Metabolic disturbance of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins to zebrafish larva.

Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are widely produced chemicals. Short-chain CPs (SCCPs) and medium-chain CPs (MCCPs) were listed as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) and candidate POPs under the Stockholm Convention, respectively. The present study explored the developmental toxicity and metabolic disruption caused by SCCPs and MCCPs in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae. CPs exposure at environmentally relevant levels caused no obvious phenotypic changes with zebrafish larvae except that the body length shortening was observed after exposure to CPs at 1-200 µg/L for 7 day post fertilization. A further metabolomic approach was conducted to explore the early biological responses of developmental toxicity induced by CPs at low dose (1, 5, and 10 µg/L). The results of metabolic disorder, pathway analysis and chronic values indicated that, compared with SCCPs, MCCPs exhibited more risks to zebrafish larvae at low doses. Lipid metabolism was markedly affected in SCCPs exposure group, whereas MCCPs primarily disturbed lipid metabolism, amino acid, and nucleotide metabolisms. Compare with SCCPs, the relatively higher lipid solubility, protein affinity and metabolic rate of MCCPs can probably explain why MCCP-mediated metabolic disruption was significantly higher than that of SCCP. Notably, SCCPs and MCCPs have the same potential to cause cancer, but no evidence indicates the mutagenicity. In summary, our study provides insight into the potential adverse outcome for SCCP and MCCP at low doses.

Immediate implant placement in the posterior mandibular region was assisted by dynamic real-time navigation: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: Efficient utilization of residual bone volume and the prevention of inferior alveolar nerve injury are critical considerations in immediate implant placement (IIP) within the posterior mandibular region. Addressing these challenges, this study focuses on the clinical efficacy and implant accuracy of dynamic real-time navigation, an emerging technology designed to enhance precision in implantation procedures. METHODS: This study included 84 patients with 130 implants undergoing immediate placement in the posterior mandibular region. Stratified into dynamic navigation, static guide plate, and freehand implant groups, clinical indicators, including initial stability, distance to the inferior alveolar nerve canal, depth of implant placement, and various deviations, were systematically recorded. Statistical analysis, employing 1- or 2-way ANOVA and Student's t-test, allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of the efficacy of each technique. RESULTS: All 130 implants were successfully placed with an average torque of 22.53 ± 5.93 N.cm. In the navigation group, the distance to the inferior alveolar nerve and the depth of implant placement were significantly greater compared to the guide plate and freehand groups (P < 0.05). Implant deviation was significantly smaller in both the navigation and guide plate groups compared to the freehand group(P < 0.05). Additionally, the navigation group exhibited significantly reduced root and angle deviations compared to the guide plate group(P < 0.05), highlighting the superior precision of navigation-assisted immediate implant placement. CONCLUSIONS: It is more advantageous to use dynamic navigation rather than a static guide plate and free-hand implant insertion for immediate posterior mandibular implant implantation.

A nationwide investigation on the characteristics and health risk of trace elements in surface water across China.

Rapid urbanization accelerates the release of anthropogenic heavy metals from local to wider water systems, posing a serious threat to aquatic ecosystems and public health. The characteristics of trace elements were investigated to evaluate the environmental status of surface water in 40 cities of China. The concentrations of 22 elements in surface water ranged from 7.00 × 10-4 to 4.37 × 105 µg/L. The water quality can be classified as "excellent" except Songhuajiang. The levels of As, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Hg are all within the limits permitted by national drinking water quality standards. An obvious regional distribution characteristic was observed, with concentrations of Zn, Mn, Ni, Cu, Co, U, and Cr higher in surface water collected in the north than in the south, while the trends for Cd, Tl, and As are opposite. Notably, Tl shows significant geographical divergences, with the level of surface water collected from the south nine times higher than that from the north. The regional distribution of the mineral, industrial, or agricultural activity might be responsible for the south-to-north difference of these elements. The hazard index (HI) and total cancer risk (TCR) through oral or dermal contact with water-related heavy metals were further calculated. The average HI was 0.54 in the north and 0.29 in the south for adults, while HI for children was relatively higher. The value was 1.01 and 0.55 in the north and south, respectively. TCR in the north is 2.58 × 10-4 and mainly contributed by Cr (88.1 %), while TCR in the south is 4.48 × 10-5 and mainly contributed by As (98.4 %). The research results can provide essential data for effective water resources management and human health protection in China.

