Calreticulin functions in antimicrobial immunity of obscure puffer Takifugu obscurus.

Calreticulin (Crt) is a highly conserved and multi-functional protein with lectin-like properties and important immunological activities. In this study, a Crt homolog, namely, ToCrt, was cloned and characterized from the obscure puffer Takifugu obscurus with an open reading frame of 1278 bp encoding a putative protein of 425 amino acids. The deduced amino acid sequence of ToCrt consisted of three conserved structural domains: N-domain, P-domain, and C-terminal domain. In the phylogenetic tree, ToCrt formed a separate cluster with three Crts from other pufferfish species (Takifugu rubripes, Takifugu flavidus, and Takifugu bimaculatus). The mRNA transcript of ToCrt was ubiquitously expressed in all the examined tissues in a decreasing order: liver, spleen, kidney, gills, intestine, and heart. After Vibrio harveyi, Edwardsiella tarda, and Aeromonas hydrophila stimulations, the levels of ToCrt mRNA in the kidney and spleen were significantly upregulated compared with that in the control group. The recombinant calreticulin domain of ToCrt (rToCrt) could bind three Gram-negative bacteria (V. harveyi, E. tarda, and A. hydrophila) and polysaccharides from bacterial cell walls such as lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan. Meanwhile, rToCrt could agglutinate different kinds of microorganisms and exhibit antimicrobial activity. These results suggested that T. obscurus ToCrt could serve as an antimicrobial effector in the host immune response against invading microorganisms.

The Diagnostic Yields and Safety of Double-Balloon Enteroscopy in Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding and Incomplete Small Bowel Obstruction: Comparison between the Adults and Elderly.

BACKGROUND: Double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) is widely used worldwide. However, comparisons between the diagnostic yields in adults and the elderly remain scarce. AIM: The aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic yields and safety of DBE between adults and elderly with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding and incomplete small bowel obstruction. METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent DBE with indication of obscure gastrointestinal bleeding or incomplete small bowel obstruction in Ruijin Hospital and classified them into adults (18-64 years old) and elderly (≥65 years old). Clinical characteristics, diagnostic yields, and postoperative complications were collected and further analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 877 DBE procedures, 729 in adults and 148 in the elderly, were performed. In the patients with OGIB, the adults showed a higher frequency of Meckel's diverticulum compared with the elderly (4.6% vs. 0.9%, P = 0.032). Angioectasia was higher in frequency in the elderly than in the adults (25.9% vs. 17.9%, P = 0.048). In patients with incomplete small bowel obstruction, the elderly were more likely to have adenocarcinoma than the adults (19.4% vs. 7.1%, P = 0.038). The adults had higher tendency to have Crohn's disease than the elderly (23.4% vs. 8.3%, P = 0.045). Most of the postoperative complications were mild. The adults and elderly displayed comparable tolerance to DBE (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: DBE has a high diagnostic yield in small bowel disorders, and a slight difference in disease spectrum was observed between the adults and elderly. DBE can be well-tolerated in the elderly.

TRIM29 facilitates the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and the progression of colorectal cancer via the activation of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Tripartite Motif 29 (TRIM29) has been newly identified as being implicated in cancer progression. However, the biological role and molecular mechanism of TRIM29 in the invasion and metastasis of colorectal cancer (CRC) remain to be determined. METHODS: The expression levels of TRIM29 and ß-catenin in CRC patient specimens were detected by immunohistochemistry. Recombinant lentivirus vectors containing the TRIM29 gene and its small hairpin interfering RNAs were constructed and transduced into CRC cells. Wound-healing and Transwell assays were performed to evaluate the migration and invasion abilities of CRC cells in vitro. Hepatic metastasis models in nude mice were established to validate the function of TRIM29 in vivo. Moreover, the expressions of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated proteins were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blotting in CRC cells. Finally, Western blotting, qRT-PCR, luciferase reporter assays, and immunofluorescence assays were used to explore the molecular mechanisms of TRIM29 in CRC progression. RESULTS: Increased TRIM29 expression positively correlated with lymph node metastasis and ß-catenin expression in patient CRC tissues. Overexpression of TRIM29 promoted invasion and metastasis of CRC cells in vitro and in vivo by regulating EMT, whereas the knockdown of TRIM29 had the opposite effect. Further mechanistic studies suggest that TRIM29 can activate the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway via up-regulating CD44 expression in colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: TRIM29 induces EMT through activating the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway via up-regulating CD44 expression, thus promoting invasion and metastasis of CRC.

Comparison of patients' tolerance between computed tomography enterography and double-balloon enteroscopy.

BACKGROUND: Computed tomography enterography (CTE) and double-balloon enteroscopy (DBE) are widely used in diagnosis of small bowel diseases. Both of these examinations bring discomfort to patients. The aim of this study was to compare patients' tolerance and preference between CTE and DBE. METHODS: From August 1, 2014 to December 31, 2016, patients with suspected or known small bowel diseases who underwent both CTE and DBE were prospectively enrolled in our study. They were asked to fill out a questionnaire evaluating discomfort of the procedure after each examination. RESULTS: One hundred and seven patients completed our study. Abdominal distension, painfulness, tenesmus, general discomfort, prolonged duration, difficulty in completing the test, and discomfort after the examination were significantly lower with CTE than with DBE (P<0.001, respectively). Mannitol intake (47.7%), bowel preparation (31.9%), and radiation exposure (15.0%) were regarded as the three most intolerable burdens in CTE. Painfulness (38.3%), bowel preparation (26.2%), and invasiveness (16.8%) were considered as the three most unacceptable parts of DBE. More patients (61.7%) preferred to repeat CTE rather than DBE (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared to DBE, CTE was a more tolerable and less burdensome examination and enjoyed higher preference by most patients.