Extralobar pulmonary sequestration in children with abdominal pain: Four case reports.

BACKGROUND: Extralobar pulmonary sequestration (ELS) with torsion is extremely rare, consequently, the diagnosis of ELS with torsion in children presents a challenge for clinicians. Herein, we report four cases of ELS with torsion that presented with abdominal pain, and further review the relevant literature to summarize the clinical features. CASE SUMMARY: Four children presented to our department with abdominal pain. All underwent chest computed tomography, which revealed an intrathoracic soft tissue mass with pleural effusion. All four children underwent thoracoscopic resection of the identified pulmonary sequestration, and the vascular pedicle was clipped and excised. None of the patients experienced any postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: Clinicians should consider the possibility of ELS with torsion in children presenting with abdominal pain as the chief complaint.

Sodium Octahydridotriborate as a Solid Electrolyte with Excellent Stability Against Sodium-Metal Anode.

Solid-state sodium metal batteries have been extensively investigated because of their potential to improve safety, cost-effectiveness, and energy density. The development of such batteries urgently required a solid-state electrolyte with fast Na-ion conduction and favorable interfacial compatibility. Herein, the progress on developing the NaB3H8 solid-state electrolytes is reported, which show a liquid-like ionic conductivity of 0.05 S cm-1 at 56 °C with an activation energy of 0.35 eV after an order-disorder phase transformation, matching or surpassing the best single-anion hydridoborate conductors investigated up to now. The steady polarization voltage and significantly decreased resistance are achieved in the symmetric Na/NaB3H8/Na cell, indicating the great electrochemical stability and favorable interfacial contact with the Na metal of NaB3H8. Furthermore, a Na/NaB3H8/TiS2 battery, the first high-rate (up to 1 C) solid-state sodium metal battery using the single-anion hydridoborate electrolyte, is demonstrated, which exhibits superior rate capability (168.2 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C and 141.2 mAh g-1 at 1 C) and long-term cycling stability (70.9% capacity retention at 1 C after 300 cycles) at 30 °C. This work may present a new possibility to solve the interfacial limitations and find a new group of solid-state electrolytes for high-performance sodium metal batteries.

An injectable, chitosan-based hydrogel prepared by Schiff base reaction for anti-bacterial and sustained release applications.

Injectable hydrogels, providing sustained release as implanted materials, have received tremendous attention. In this study, chitosan-based hydrogels were prepared via Schiff base reaction of the aldehyde groups on Poly(NIPAM-co-FBEMA) and the amine groups on chitosan. Owing to the dynamic covalent linkage, the SC/PNF hydrogels exhibit pH-responsive, reversible sol-gel transition, injectable, and self-healing capacity. The mechanical strength of SC/PNF hydrogels can be operated simply by switching the composition or solid content of Poly(NIPAM-co-FBEMA) copolymers. Rheological analyses, including frequency sweeps, strain sweep scanning, and dynamic time sweeps, were employed to demonstrate the relationship between storage modulus (G'), loss modulus (G″), and composition of the SC/PNF hydrogels. In vitro release behaviors reveal that vancomycin-loaded SC/PNF hydrogel could contribute to both the initial burst release (over 1000 ppm within 4 h) and the sustained release (3000 ppm for at least 30 days). Pristine SC/PNF hydrogel holds good biocompatibility toward L929 cells and S. aureus that it degrades as incubated with S. aureus. However, vancomycin-wrapped SC/PNF hydrogel possesses a rapid bacterial-killing effect with a clear inhibition zone. In short, the SC/PNF hydrogels deliver not only sustainable release ability but also tunable physical properties, which are expected to be an outstanding candidate for non-invasive, anti-infection applications.

Soybean steroids improve crop abiotic stress tolerance and increase yield.