HALP score based on hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte and platelet can predict the prognosis of tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Objective: The preoperative hemoglobin, albumin, lymphocyte, and platelet (HALP) score, a comprehensive marker of nutritional and immunological status, has been found to be robust for tumor prognosis prediction. Here, we evaluated the use of HALP in the prognostic prediction of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). Study design: Patients with TSCC were retrospectively recruited from the years 2009-2019. Patient clinicopathological characteristics, along with preoperative blood parameters, were recorded on admission, and the cut-off HALP value was determined by X-tile software. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate the predictive value of HALP for patient overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results: A total of 339 TSCC patients were enrolled. The optimal HALP threshold was 56 and the patients were divided into two groups according to their scores. The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that patients in the high-HALP group experienced longer OS (p = 0.007) and DFS (p = 0.006) than those in the low-HALP group. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated HALP (p = 0.038) was an independent predictor of OS, while age (p = 0.008), T stage (p < 0.001), N stage (p = 0.020), and degree of tumor differentiation (p < 0.001) were risk factors. Conclusion: The findings showed that the preoperative HALP score was an independent predictor of prognosis in patients with TSCC.

Integration approach of transcriptomics and metabolomics reveals the toxicity of Anthracene and its chlorinated derivatives on human hepatic cells.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and Chlorinated PAHs (Cl-PAHs) are ubiquitous environmental contaminants. The toxicological information of anthracene (Ant) and its chlorinated derivatives is quite limited. In this study, an integrated metabolomic and transcriptomic analysis approach was adopted to assess the toxic effects triggered by Ant and its chlorinated derivatives, 2-chloroanthracene (2-ClAnt) and 9,10-dichloroanthracen (9,10-Cl2Ant), at human-relevant levels on human normal hepatocyte L02 cells. The cell viability test showed no significant effects on the viability of L02 cells exposed to Ant, 2-ClAnt and 9,10-Cl2Ant at doses of 5-500 nM for 24 h. However, based on transcriptomic analysis, Ant, 2-ClAnt and 9,10-Cl2Ant exposure at human-relevant levels obviously perturbed global gene expression in L02 cells and induced the differential expression of several genes related to cancer development. As the number of genes related to cancer development altered by 9,10-Cl2Ant is the largest, 9,10-Cl2Ant posed greater risks of tumor development than Ant and 2-ClAnt did. Metabolomics analysis demonstrated that Ant, 2-ClAnt and 9,10-Cl2Ant caused significant metabolic perturbation in L02 cells. Pathway enrichment analysis indicated that Ant, 2-ClAnt and 9,10-Cl2Ant mainly perturbed the lipid metabolism and nucleotide metabolism pathway. However, 9,10-Cl2Ant caused a wider perturbation to metabolic pathways than Ant and 2-ClAnt did. In addition, dysregulation of nucleotide metabolism perturbed by Ant, 2-ClAnt and 9,10-Cl2Ant may be associated with the genomic instability and further carcinogenesis.

[Determination of short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins in different components of human blood using gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion-low resolution mass spectrometry].

