MiR-199 inhibits EMT and invasion of hepatoma cells through inhibition of Snail expression.

OBJECTIVE: MiR-199 expression is associated with liver cancer. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that miR-199 has a complementary binding site to the 3'-UTR region of Snail mRNA. This study investigated whether miR-199 plays a role in regulating Snail expression and affecting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and invasion of hepatoma cells. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay validated the targeted regulation between miR-199 and Snail. QRT-PCR was used to detect and compare the expression of miR-199 and Snail mRNA in human normal liver HL7702 cells, low metastatic MHCC97L cells, and high metastatic MHCC97H cells. MHCC97H cells were cultured in vitro and divided into two groups: miR-NC group and the miR-199 mimic group followed by the analysis of the expression of Snail, E-cadherin, and N-cadherin, as well as cell invasion ability by transwell assay. RESULTS: There was a targeted regulatory relationship between miR-199 and Snail mRNA. Compared with HL7702 cells, miR-199 expression was significantly decreased, and Snail expression was significantly increased in MHCC97L and MHCC97H cells, with more changes being observed in high metastatic MHCC97H cells. The transfection of miR-199 mimic significantly downregulated the expression of Snail and N-cadherin in MHCC97H cells, increased E-cadherin expression, inhibited the cell's EMT process, and invasion. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease of miR-199 expression plays a role in upregulating the expression of Snail and promoting EMT and invasion of hepatocarcinoma cells. The increase of the expression of miR-199 can inhibit the expression of Snail and inhibit the EMT process and invasion ability of hepatoma cells.

[Clinical characteristics and treatment of myoepithelial carcinoma of head and neck].

Objective:To investigate the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of myoepithelial carcinoma of the head and neck. Method:The clinical data of 59 patients with head and neck myoepithelial carcinoma admitted from January 2012 to October 2018 were analyzed retrospectively. The data was analyzed with SPSS 21.0 statistical software. Result:The follow-up period was 6 to 131 months. The mean follow-up time was 36 months. One patient（1.7%） was lost to follow-up, 17 patients（28.8%） had postoperative local recurrence, 8 patients（13.6%） had distant metastasis, and 5 patients（8.5%） had cervical lymph node metastasis; 14 patients（23.7%） died. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cumulative survival rates were 92%, 73%, and 62%, respectively. Survival rate curves of different treatment methods were significantly different by Gehan method（P<0.05）. Compared between the two groups, there was significant difference between surgery alone and surgery plus radiotherapy than radiotherapy alone and chemotherapy alone（P<0.05）. There was no significant difference between the other two treatment methods. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that tumor location, clinical stage and survival status and local recurrence rate were significantly correlated（P<0.05）, but gender, age and survival status and local recurrence rate were not significantly correlated（P>0.05）. Conclusion:The incidence of myoepithelial carcinoma is low, and the clinical manifestations and imaging studies lack specificity. The tumor is prone to local recurrence, invasive, and has a high incidence of distant metastasis. It is a highly malignant tumor. Surgical treatment is preferred and the requirements for first surgery are high, and major salivary glands and advanced tumors（stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ） are risk factors for survival and local recurrence. Early diagnosis and early treatment can significantly improve the survival rate of patients, reduce the local recurrence rate of tumors, and improve the prognosis of patients.

A complication of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis with Mirizzi syndrome.

A patient had right upper quadrant pain with sclera was transferred from emergency room to the hospital, she was proposed to have acute cholecystitis, gallstones, obstructive jaundice, and a four-year history of gallbladder stones. The NMR results showed that the gallbladder was significantly enlarged and the gallbladder wall was thickening irregularly. The liver morphology was not abnormal except with extensive intrahepatic bile duct dilatation. The MRCP results demonstrated that the intrahepatic bile ducts were significant expanded. The ERCP results showed that duodenal stenosis and extra-hepatic bile duct stenosis. We placed a plastic stent of 8.5Fr and 12 cm in length in the hepatic duct, and after biliary plastic stent placement, jaundice was rapidly reduced and liver function was improved significantly. A surgery was performed and the final pathologic diagnosis is a complication of Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis with Mirizzi syndrome. After the surgery of cholecystectomy and a bile duct repair were performed, the patient was recovered well. Conclusively, if a patient was diagnosed as biliary stricture, a biliary metal stent should not be placed until pathological diagnosis of malignancy.