Sterols have long been associated with diverse fields, such as cancer treatment, drug development, and plant growth; however, their underlying mechanisms and functions remain enigmatic. Here, we unveil a critical role played by a GmNF-YC9-mediated CCAAT-box transcription complex in modulating the steroid metabolism pathway within soybeans. Specifically, this complex directly activates squalene monooxygenase (GmSQE1), which is a rate-limiting enzyme in steroid synthesis. Our findings demonstrate that overexpression of either GmNF-YC9 or GmSQE1 significantly enhances soybean stress tolerance, while the inhibition of SQE weakens this tolerance. Field experiments conducted over two seasons further reveal increased yields per plant in both GmNF-YC9 and GmSQE1 overexpressing plants under drought stress conditions. This enhanced stress tolerance is attributed to the reduction of abiotic stress-induced cell oxidative damage. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses shed light on the upregulation of multiple sterol compounds, including fucosterol and soyasaponin II, in GmNF-YC9 and GmSQE1 overexpressing soybean plants under stress conditions. Intriguingly, the application of soybean steroids, including fucosterol and soyasaponin II, significantly improves drought tolerance in soybean, wheat, foxtail millet, and maize. These findings underscore the pivotal role of soybean steroids in countering oxidative stress in plants and offer a new research strategy for enhancing crop stress tolerance and quality from gene regulation to chemical intervention.

Manipulation of Giant Multipole Resonances via Vortex γ Photons.

Traditional photonuclear reactions primarily excite giant dipole resonances, making the measurement of isovector giant resonances with higher multipolarities a great challenge. In this Letter, the manipulation of collective excitations of different multipole transitions in even-even nuclei via vortex γ photons is investigated. We develop the calculation method for photonuclear cross sections induced by the vortex γ photon beam using the fully self-consistent random-phase approximation plus particle-vibration coupling (RPA+PVC) model based on Skyrme density functional. We find that the electromagnetic transitions with multipolarity J<|m_{γ}| are forbidden for vortex γ photons due to the angular momentum conservation, with m_{γ} being the projection of total angular momentum of γ photon on its propagation direction. For instance, this allows for probing the isovector giant quadrupole resonance without interference from dipole transitions using vortex γ photons with m_{γ}=2. Furthermore, the electromagnetic transition with J=|m_{γ}|+1 vanishes at a specific polar angle. Therefore, the giant resonances with specific multipolarity can be extracted via vortex γ photons. Moreover, the vortex properties of γ photons can be meticulously diagnosed by measuring the nuclear photon-absorption cross section. Our method opens new avenues for photonuclear excitations, generation of coherent γ photon laser and precise detection of vortex particles, and consequently, has significant impact on nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics and strong laser physics.

Ultrasonic evaluation of metoclopramide's effect on gastric motility in emergency trauma patients.

Objective: The present study aimed to use bedside ultrasound to evaluate the effects of metoclopramide on gastric motility in patients being treated for trauma in the emergency department. Methods: Fifty patients underwent an ultrasound immediately after attending the emergency department of Zhang Zhou Hospital due to trauma. The patients were randomly divided into two groups: a metoclopramide group (group M, n = 25) and a normal saline group (group S, n = 25). The cross-sectional area (CSA) of the gastric antrum was measured at 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 min (T = time). The gastric emptying rate (GER, GER=-AareaTn/AareaTn-30-1×100), GER/min (GER divided by the corresponding interval time), gastric content properties, Perlas grade at different time points, T120 gastric volume (GV), and GV per unit of body weight (GV/W) were evaluated. The risk of vomiting, reflux/aspiration, and type of anesthetic treatment were also evaluated. Results: The differences between the two groups in the CSA of the gastric antrum at each time point were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The CSAs of the gastric antrum in group M were lower than those in group S, and the greatest difference between the two groups occurred at T30 (p < 0.001). The differences between the two groups in GER and GER/min were also statistically significant (p < 0.001); those differences in group M were higher than those in group S, and the greatest differences between the two groups occurred at T30 (p < 0.001). There were no obvious change trends in the properties of the gastric contents and the Perlas grades in either group, and the differences between the two groups were not statistically significant (p = 0.97). The differences between the two groups in the GV and GV/W at T120 were statistically significant (p < 0.001), as was the risk of reflux and aspiration at T120 (p < 0.001). Conclusion: When metoclopramide was used in satiated emergency trauma patients, it accelerated gastric emptying within 30 min and reduced the risk of accidental reflux. However, a normal gastric emptying level was not achieved, which can be attributed to the delaying effect of trauma on gastric emptying.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase TaMPK3 suppresses ABA response by destabilising TaPYL4 receptor in wheat.