Short- and medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs and MCCPs) have attracted significant attention because of their persistence, biotoxicity, bioaccumulation, and long-range migration. Given their worldwide detection in a variety of environmental matrices, concerns related to the high exposure risks of SCCPs and MCCPs to humans have grown. Thus, knowledge of the contamination patterns of SCCPs and MCCPs and their distribution characteristics in the vivo exposure of humans is of great importance. However, little information is available on the contamination of SCCPs and MCCPs in human blood/plasma/serum, mainly because of the difficulty of sample preparation and quantitative analysis. In this study, a new blood sample pretreatment method based on Percoll discontinuous density gradient centrifugation was developed to separate plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets from human whole blood. A series of Percoll sodium chloride buffer solutions with mass concentrations of 1.095, 1.077, and 1.060 g/mL were placed in a centrifuge tube from top to bottom to establish discontinuous density gradients. The dosage for each density gradient was 1.5 mL. Human whole blood samples mixed with 0.85% sodium chloride aqueous solution were then added to the top layer of the Percoll sodium chloride solution. After centrifugation, the whole blood was separated into four components. The plasma was located at the top layer of the centrifuge tube, whereas the platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells were retained at the junction of the various Percoll sodium chloride solutions. The sampling volume of human whole blood and incubation time were optimized, and results indicated that an excessively long incubation time could lead to hemolysis, resulting in a decrease in the recoveries of SCCPs and MCCPs. Therefore, a sampling volume of 1.5 mL and incubation time of 10 min at 4 ℃ were adopted. The cells of the blood components were further broken and extracted by ultrasonic pretreatment, followed by multilayer silica gel column chromatography for lipid removal. The use of 80 mL of n-hexane-dichloromethane (1∶1, v/v) and 50 mL of dichloromethane as the elution solvents (collected together) for the gel column separated the SCCPs and MCCPs from the lipid molecules in the blood samples. Gas chromatography-electron capture negative ion-low resolution mass spectrometry (GC-ECNI-LRMS) was used to determine the SCCPs and MCCPs. Quantification using the corrected total response factor with degrees of chlorination was achieved with linear corrections (R2=0.912 and 0.929 for the SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively). The method detection limits (MDLs) for the SCCPs and MCCPs were 1.57 and 8.29 ng/g wet weight (ww, n=7), respectively. The extraction internal standard recoveries were 67.0%-126.6% for the SCCPs and 69.5%-120.5% for the MCCPs. The developed method was applied to determine SCCPs and MCCPs in actual human whole blood samples. The contents of SCCPs and MCCPs were 10.81-65.23 and 31.82-105.65 ng/g (ww), respectively. Red blood cells exhibited the highest contents of CPs, followed by plasma, white blood cells, and platelets. The proportions of SCCPs and MCCPs in red blood cells and plasma were 70% and 66%, respectively. In all four components, the MCCP contents were higher than the SCCP contents, and the ratios of MCCPs to SCCPs ranged from 1.04 to 3.78. Similar congener patterns of SCCPs and MCCPs were found in the four components of human whole blood. C10-CPs and C14-CPs were predominantly observed in the SCCPs and MCCPs, respectively. In summary, a simple and efficient method was proposed to determine low concentrations of SCCPs and MCCPs in human blood with high sensitivity and selectivity. This method can meet requirements for the quantitative analysis of SCCPs and MCCPs in human blood components, thereby providing technical support for human health risk assessment.

Regulation of endothelial cells on the osteogenic ability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in peri-implantitis.

OBJECTIVES: The relationship between bone resorption and angiogenesis in peri-implantitis remains to be studied. We constructed a Beagle dog model of peri-implantitis, and extracted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) for culture. The osteogenic ability of BMSCs in the presence of ECs was investigated through an in vitro osteogenic induction model, and its mechanism was initially explored. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The peri-implantitis model was verified by ligation, bone loss was observed by micro-CT, and cytokines were detected by ELISA. The isolated BMSCs and ECs were cultured to detect the expression of angiogenesis, osteogenesis-related proteins, and NF-κB signaling pathway-related proteins. RESULTS: 8 weeks after surgery, the peri-implant gums were swollen, and micro-CT showed bone resorption. Compared with the control group, IL-1ß, TNF-α, ANGII and VEGF were markedly increased in the peri-implantitis group. In vitro studies found that the osteogenic differentiation ability of BMSCs co-cultured with IECs was decreased, and the expression of NF-κB signaling pathway-related cytokines was increased. CONCLUSION: Endothelial cells inhibit the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells through NF-κB signaling in the environment of peri-implantitis, which may become a new target for the treatment of peri-implantitis.

