exposed to microplastics.

Patterns of Gray Matter Volume Alterations in Hemodialysis Patients With and Without Restless Legs Syndrome: Evidence From a Voxel-Based Morphometry Study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences of gray matter volume (GMV) alteration patterns between hemodialysis with restless legs syndrome (HD-RLS) and hemodialysis without restless legs syndrome (HD-nRLS) patients using voxel-based morphometry. METHODS: Twenty-three HD-RLS patients, 27 HD-nRLS patients, and 27 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy controls were included in this study. One-way analysis of covariance and post hoc analyses were used to assess differences in GMV, demographics, and clinical data among the 3 groups. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted between altered GMV in the HD-RLS group and clinical data. RESULTS: Compared with HD-nRLS patients, HD-RLS patients showed decreased GMV in the left primary motor cortex (false discovery rate corrected, P < 0.05). Compared with the healthy controls, both HD subgroups (ie, those with and without RLS) exhibited consistent GMV changes, including decreased GMV in the bilateral anterior cingulate and paracingulate gyrus and left middle temporal gyrus (false discovery rate corrected, P < 0.05). The GMV values in the left precentral gyrus were negatively correlated with the RLS rating scores (r = 0.2138, P = 0.0263). CONCLUSIONS: This abnormal decreased GMV in the sensorimotor cortex provides evidence for a sensory processing disorder in RLS that may be involved in the pathogenesis of RLS in HD patients.

Abnormal Regional Neural Activity and Reorganized Neural Network in Obesity: Evidence from Resting-State fMRI.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate regional neural activity and regulation of patterns in the reorganized neural network of obesity and explore the correlation between brain activities and eating behavior. METHODS: A total of 23 individuals with obesity and 23 controls with normal weight were enrolled. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired using 3.0-T MRI. Amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and functional connectivity (FC) analyses were conducted using Data Processing Assistant for resting-state fMRI and Resting-State fMRI Data Analysis Toolkit (REST). RESULTS: The group with obesity showed increased amplitude of low-frequency values in left fusiform gyrus/amygdala, inferior temporal gyrus (ITG), hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus, and bilateral caudate but decreased values in right superior temporal gyrus. The group with obesity showed increased FC between left caudate and right superior temporal gyrus, left fusiform gyrus/amygdala and left ITG, right caudate and left fusiform gyrus/amygdala, and right caudate and left hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus. Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire-Emotional scores were positively correlated with FC between left hippocampus/parahippocampal gyrus and right caudate but negatively correlated with FC between left fusiform gyrus/amygdala and left ITG. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicated the reorganized neural network presented as a bilateral cross-regulation pattern across hemispheres between reward and various appetite-related functional processing, thus affecting emotional and external eating behavior. These results could provide further evidence for neuropsychological underpinnings of food intake and their neuromodulatory therapeutic potential in obesity.

Different iron deposition patterns in hemodialysis patients with and without restless legs syndrome: a quantitative susceptibility mapping study.

OBJECTIVE: Brain iron deposition in hemodialysis (HD) patients increases over time. Iron deficiency in gray matter nuclei has been reported to lead to idiopathic restless legs syndrome (RLS) symptoms. Regardless of unpleasant RLS sensations, the patterns of iron deposition between hemodialysis patients with RLS (HD-RLS) and hemodialysis patients without RLS (HD-nRLS) are still unclear. To evaluate the differences in iron deposition patterns between HD-RLS and HD-nRLS patients, we utilized quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). METHODS: In sum, 24 HD-RLS patients, 25 HD-nRLS patients and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. The QSM was used to assess susceptibility values of the regions of interest (ROIs), including the caudate nucleus (CN), putamen (PUT), globus pallidus (GP), thalamus (THA), substantia nigra (SN), red nucleus (RN) and dentate nucleus (DN). RESULTS: HD duration was significantly longer in HD-RLS patients than in HD-nRLS patients (P < 0.05). The susceptibility of HD-RLS and HD-nRLS patients in PUT was higher than that in HCs (P < 0.05), illustrating elevated iron content in the nucleus. Compared with HD-nRLS patients, HD-RLS patients demonstrated reduced susceptibility in CN and PUT (both P < 0.05). Compared with HCs, HD-RLS patients displayed decreased susceptibility in DN (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Different iron deposition patterns between HD-RLS and HD-nRLS patients in PUT and DN, which further support disturbed sensory processing in RLS, may be involved in RLS pathogenesis in HD patients.