Abscisic acid (ABA) receptors are considered as the targeted manipulation of ABA sensitivity and water productivity in plants. Regulation of their stability or activity will directly affect ABA signalling. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades link multiple environmental and plant developmental cues. However, the molecular mechanism of ABA signalling and MAPK cascade interaction remains largely elusive. TaMPK3 overexpression decreases drought tolerance and wheat sensitivity to ABA, significantly weakening ABA's inhibitory effects on growth. Under drought stress, overexpression lines show lower survival rates, shoot fresh weight and proline content, but higher malondialdehyde levels at seedling stage, as well as decreased grain width and 1000 grain weight in both glasshouse and field conditions at the adult stage. TaMPK3-RNAi increases drought tolerance. TaMPK3 interaction with TaPYL4 leads to decreased TaPYL4 levels by promoting its ubiquitin-mediated degradation, whereas ABA treatment diminishes TaMPK3-TaPYL interactions. In addition, the expression of ABA signalling proteins is impaired in TaMPK3-overexpressing wheat plants under ABA treatment. The MPK3-PYL interaction module was found to be conserved across monocots and dicots. Our results suggest that the MPK3-PYL module could serve as a negative regulatory mechanism for balancing appropriate drought stress response with normal plant growth signalling in wheat.

The median effective volume of ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral nerve block with 0.3% ropivacaine in radical thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ultrasound-guided needle placement has revolutionized the thoracic paravertebral block technique and can be applied in thoracoscopic surgery. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the median effective volume (EV50) of an ultrasound-guided single shot of 0.3% ropivacaine used as a thoracic paravertebral nerve block for the radical thoracoscopic resection of lung cancer. METHODS: A total of 27 patients who received a single shot of ultrasound-guided thoracic paravertebral nerve block and underwent radical thoracoscopic resection of lung cancer were enrolled in this study between February 10 and August 13, 2018. All patients were rated as ASA grades I or II. Using ultrasound as a guide, the block needle was gradually pushed through the lateral costotransverse ligaments to the thoracic paravertebral space by the in-plane technique. After confirming the absence of blood or cerebrospinal fluid, 1-2 ml of 0.3% ropivacaine hydrochloride was injected to confirm that the position of the needle was appropriate, and a pre-determined volume of 0.3% ropivacaine hydrochloride was then administered to the patients. Sensory testing by pinprick was performed every 5 minutes for 30 minutes following the thoracic paravertebral block injection to identify the time segments during which the loss of sensation to the pinprick and its blocking effect occurred. RESULTS: All patients completed the study and 14 (51.8%) had a successful block. CONCLUSION: The EV50 of 0.3% ropivacaine was 18.46 ml (95% CI 17.09-19.95 ml) and the EV95 was 20.89 ml.

Vector optical field with the polarization varying along an arbitrary circular trajectory on the Poincaré sphere.

As an inherent feature of vector optical field, the spatial distribution of polarization brings additional degrees of freedom to engineer the optical field and control the interaction between light and matters. Here we focus on the variation of polarization in single vector optical field, which can be defined by the trajectory on the Poincaré sphere. Based on the amplitude-phase-polarization joint modulation method we propose, vector optical field, whose variation of polarization follows arbitrary circular trajectory on the Poincaré sphere, can be generated. Moreover, the tightly focusing behaviors of the vector optical fields with the polarization varying along parallel circles on the Poincaré sphere are compared. Relations between the circular trajectory and the central intensity of the hollow focal field are concluded.

The NF-Y-PYR module integrates the abscisic acid signal pathway to regulate plant stress tolerance.

Drought and salt stresses impose major constraints on soybean production worldwide. However, improving agronomically valuable soybean traits under drought conditions can be challenging due to trait complexity and multiple factors that influence yield. Here, we identified a nuclear factor Y C subunit (NF-YC) family transcription factor member, GmNF-YC14, which formed a heterotrimer with GmNF-YA16 and GmNF-YB2 to activate the GmPYR1-mediated abscisic acid (ABA) signalling pathway to regulate stress tolerance in soybean. Notably, we found that CRISPR/Cas9-generated GmNF-YC14 knockout mutants were more sensitive to drought than wild-type soybean plants. Furthermore, field trials showed that overexpression of GmNF-YC14 or GmPYR1 could increase yield per plant, grain plumpness, and stem base circumference, thus indicating improved adaptation of soybean plants to drought conditions. Taken together, our findings expand the known functional scope of the NF-Y transcription factor functions and raise important questions about the integration of ABA signalling pathways in plants. Moreover, GmNF-YC14 and GmPYR1 have potential for application in the improvement of drought tolerance in soybean plants.