Clinical study of dynamic real-time navigation assisted immediate implant without flapping in the esthetic zone.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical effect of Dynamic real-time navigation to assist immediate implant without flapping in the esthetic zone. METHODS: Eight patients who underwent immediate implantation in the aesthetic area were included. A total of 11 implants were implanted using dynamic real-time navigation system combined with non-flap technology. Clinical indicators including implant deviation, initial stability, alveolar bone absorption, implant success rate, pink esthetic score (PES), Papilla index score (PIS), and the thickness of labial side bone plate of the implant were recorded. RESULTS: The deviation between the actual implant position and the preoperative design was (0.76±0.08) mm at the top, (1.11±0.18) mm at the root, (0.90±0.16) mm at the depth, and (1.48±0.91)°at the Angle. ISO values of all implants were greater than 59. PES was greater than 8. PIS index was 2 or 3. The average alveolar bone absorption was (0.34±0.09) mm and the thickness of bone plate on the lip of implant was greater than 1.6 mm. The success rate of implantation was 100%. CONCLUSION: The use of dynamic real-time navigation assisted non-flap implantation in the aesthetic area can effectively reduce implant deviation and improve the aesthetic effect.

A comparative study of the morphology and molecular biology between the Schneiderian membrane and palatine mucoperiosteum.

Schneiderian membrane is an indispensable structure for osteogenesis under the sinus floor space after maxillary sinus floor elevation.Therefore,this study aimed to compare the Schneiderian membrane and palatine mucoperiosteum in various aspects to explore whether the Schneiderian membrane has a periosteal layer and osteogenic ability. Schneiderian membrane and palatine mucoperiosteum specimens were collected and stained with HE, Masson, and Sirius red. Immunofluorescence staining was used to observe the expression and localization of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Then MSCs from two tissues were isolated,cultured, and identified. The expression of osteogenic markers OCN, RUNX2, and BMP2 ware detected by Western blotting and quantitative PCR after osteogenic differentiation.The morphological observations revealed both the Schneiderian membrane and palatine mucoperiosteum were composed of three layers.Immunofluorescence staining showed that the inner bone surface layer of the Schneiderian membrane was rich in MSCs, which was similar to the cambium layer of the palatine mucoperiosteum.In addition, MSCs from two tissues showed similar morphological phenotype. After further osteogenic induction of the two groups, the expression of BMP2, RUNX2, and OCN were significantly increased. This study provide a novel insight into that Schneiderian membrane is a mucoperiosteal membrane rich of MSCs, containing a periosteal layer and osteogenic ability similar to mucoperiosteum.

Circulating tumor cells in blood as a prognostic biomarker in tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the role of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) as a prognostic biomarker of tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC). STUDY DESIGN: CTC levels in the peripheral blood of 50 patients with TSCC at baseline (i.e., before treatment) and of 8 healthy donors were determined using the NanoVelcro system. The relationship between CTC levels and clinicopathologic parameters and clinical outcomes such as recurrence, metastasis, and death during follow-up (mean 17 months) was analyzed. RESULTS: CTCs levels were closely correlated with TSCC clinical staging (P = .002), N staging (P = .007), and progression status (P = .002) in TSCC patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis revealed that the count of CTC ≥4 (area under curve: 0.832 [95% confidence interval 0.695-0.950]; sensitivity: 0.83; specificity: 0.75; P < .001) was a better prognostic marker than TNM stage (area under curve: 0.692 [0.536-0.848]; sensitivity: 0.83; specificity: 0.55; P = .023). In addition, univariate and multivariate analysis showed that the CTC was an important and independent predictive factor for overall survival and disease-free survival (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: CTC was an independent prognostic indicator in patients with TSCC. CTC may be used as an auxiliary parameter to predict the prognosis of TSCC.