Integration of Neural Reward Processing and Appetite-Related Signaling in Obese Females: Evidence From Resting-State fMRI.

BACKGROUND: The reward-related regions have been considered a crucial component in the regulation of eating behavior. Furthermore, appetite-related regions associated with reward can influence eating behaviors through altered functional activity related to food in brain areas associated with emotion, memory, sensory processing, motor function, and cognitive control. PURPOSE: To investigate the key nodes in obese females of reward-related regions and, based on key nodes, to evaluate the directionality of functional connectivity between key nodes and appetite-related regions. STUDY TYPE: Prospective. POPULATION: Twenty-eight obese and 28 normal-weight female controls of similar age. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 3.0 T MRI and echo planar imaging (EPI) sequence, 3D BRAVO sequence. ASSESSMENT: The fMRI data preprocessing was based on the Data Processing & Analysis of Brain Imaging and Statistical Parametric Mapping 12. Degree centrality calculation was based on the GRETNA toolkit and granger causality analysis were based on the DynamicBC toolbox. Statistical Tests: Independent two-sample t-tests were used to assess the differences in demographic and clinical data between two groups. Two-sample t-tests were conducted to test the difference in degree centrality and effective connectivity of key nodes between two groups. RESULTS: Compared with normal-weight controls, obese females showed an increased degree centrality in the left ventral striatum/caudate (t = 2.96808, P < 0.05) and decreased degree centrality in right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) (t = -3.3558, P < 0.05). The obese females showed directional effective connectivity between left ventral striatum/caudate and several regions (left inferior temporal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, postcentral gyrus, and right precentral gyrus) (P < 0.05). Directional effective connectivity was also observed between the right OFC and several regions (left middle temporal gyrus, cuneus, OFC, superior temporal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, and right inferior parietal lobule) (P < 0.05). DATA CONCLUSION: The left ventral striatum/caudate and right OFC are key nodes in reward-related regions. The key nodes with reward processing mainly enhance visual processing of information and further participate in cognitive, attention, and sensorimotor processing. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1. Technical Efficacy: Stage 4. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:541-551.

[Spiral thermo-expandable prostatic stent implantation for benign prostatic hyperplasia: Clinical analysis of 26 cases].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the surgical techniques and clinical effect of Memokath transurethral spiral thermo-expandable prostatic stent (STEPS) implantation in the treatment of BPH. METHODS: From January 2017 to January 2018, 26 BPH patients underwent Memokath transurethral STEPS implantation, 9 under the flexible cystoscope and the other 17 under the rigid cystoscope. The patients were aged 62－91 years old, with a prostate volume of 32－78 ml, postvoid residual urine volume (PVR) of (67.3 ± 11.2) ml, maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax) of (6.3 ± 1.8) ml/s, and IPSS score of 26.7 ± 5.7. Eight of the patients had preoperative urinary retention, of whom, 6 received catheterization and 2 had undergone cystostomy for bladder fistula before STEPS implantation. RESULTS: The operations lasted 15－30 minutes and were successfully completed in 24 cases while stent-shedding occurred in the other 2. Twenty-two of the patients achieved spontaneous urination immediately after surgery and 2 experienced bladder clot embolism. At 3 month after surgery, 24 of the patients showed significant improvement in PVR (ï¼»21.4 ± 7.7ï¼½ ml), Qmax (ï¼»18.3 ± 4.7ï¼½ ml/s) and IPSS (8.3 ± 2.1), and 13 exhibited no statistically significant difference from the baseline in the IIEF-5 score (14.1 ± 1.1 vs 14.3 ± 1.0, P > 0.05). At 12 months, all the patients were found with markedly improved urination but no adverse events except recurrent urinary tract infection in 2 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Memokath STEPS implantation, with its advantages of simple operation, high safety, definite effectiveness, non-influence on sexual function, is a new effective surgical option for the treatment of BPH.