[Regulatory effect of tiaoxin recipe drug serum on animal's Alzheimer disease related tau protein phosphorylation].

OBJECTIVE: To study the regulatory effect and possible mechanism of Tiaoxin Recipe (TXR) on animal's Alzheimer disease related tau protein phosphorylation. METHODS: NG108 cell model was treated with Okadaic acid and related parameters were determined using MTT staining, immunoblot, coimmunoprecipitation assay, etc. RESULTS: Shown by MTT staining, NG108 cell activity decreased significantly after treated with Okadaic acid for 12 hrs, which could be ameliorated by TXR rat serum. Revealed by immunoblot method, the Okadaic acid induced elevation of phosphorylated tau protein could partly be reversed after co-treated with TXR rat serum. TXR extract could inhibit the binding of tau protein with presenilin-1, which may regulate the tau protein phosphorylation, and could be observed by coimmunoprocipitation. CONCLUSION: TXR could inhibit tau protein hyperphosphorylation, which might partially be due to the TXR caused binding of presenilin-1 with tau protein.

Modulation of intrathecal morphine-induced immunosuppression by microinjection of naloxone into periaqueductal gray.

AIM: To study the involvement of opioid receptor of periaqueductal gray (PAG) and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the effect of intrathecal morphine on immune function. METHODS: Rat splenic natural killer (NK) cell activity was determined by a europium release assay; the concanavalin A-induced splenic IL-2 production, TNF-beta activity, and serum TNF-alpha level were determined by colorimetric thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and gentian violet assay, and serum corticotrophin (ACTH) level by radio-immunological method after intrathecal injection of morphine and PAG microinjection of naloxone. RESULTS: Intrathecal morphine inhibited splenic NK cell activity, IL-2 production, TNF-beta activity, and increased in serum ACTH level. Microinjection of naloxone 1 microgram into PAG partially antagonized the inhibition of NK cell activity and the elevation of serum ACTH level by morphine. CONCLUSION: The opioid receptor of PAG involved in the suppression of NK cell activity by intrathecal morphine, which was accompanied by an activation of HPA axis.

C-fos expression in spinal cord and brainstem following noxious stimulation and electroacupuncture plus noxious stimulation.

The present study was to trace the neuronal pathway in the spinal cord and brainstem following noxious stimulation and acupuncture plus noxious stimulation by using immunohistochemical technique to detect the expression of c-fos like protein. The results showed that in both the noxious stimulation group and acupuncture of Zusanli(St.36) and Lanwei(Extra 33) points plus noxious stimulation group a lot of Fos-like immunoreactive (FLI) cell nuclei appeared in the following structures: dorsal horn of lumbar and sacral spinal cord (Laminae I, II, V and X), n. reticularis lateralis, n. reticularis paragigantocellularis lateralis, area A1, n. tractus solitarii, n. raphe magnus, locus coeruleus, n. raphe dorsalis and the periaqueductal grey. In the control group no obvious c-fos expression was shown in the structures mentioned above. It was also shown that in the lumbar and sacral spinal cord the number of FLI nuclei in the acupuncture plus noxious stimulation group was more than that in the noxious stimulation group, but in locus coeruleus and the ventral part of the periaqueductal grey the number of FLI nuclei in the acupuncture plus noxious stimulation group was less than that of the noxious stimulation group. The results imply that acupuncture and noxious stimulation may activate the intrinsic pain modulating system through the spinal dorsal horn, then suppress the c-fos expression induced by noxious stimulation in the locus coeruleus and ventral part of the periaqueductal grey.

Inhibition of sympathetic nervous system by acupuncture.

The central and peripheral sympathetic activities were measured both physiologically and biochemically in either human subjects or conscious rabbits. Acupuncture reduced NE levels in perfusates of certain brain areas as well as in blood circulation, accompanied with a rise of pain threshold, and changes of certain physiological indices (palm temperature, fingerplethysmogram and pain tolerance threshold) which are related with functions of sympathetic nervous system. These results suggest that the NE neurons of NE ascending dorsal fasciculus has some antagonizing effect on acupuncture analgesic effect, acupuncture inhibits sympathetic activities, and such inhibition plays a favorable role in acupuncture analgesia.