[Retracted] MicroRNA­655 attenuates the malignant biological behaviours of retinoblastoma cells by directly targeting PAX6 and suppressing the ERK and p38 MAPK signalling pathways.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editors' attention by a concerned reader that data shown in various of the panels portraying the results from flow cytometric experiments in Fig. 2D, 5D and 6D were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles by different authors. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published elsewhere, or were already under consideration for publication, prior to its submission to Oncology Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. The authors were asked for an explanation to account for these concerns, but the Editorial Office did not receive a reply. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Oncology Reports 39: 2040­2050, 2018; DOI: 10.3892/or.2018.6264].

Effect of HO-1-modified BMMSCs on immune function in liver transplantation.

We examined whether haem oxygenase-1 (HO-1) could enhance the immunosuppressive effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) on the rejection of transplanted liver allografts in rats. The animals were divided into three groups: the normal saline (NS) group, BMMSC group and HO-1/BMMSCs group. In vitro, the extraction, culture and HO-1 transfection of BMMSCs were performed. Mixed lymphocyte response (MLR) analysis of HO-1/BMMSCs efficacy was performed. The rejection model of orthotopic liver transplantation in rats was established when BMMSCs and HO-1/BMMSCs were transfused via the portal vein. To reduce research bias, we established an isogenic Liver transplantation model of (LEW → LEW) and (BN → BN), which can achieve tolerance. Changes in histopathology and liver function in the transplanted liver and changes in regulatory T cell (Tregs), natural killer (NK) cells and cytokines after transplantation were observed in the different groups. The severe acute rejection after liver transplantation on postoperative Day 10 was observed in the NS group. The BMMSC group showed strong protective effects against rejection within the first 10 days after transplantation, while HO-1/BMMSCs showed stronger effects on rejection than BMMSCs alone. In addition, the activity of natural killer (NK) cells decreased significantly, the levels of regulatory T cells (Tregs), interleukin-10 (IL-10) and transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) increased significantly and the levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-17 (IL-17), interleukin-23 (IL-23), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) decreased significantly in the HO-1/BMMSC group compared with the BMMSC group. HO-1/BMMSCs showed better immunosuppressive effects after liver transplantation than the other treatments. Our findings reveal that HO-1 can enhance the effects of BMMSCs on inhibiting acute rejection in orthotopic liver transplantation in rats.

Prediction and follow-up of risk factors for severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia and application of CT visual scoring.

BACKGROUND: The SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia infection is associated with high rates of hospitalization and mortality and this has placed healthcare systems under strain. Our study provides a novel method for the progress prediction, clinical treatment and prognosis of NCP, and has important clinical value for timely treatment of severe NCP patients. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the clinical features and severe illness risk factors of the patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP), in order to provide support for the progression prediction, clinical treatment and prognosis of NCP patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 196 NCP patients treated in our hospital from January 25, 2020 to June 21, 2020 were divided into the severe group and the mild group. The clinical features of the two groups were analyzed and compared. The risk factors were explored by using multivariate logistic regression, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was obtained. The correlations of the risk factors with the prognosis of NCP were investigated combined with the lung function test. RESULTS: The primary clinical symptoms of 196 cases of NCP included fever in 167 cases (85.2%) and cough in 121 cases (61.73%). The chest computed tomography (CT) scans of the 178 cases (90.81%) showed a typical ground-glass opacification. In 149 cases, the lymphocyte count was decreased, while the levels of creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), c-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and D-dimer (D-D) increased. 44 cases (22.45%) were found to be severely ill. The multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age, underlying disease, length of hospital stay, body mass index (BMI), LDH, chest CT visual score, absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and CRP were risk factors for severe.

MicroRNA-655 attenuates the malignant biological behaviours of retinoblastoma cells by directly targeting PAX6 and suppressing the ERK and p38 MAPK signalling pathways.

Numerous studies have indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) regulate signalling molecules by acting as oncogenes or tumour-suppressor genes in retinoblastoma (RB). Therefore, investigation of the expression pattern, biological roles and associated mechanisms of cancer-related miRNAs in RB may provide novel therapeutic targets for patients with this disease. miRNA-655 (miR-655) has been reported to be aberrantly expressed in many types of cancers. However, the expression pattern, detailed biological function and underlying molecular mechanisms of miR-655 in RB remain to be clarified. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to detect miR-655 in RB, investigate its biological roles in RB and determine the underlying molecular mechanisms. The results of the present study showed that miR-655 was significantly downregulated in RB tissues and cell lines. Overexpression of miR-655 inhibited the proliferation and invasion ability while it increased the apoptosis of RB cells. Additionally, paired box 6 (PAX6) was identified as a direct target of miR-655 in RB. Furthermore, PAX6 was highly expressed in RB tissues and was negatively correlated with miR-655 expression. PAX6 knockdown recapitulated effects similar to those observed following miR-655 overexpression regarding the proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of RB cells. Rescue experiments demonstrated that restoration of PAX6 expression reversed the tumour-suppressing roles of miR-655 in RB cells. Moreover, upregulation of miR-655 reduced activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling pathways in RB cells through PAX6 regulation. Therefore, restoration of miR-655 expression may be a promising therapeutic strategy for treating patients with RB in the future.