Prognostic Value of a Long Non-coding RNA Signature in Localized Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can be used as prognostic biomarkers in many types of cancer. OBJECTIVE: We sought to establish an lncRNA signature to improve postoperative risk stratification for patients with localized clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Based on the RNA-seq data of 444 stage I-III ccRCC tumours from The Cancer Genome Atlas project, we built a four-lncRNA-based classifier using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operation (LASSO) Cox regression model in 222 randomly selected samples (training set) and validated the classifier in the remaining 222 samples (internal validation set). We confirmed this classifier in an external validation set of 88 patients with stage I-III ccRCC from a Japan cohort and using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in another three independent sets that included 1869 patients from China with stage I-III ccRCC. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Univariable and multivariable Cox regression, Harrell's concordance index (c-index), and time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curves were used to evaluate the association of the classifier with overall survival, disease-specific survival, and disease-free survival. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Using the LASSO Cox regression model, we built a classifier named RCClnc4 based on four lncRNAs: ENSG00000255774, ENSG00000248323, ENSG00000260911, and ENSG00000231666. In the RNA-seq and RT-PCR data sets, the RCClnc4 signature significantly stratified patients into high-risk versus low-risk groups in terms of clinical outcome across and within subpopulations and remained as an independent prognostic factor in multivariate analyses (hazard ratio range, 1.34 [95% confidence interval {CI}: 1.03-1.75; p=0.028] to 1.89 [95% CI, 1.55-2.31; p<0.001]) after adjusting for clinical and pathologic factors. The RCClnc4 signature achieved a higher accuracy (mean c-index, 0.72) than clinical staging systems such as TNM (mean c-index, 0.62) and the stage, size, grade, and necrosis (SSIGN) score (mean c-index, 0.64), currently reported prognostic signatures and biomarkers for the estimation of survival. When integrated with clinical characteristics, the composite clinical and lncRNA signature showed improved prognostic accuracy in all data sets (TNM + RCClnc4 mean c-index, 0.75; SSIGN + RCClnc4 score mean c-index, 0.75). The RCClnc4 classifier was able to identify a clinically significant number of both high-risk stage I and low-risk stage II-III patients. CONCLUSIONS: The RCClnc4 classifier is a promising and potential prognostic tool in predicting the survival of patients with stage I-III ccRCC. Combining the lncRNA classifier with clinical and pathological parameters allows for accurate risk assessment in guiding clinical management. PATIENT SUMMARY: The RCClnc4 classifier could facilitate patient management and treatment decisions.

Beagle sciatic nerve regeneration across a 30 mm defect bridged by chitosan/PGA artificial nerve grafts.

Longitudinally oriented microstructures are essential for a nerve scaffold to promote the significant regeneration of injured peripheral axons across nerve gaps. In the current study, we present a novel nerve-guiding collagen-chitosan (CCH) scaffold that facilitated the repair of 30 mm-long sciatic nerve defects in beagles. The CCH scaffolds were observed with a scanning electron microscope. Eighteen beagles were equally divided into CCH group, autograft group and non-graft group. The posture and gait of each dog was recorded at 12 and 24 weeks after surgery. Electrophysiological tests, Fluoro-Gold retrograde tracing test, Histological assessment of gastrocnemius and immunofluorescent staining of nerve regeneration were performed. Our investigation of regenerated sciatic nerves indicated that a CCH scaffold strongly supported directed axon regeneration in a manner similar to that achieved by autologous nerve transplantation. In vivo animal experiments showed that the CCH scaffold achieved nerve regeneration and functional recovery equivalent to that achieved by an autograft but without requiring the exogenous delivery of regenerative agents or cell transplantation. We conclude that CCH nerve guides show great promise as a method for repairing peripheral nerve defects.

Intestinal Microbial Community Differs between Acute Pancreatitis Patients and Healthy Volunteers.