Theoretical study of tunable magnetism of two-dimensional MnSe2through strain, charge, and defect.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide MnSe2(2D-MnSe2) with Curie temperature approximate to 300 K has a significant spintronic application on thin-film devices. We demonstrate theoretically a tunable magnetic transition of 2D-MnSe2between anti-ferromagnetic (AFM) metal and ferromagnetic (FM) half metal as strain increasing. Mechanism of that transition involves a competition betweend-p-dthrough-bond andd-ddirect interaction in 2D-MnSe2. Hole doping is an alternative way to enhance the stability of FM coupling. Adsorption (including Li, Na, Cl and F) and vacancy (Mn and Se) studies confirm that the controllable magnetism of 2D-MnSe2is related to both interaction competition and charge doping. Tensile strains can greatly amplify through-bond interaction and exchange parameters, resulting in a sharp increase of Curie temperature.

A Comparison of Puncture and Continuous Pump Analgesia With Two Different Approaches to Thoracic Paravertebral Block for Thoracic Surgery.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to compare the success rate of thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) and the effect of postoperative analgesia between two approaches. METHODS: A total of 34 patients with American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) physical status score II-III, undergoing an optional thoracoscopic surgery, were randomly assigned to a parasagittal approach group (group P, n = 17) and a transverse intercostal approach group (group T, n = 17). The catheterization time, success rate of the puncture and catheterization, block plane and effect at the surgical site were compared between two groups. The mean arterial pressure and heart rate were recorded, as well as the cold tactile block plane and numeric rating scale (NRS) at 0.5, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h after surgery. The study was registered at http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=9624 (Registration number: ChiCTR2100054642). RESULTS: The catheterization time in group P was significantly longer than that in group T (P < 0.05). The success rate of catheterization in group P was lower than that in group T, but no statistical significance (P = 0.085). There was no significant difference in the success rate of Puncture and blocking effect of the surgical site at 30 min post-injection between two groups (P > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the cold tactile block plane and NRS scores during coughing between two groups at 0.5, 2, 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h postoperatively (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that there is no significant difference in postoperative block level or pain score during coughing for thoracoscopic surgery between ultrasound-guided parasagittal and transverse intercostal approach, but the parasagittal approach takes longer and has a higher failure rate.

The Ankyrin-Repeat Gene GmANK114 Confers Drought and Salt Tolerance in Arabidopsis and Soybean.

Ankyrin repeat (ANK) proteins are essential in cell growth, development, and response to hormones and environmental stresses. In the present study, 226 ANK genes were identified and classified into nine subfamilies according to conserved domains in the soybean genome (Glycine max L.). Among them, the GmANK114 was highly induced by drought, salt, and abscisic acid. The GmANK114 encodes a protein that belongs to the ANK-RF subfamily containing a RING finger (RF) domain in addition to the ankyrin repeats. Heterologous overexpression of GmANK114 in transgenic Arabidopsis improved the germination rate under drought and salt treatments compared to wild-type. Homologous overexpression of GmANK114 improved the survival rate under drought and salt stresses in transgenic soybean hairy roots. In response to drought or salt stress, GmANK114 overexpression in soybean hairy root showed higher proline and lower malondialdehyde contents, and lower H2O2 and O2- contents compared control plants. Besides, GmANK114 activated transcription of several abiotic stress-related genes, including WRKY13, NAC11, DREB2, MYB84, and bZIP44 under drought and salt stresses in soybean. These results provide new insights for functional analysis of soybean ANK proteins and will be helpful for further understanding how ANK proteins in plants adapt to abiotic stress.