Occurrence, accumulation, and health risks of heavy metals in Chinese market baskets.

Residual levels and accumulation characteristics of six hazardous heavy metal elements (As, Cd, Hg, Tl, Pb, and U) and seven essential heavy metal elements (Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Se) were investigated in 17 kinds of frequently consumed foodstuffs collected from 33 cities distributed in five regions of China. The concentrations of the detected metals were lower than the maximum limits promulgated by the Chinese government except Pb and inorganic As (iAs). Foods of aquatic origin and terrestrial plant origin exhibited high potentials to accumulate heavy metals, especially algae and shellfish. The calculated hazard index (HI) of heavy metal exposure via consumption of foodstuffs were 2.93-5.01 for adults in the five surveyed region, implying the co-exposure of heavy metals via food consumption would lead to potential non-carcinogenic risks. iAs was the predominant contributor to HI values with the average contribution of 40.5% in all five regions. Consumption of terrestrial plant origin foods contributed 76.9% of HI values induced by heavy metal exposure. The calculated target cancer risks of iAs in the five regions were 5 × 10-4-1 × 10-3, all exceeding the acceptable level of 10-4, indicating it is necessary and urgent to reduce the contamination of iAs in foodstuffs on the Chinese markets.

Characteristics of PAHs, PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PCNs in atmospheric fine particulate matter in Dalian, China.

Organic species in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) may exhibit significant health risks. The level, composition and sources of PM2.5-bound organic pollutants are temporally and spatially highly variable. In this study, the pollution characteristics and health risks of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans (PCDD/Fs) in PM2.5 of Dalian were investigated. PM2.5-bound organic pollutants in Dalian were generally lower than other regions in China and other countries, significant seasonal changes were observed, higher levels appeared in winter than in summer. Concentrations of 16 PAHs were 2.07 ng/m3 and 13.99 ng/m3 in summer and winter, respectively. PAHs with 4-ring and 5-ring were the dominant components. Diagnostic analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that PAHs mainly originate from petroleum emissions and combustion. Concentrations of PCDD/Fs, PCBs and PCNs in PM2.5 ranged from 0.05 to 3.27, 0.04-0.65 and 0.05-1.42 pg/m3, respectively. PCDD/Fs and PCBs were mainly consisted of high-chlorinated homologues during the sampling period. High-chlorinated PCNs were dominated only in winter, while low-chlorinated PCNs were dominated in summer, industrial thermal activity was one of the main sources of PCNs. The high correlation coefficients of the concentration of PAHs, PCBs, PCNs, and PCDD/Fs with that of SO2 indicated that combustion sources contributed more to PM2.5-bound organic pollutants than that of motor vehicle emissions. The incremental lifetime cancer risk induced by PM2.5-bound POPs is relatively lower in Dalian than other regions.

Multi-omics analysis to reveal disorders of cell metabolism and integrin signaling pathways induced by PM2.5.

Atmospheric fine particle pollution is known to cause many adverse health effects. However, the potential mechanisms of PM2.5-induced cytotoxicity still needs further understanding. Herein, we integrated cytotoxicity, component profiling, metabolomics and proteomics data to deeply explain the biological responses of human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to PM2.5. We observed that PM2.5 caused cell cycle arrest, calcium influx, cell damage and further induced cell apoptosis. The contents of heavy metals and 4-6 rings PAHs in PM2.5 were positively correlated with intracellular ROS, indicating that they might be the important components to induce the above cytotoxicity. Integrated metabolomics and proteomics analysis revealed the significant alterations of many metabolic processes, such as glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism. Notably, we found that PM2.5 inhibited the integrin signaling pathway, including down-regulating the protein expression of integrins and the phosphorylation of downstream signaling kinases, which might ultimately affect cell cycle progression, cell metabolism and apoptosis. This study provided a comprehensive data resource for the deep understanding of biological toxicity mechanisms caused by atmospheric fine particles in human lung-bronchial epithelium cells.