A case control study including 45 acute pancreatitis and 44 healthy volunteers was performed to investigate the association between intestinal microbial community and acute pancreatitis. High-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used to profile the microbiological composition of the samples. In total, 27 microbial phyla were detected and the samples of pancreatitis patients contained fewer phyla. Samples from acute pancreatitis patients contained more Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria and fewer Firmicutes and Actinobacteria than those from healthy volunteers. PCoA analyses distinguished the fecal microbial communities of acute pancreatitis patients from those of healthy volunteers. The intestinal microbes of acute pancreatitis patients are different from those of healthy volunteers. Modulation of the intestinal microbiome may serve as an alternative strategy for treating acute pancreatitis.

[Radium-223 for the treatment of bone metastasis of prostate cancer].

Over 80% of the patients with prostate cancer (PCa) develop bone metastasis, which seriously affects the patients' quality of life and remains a major cause of morbidity. Radium-223 (Ra-223), a newly approved agent targeting bone metastasis of PCa, can improve the quality of life and prolong the overall survival of the PCa patients with bone metastasis. This article presents an overview of the clinical trials recently published on the management of bone metastasis of PCa with Ra-223.

[Efficacy of Lamiophlomis Rotata Capsule in the treatment of type â ¢B prostatitis].

OBJECTIVE: To study the therapeutic effect of Lamiophlomis Rotata Capsule (LRC) in the treatment of type ⅢB prostatitis. METHODS: We randomly divided 225 patients with type ⅢB prostatitis into an experimental group (n =125) and a control group (n =120), the former treated orally with LRC at 3 capsules tid while the latter with tamsulosin hydrochloride sustained-release capsules at 0.2 mg qd, both for 4 weeks. We compared the therapeutic effects between the two groups of patients based on the National Institutes of Health Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) obtained before, immediately after and at 4 weeks after medication. RESULTS: A total of 120 patients completed the treatment in the experimental group, which showed remarkable decreases as compared with the baseline in the pain score (5.30 ± 1.23 vs 14.68 ± 1.51, P<0.05), quality of life (QoL) score (6.46 ± 0.93 vs 8.52 ± 1.05, P<0.05) and total NIH-CPSI score (17.50 ± 2.77 vs 27.99 ± 2.98, P<0.05) after 4 weeks of treatment, but no significant change in the urination symptoms score (7.41 ± 1.16 vs 7.16 ± 1.04, P>0.05). The experimental group achieved even markedly lower scores than the controls in the pain symptom (5.30 ± 1.23 vs 13.67 ± 1.49, P<0.05), QoL (6.46 ± 0.93 vs 7.47 ± 0.88, P<0.05) and total NIH-CPSI (17.50 ± 2.77 vs 25.77 ± 2.01, P<0.05) but a higher urination symptoms score than the latter after medication (7.16 ± 1.04 vs 5.68 ± 1.34, P<0.05). At 4 weeks after drug withdrawal, the experimental group also showed significantly lower scores of the pain symptom (7.23 ± 1.03), QoL (6.58 ± 0.87) and total NIH-CPSI (22.18 ± 2.03) than the baseline (all P<0.05) and those in the control group (14.14 ± 0.98, 8.12 ± 0.72 and 26.89 ± 1.67) (all P<0.05). Apart from dizziness in 2 of the patients, who gave up medication halfway, no other obvious adverse reactions were observed during the experiment. CONCLUSIONS: Lamiophlomis Rotata Capsule deserves to be recommended for the treatment of type ⅢB prostatitis for its safety and effectiveness in reducing the pain and improving the life quality of the patients.