A Comparison of Analgesia After a Thoracoscopic Lung Cancer Operation with a Sustained Epidural Block and a Sustained Paravertebral Block: A Randomized Controlled Study.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to compare the challenge of puncture and catheterization and the effect of postoperative analgesia of ultrasound-guided continuous thoracic paravertebral block and the continuous epidural analgesia in patients receiving thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer. METHODS: One-hundred and fifty patients received elective unilateral thoracoscopic surgery for lung cancer and were randomized into three groups; test group 1 (T group), test group 2 (P group), and the control group (E group). Both of the test groups received ultrasound-guided continuous thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) while the control group received continuous epidural analgesia. After the operation, all the patients in the test groups received the same postoperative analgesia; loading dose 0.5 mg kg-1, background dose 0.25 mg kg-1 h-1, patient controlled analgesia (PCA) 0.25 mg kg-1, and a locking time of 60 min, while the patients in the control group received a loading dose of 5 ml, a background dose of 5 ml h-1, and a locking time of 20 min. The outcomes of this study were the success rate of the puncture and catheter placement, the blocked segments, numerical rating scale (NRS) scores at rest and during coughing, and the segments with reduced or lost cold and pinpricking sensation. RESULTS: The success rates of the puncture and catheterization in group T were the highest. Compared with group P, the failure rate of the puncture in group E was lower (p < 0.05), but the success rate of catheterization was higher (p < 0.05). The puncture time in group T was the shortest; there was no difference between group E and group T. The time of catheterization in group P was the longest, this was followed by group T, and was the fastest in group E. The stable time of the block level in group E was shorter than that in groups P and T, but was similar between groups P and T. The block level of all three groups in the 4 h postoperative period was similar (p > 0.05), while the 4 h postoperative levels of groups P and T were reduced significantly (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The continuous analgesia technique of paravertebral space catheterization cannot replace the continuous epidural analgesia in thoracoscopic lung cancer surgery as the latter technique is still considered to be the gold standard. TRIAL REGISTRATION: China Clinical Trial Registration Center identifier ChiCTR1900020973.

miR-184 Inhibits Tumor Invasion, Migration and Metastasis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma by Targeting Notch2.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: A recent study found that dysregulated microRNA-184 (miR-184) is involved in the proliferation and survival of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study aimed to evaluate the detailed mechanisms of invasion, migration and metastasis of NPC cells. METHODS: Quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to confirm the expression levels of miR-184 and Notch2. NPC cell invasion and migration were subsequently examined using in vitro cell invasion and wound-healing assays, respectively. MicroRNA (miRNA) target gene prediction databases and dual-luciferase reporter assay were adopted to validate the target genes of miR-184. RESULTS: MiR-184 was downregulated in the NPC cell lines. The miR-184 inhibitor increased the number of invading NPC cells, whereas miR-184 mimics inhibited the invasive ability of such cells. The protein level of E-cadherin decreased, whereas those of N-cadherin and vimentin increased in the anti-miR-184 group. This result showed that miR-184 inhibited NPC cell invasion and metastasis by regulating EMT progression. MiRNA target gene prediction databases indicated the potential of Notch2 as a direct target gene of miR-184. Such a notion was then validated by results of dual-luciferase reporter assay. Notably, shRNANotch2 restrained the EMT and partially abrogated the inhibitory effects of miR-184 on EMT progression in NPC cells. CONCLUSION: MiR-184 functions as a tumour-suppressive miRNA targeting Notch2 and inhibits the invasion, migration and metastasis of NPC.

MiRNA-34a reversed TGF-ß-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition via suppression of SMAD4 in NPC cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is considered a prerequisite for tumor invasion and metastasis in many cancers. However, the mechanisms underlying EMT in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is largely unknown. In this study, we found that transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß), which reportedly promotes EMT in multiple cancers, can trigger EMT and increase the invasive and migratory capacities of NPC cells. Conversely, the downregulation of SMAD4, a vital member of the canonical TGF-ß pathway, reversed the TGF-ß-induced EMT, invasion, and migration. Further experiments revealed that SMAD4 was the target of miRNA-34a, which was downregulated in NPC tissues and suppressed NPC cell metastasis in vivo. miRNA-34a overexpression also antagonized the TGF-ß-induced EMT progression, invasion, and migration through SMAD4 inhibition. However, the restoration of SMAD4 expression rescued the inhibitory effects of miRNA-34a on tumorigenesis. All these results confirmed that miRNA-34a suppressed the TGF-ß-induced EMT, invasion, and migration of NPC cells by directly targeting SMAD4, which indicated the potential of miR-34a as a therapeutic target against NPC.