Application of Computer-Aided Design and Individualized Templates for Bilateral Zygomaticomaxillary Complex Fractures.

PURPOSE: Reduction of the bilateral zygomaticomaxillary complex (ZMC) fracture with individualized templates based on computer- aided surgical simulation system. To evaluate the practicality and accuracy of this approach in the treatment of bilateral ZMC fracture. METHODS: Sixteen patients with bilateral ZMC fractures were collected to create a study model. The authors reconstruct the ZMC on one side via the three-dimensional (3D) model, and then mirrored to the opposite side. Multiple individualized templates were made based on the 3D model, and used as intraoperative guidance to reduce fractures. After surgery, the facial symmetry and the position of zygoma were observed. The mouth opening, pupil level, and sensation of infraorbital nerve were evaluated. Some mark points on zygoma were measured and the postoperative horizontal asymmetry rate (H) was calculated. Besides, orbital height and width were measured. RESULTS: For all patients, the position of bilateral ZMC was basically restored. The patients with restriction of mouth opening all recovered to normal. The H values were less than 3.0% at all mark points. There was almost no difference in bilateral orbital width and height. Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between the preoperative measurements of the ideal virtual 3D model and the postoperative measurements of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The study proves that application of computer-aided design and individualized templates can accurately guide the reduction operation of ZMC fracture, restore the ideal shape of ZMC, and obtain good facial symmetry.

[Accumulation Characteristics and Dietary Exposure Estimation of Heavy Metals in Vegetables from the Eastern Coastal Region of China].

The levels of six toxic metals and five essential metals in five groups of vegetables marketed in the eastern coastal region of China were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results showed that the concentrations of six toxic heavy metals in all the vegetables did not exceed the maximum residue limits. The health risk assessment indicated that consumption of vegetables may not pose a potential noncarcinogenic risk to consumers, while there is a carcinogenic risk level of 10-5 level from inorganic arsenic exposure through vegetable consumption. Additionally, a similar trend was observed for the accumulation of toxic and essential metals. Furthermore, compared with other vegetable groups, edible fungi have a high potential to accumulate toxic and essential metals, which indicates that pollution monitoring of edible fungi should be strengthened.

Effects of harvesting and extraction methods on metabolite recovery from adherently growing mammalian cells.

With the wide application of cell metabolomics in many research areas, there is a need to develop an effective procedure for adherent mammalian cell metabolomics that allows for accurate determination of intracellular metabolite levels and easy comparison between multiple studies of a similar application. Here we aimed to compare the efficiencies of different cell harvesting methods and metabolite extraction methods in sample preparation procedures, and to provide a cell sample processing protocol which focuses on maximizing metabolite recovery ranging from polar to lipidic ones. A systematical evaluation of 4 cell harvesting methods and 4 extraction methods was conducted based on human hepatoma HepG2 cells. The impact of different methods on the recoveries of 11 different categories of metabolites was further investigated. The water disruption sample harvesting method provided superior performance to the other 3 harvesting methods, trypsinization, scraping in phosphate buffered saline, and direct solvent scraping, with respect to the recoveries of polar metabolites and lipids. Among the 4 extraction methods, the novel two-phase solvent system extraction method with both methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and 75% 9 : 1 methanol : chloroform showed an absolute advantage with high extraction efficiency for global metabolomics. We showed a metabolite-specific impact of the harvesting method and extraction method on metabolite concentrations. The water disruption sample collection combined with novel two-phase solvent system extraction enabled simultaneous profiling of lipids and metabolites with mixed polarity for sample preparation. Our approach may open up new perspectives toward large-scale comprehensive metabolomic analyses of adherent mammalian cell samples.