miR-129 predicts prognosis and inhibits cell growth in human prostate carcinoma.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small, well-conserved, non-coding RNAs that are increasingly identified as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in a number of cancers. Deregulated miR­129 is closely associated with tumorigenesis and cancer progression. However, the potential role of miR­129 in prostate cancer remains largely elusive. The present study investigated the role of miR­129 as a prognostic biomarker for tumor progression and clinical prognosis in prostate cancer patients. The examined prostate cancer tissues exhibited a significant reduction in miR­129 expression compared with the normal tissues (P=0.013). The expression levels of miR­129 were negatively correlated with histological grade (P<0.001), high preoperative prostate­specific antigen serum levels (P<0.001), pathological stage (P<0.001), high Gleason score (P<0.001), lymph node metastasis (P=0.002), angiolymphatic invasion (P=0.018), and biochemical recurrence (BCR; P=0.001). Use of the Kaplan­Meier analysis demonstrated that low miR­129 expression was closely associated with poorer BCR­free survival. Multivariate survival analysis indicated that miR­129 expression may be an independent prognostic marker for BCR­free survival in prostate cancer patients (P<0.001). Overexpression of miR­129 markedly attenuated prostate cancer cell growth by rescuing cell cycle­regulated protein expression. The present study suggests that miR­129 is downregulated in the cancerous tissues of prostate cancer patients, which was associated with poor BCR­free survival. Thus, it may be considered as a novel independent prognostic biomarker for prostate cancer. In addition, downregulation of miR­129 may serve a critical role in the proliferation of prostate cancer cells.

Nanogold-functionalized g-C3N4 nanohybrids for sensitive impedimetric immunoassay of prostate-specific antigen using enzymatic biocatalytic precipitation.

This work reports on a new impedimetric immunosensing strategy for sensitive detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in biological fluids. The assay was carried out on monoclonal anti-PSA capture antibody-modified glassy carbon electrode with a sandwich-type detection format. Gold nanoparticles-decorated g-C3N4 nanosheets (AuNP/g-C3N4), synthesized by the wet-chemistry method, were utilized for the labeling of polyclonal anti-PSA detection antibody and horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Upon target PSA introduction, the sandwiched immunocomplex could be formed between capture antibody and detection antibody. Followed by the AuNP/g-C3N4, the labeled HRP could catalyze 4-choloro-1-naphthol into benzo-4-chlorohexadienone. The as-generated insoluble product was coated on the electrode surface, thus increasing the Faradaic impedance of Fe(CN)6(4-/3)(-) indicator between the solution and the base electrode. Under the optimal conditions, the impedance increased with the increasing target PSA in the sample, and exhibited a wide linear range from 10pgmL(-1) and 30ngmL(-1) with a detection limit of 5.2pgmL(-1). A repeatability and intermediate precision of <14% was accomplished. The specificity and method accuracy in comparison with commercial PSA ELISA kit for analysis of human serum specimens were relatively satisfactory.

Long non-coding RNA ATB promotes growth and epithelial-mesenchymal transition and predicts poor prognosis in human prostate carcinoma.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified to be critical mediators in various tumors associated with cancer progression. Long non-coding RNA activated by TGF-ß (lncRNA-ATB) is a stimulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and serves as a novel prognostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the biological role and clinical significance of lncRNA-ATB in human prostate cancer have yet to be fully elucidated. The present study was designed to explore the expression of lncRNA-ATB in human prostate cancer patients and the role of lncRNA-ATB in prostate cancer cells. We showed that lncRNA-ATB expression was significantly upregulated in tumor tissues in patients with prostate cancer in comparison with adjacent non-tumor tissues. Further analysis indicted that high lncRNA-ATB expression may be an independent prognostic factor for biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival in prostate cancer patients. Overexpression of lncRNA-ATB promoted, and knockdown of lncRNA-ATB inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells via regulations of cell cycle regulatory protein expression levels. In addition, lncRNA-ATB stimulated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) associated with ZEB1 and ZNF217 expression levels via ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways. These results indicated that lncRNA-ATB may be considered as a new predictor in the clinical prognosis of patients with prostate cancer. Overexpression of lncRNA-ATB exerts mitogenic and EMT effects of prostate cancer via activation of ERK and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways.

Ultrasound-guided open nephron sparing surgery without renal artery occlusion for central renal tumors.

From January 2008 to January 2013, 11 patients with central renal tumors underwent ultrasound-guided open nephron sparing surgery (ONSS) without renal artery occlusion. We removed the lesions, and the cut edges of the tumors were negative. Thus, we deduced that ultrasound-guided ONSS is suitable for the cases with obscure tumor boundary or multiple lesions. It could achieve the purpose of thoroughly removing lesions, as well as to expand the application range of nephron sparing surgery.