TGF-? regulates the ERK/MAPK pathway independent of the SMAD pathway by repressing miRNA-124 to increase MALAT1 expression in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-?), a pleiotropic cytokine, promotes cell proliferation and migration in multiple cancers, including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). microRNA-124 (miR-124) becomes downregulated in NPC and inhibits the tumorigenesis of this disease. However, the role of miR-124 in TGF-?-induced NPC development remains unknown. In this study, constant TGF-? stimulation repressed miR-124 expression, whereas miR-124 overexpression antagonized TGF-?-promoted NPC cell growth and migration. miR-124 overexpression decreased p-SMAD2/3, SMAD4, and p-ERK levels, indicating that ectopic miR-124 overexpression inhibited SMAD and non-SMAD pathways. Pro-oncogenic lncRNA MALAT1 was targeted by miR-124 that regulated ERK/MAPK by targeting MALAT1 independent of the SMAD signaling pathway. In conclusion, our work clarified the significant role of miR-124 in TGF-? signaling pathways independent of the SMAD signaling pathway and showed the potential of miR-124 as a new therapeutic target against NPC.

MIIP gene expression is associated with radiosensitivity in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

The present study aims to investigate the radiosensitization effect of the migration and invasion inhibitory protein (MIIP) gene on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. The MIIP gene was transfected into NPC 5-8F and CNE2 cells. The level of MIIP was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis and western blot. The changes in radiosensitivity of the cells were analyzed by colony formation assay. The changes in cell apoptosis and cycle distribution following irradiation were detected by flow cytometry. The expression of BCL2 associated X, apoptosis regulator/B-cell lymphoma 2 was evaluated using western blot. DNA damage was analyzed by counting γ-H2AX foci. The expression levels of γ-H2AX were evaluated by immunofluorescence and western blot. In a previous study by the authors, the results indicated that the expression of MIIP gene evidently increased in MIIP-transfected 5-8F (5-8F OE) and MIIP-transfected CNE2 (CNE2 OE) cells compared with the parental or negative control cells. In the present study, the survival rate of 5-8F OE and CNE2 OE cells markedly decreased following irradiation (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 Gy) compared with the negative control (5-8F NC and CNE2 NC) and the untreated (5-8F and CNE2) groups. The expression of MIIP was able to increase apoptosis, which resulted in G2/M cell cycle arrest and DNA damage repair was attenuated in 5-8F and CNE2 cells following irradiation as measured by the accumulation of γ-H2AX. It was indicated that MIIP expression is associated with the radiosensitivity of NPC cells and has a significant role in regulating cell radiosensitivity.

MiR-152 functioning as a tumor suppressor that interacts with DNMT1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, miR-152 has been dysregulated in a variety of tumors and used as a tumor suppressor. Nevertheless, its role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unidentified. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Real-time quantitative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) was performed to analyze the expression of miR-152 in NPC cell lines. MiR-152 expression profiles in NPC tissues were obtained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO GSE36682). The effect of miR-152 on the invasion and proliferation of NPC cells was determined through cell invasion, wound healing, and cell viability assays. Apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry, and Western blot was performed to measure expression of the target gene. Pyrosequencing was used to detect the methylation level of NPC cells. RESULTS: In this study, miR-152 was downregulated in the NPC tissues and cell lines. When miR-152 was enhanced, the invasion and migration of NPC cells were inhibited. However, miR-152 had no effect on the proliferation of NPC cells. Luciferase reporter gene analysis was performed, and the results showed that DNMT1 (DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase 1) is a direct target of miR-152 in NPC cells. DNMT1 downregulation and miR-152 overexpression both reversed the effects of miR-152 inhibition on the NPC cells. In addition, miR-152 expression increased as a result of the inhibition of the methylation level of miR-152 when DNMT1 expression was downregulated. CONCLUSION: The overexpression of miR-152 inhibited the migration and invasion of NPC cells by targeting DNMT1. Furthermore, DNMT1 regulated miR-152 expression through DNA methylation. Overall, the novel miR-152-DNMT1 regulatory circuit may provide better understanding of the pathogenesis of NPC and new epigenetic therapeutic target in NPC.

Long non-coding RNA n326322 promotes the proliferation and invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to perform significant roles in cancer development and progression. Our research has found that a novel lncRNA n326322 was higher in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. Moreover, the gain and loss of functional approaches revealed that the overexpression of lncRNA-n326322 promoted NPC cell proliferation and invasion, whereas the downregulation of lncRNA-n326322 suppressed cell proliferation and invasion. Further experiments demonstrated that potential mechanism may be associated with the activation of PI3K/AKT and ERK/MAPK pathways. Taken together, these results indicate that lncRNA-n326322 is associated with tumorigenesis of NPC.