Upregulation of far upstream element-binding protein 1 (FUBP1) promotes tumor proliferation and unfavorable prognosis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: A well-known transcriptional regulator of the proto-oncogene c-Myc, far-upstream element (FUSE) binding protein 1 (FUBP1) has been demonstrated by previous work to be aberrantly expressed in lots of cancers and plays a critical role in tumor progression; however, its expression and function in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) remains unclear. METHODS: Evaluations with immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were performed to assess FUBP1 expression. The correlations of FUBP1 expression levels with various clinicopathological factors were evaluated with univariate and multivariate analyses. In addition, the role of FUBP1 in TSCC proliferation was studied in TSCC cells by silencing FUBP1. The role of FUBP1 on proliferation and apoptosis was confirmed by cell counting Kit-8, colony formation, cell cycle, and cell apoptosis assays. RESULTS: Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR and Western blot results showed FUBP1 expression was higher in TSCC tissues in comparison with adjacent non-cancerous tissues (P <0.05), as well as in patients with advanced-stage disease or cervical lymph node metastasis (P<0.001). The 5-year survival rate was significantly lower in the group with high FUBP1 expression than in that with low FUBP1 expression (P=0.035). FUBP1 expression was also an independent predictor for overall survival in TSCC patients, and was closely related to poor prognosis. FUBP1 knockdown inhibited cancer cell proliferation, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. CONCLUSION: FUBP1 was overexpressed in TSCC, and correlated with TSCC cell proliferation and poor prognosis. FUBP1 appears to act as a potential oncogene in TSCC, and may be considered a novel biomarker for TSCC.

AEG-1 promotes angiogenesis and may be a novel treatment target for tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The study explored the potential function of astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) on angiogenesis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) in TSCC cell lines. METHODS: The different degrees of angiogenesis were detected in TSCC cell lines expressing different levels of AEG-1 by chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) experimental model. Next, we established xenografts of different TSCC cell lines with different expression levels of AEG-1 in nude mice and conducted immunohistochemistry to evaluate the expression of the angiogenesis-associated factor, that is, vascular endothelial growth receptor factor 2 (VEGFR-2) and microvessel density (MVD). Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was detected by ELISA. RESULTS: CAM assay showed that the number of vessels was significantly reduced in AEG-1-down um1 cell line (p < .05), whereas the number was significantly increased in AEG-1-over um2 cell line (p < .05). Moreover, up-regulated AEG-1 expression level was associated with higher tumor angiogenesis, which was reflected by augmented expression levels of VEGF (p < .01), VEGFR-2 (p < .05), and MVD counting (p < .01). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that AEG-1 can promote tumor angiogenesis in TSCC and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis by repressing the expression of AEG-1 may be a novel potential treatment approach for TSCC.

Comparing the disrupting effects of short-, medium- and long-chain chlorinated Paraffins on cell viability and metabolism.

With the phasing out of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs), the production and emissions of medium- and long-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs and LCCPs) are expected to increase. In this study, cell viability assay and pseudotargeted metabolomics approach were adopted to define and compare the toxic effects induced by SCCPs, MCCPs and LCCPs. The dose response curves indicated that three CP mixtures with comparable chlorine contents produced similar inhibitory effects on cell viability. At exposure concentration of 100 µg/L, three CP mixtures all induced significant increases in levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and a significant reduction in level of adenosine triphosphate production (ATP), and produced similar impact intensities on overall metabolism. A stronger perturbation in phospholipid and fatty acid metabolism was observed in all CP exposure groups. In comparison with SCCPs and MCCPs, LCCPs produced a stronger suppressive effect on amino acid transport across cell membrane and induced an opposite effect on purine metabolism. Furthermore, the toxicity mechanism and possible health risks of the three types of CPs were discussed. MCCPs shared the most similar cytotoxicity and metabolic perturbation with SCCPs, suggesting that there should be concern about using MCCPs as alternatives to SCCPs.

High expression of FMNL3 associates with cancer cell migration, invasion, and unfavorable prognosis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to ascertain the expression and role of FMNL3 in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemistry, qRT-PCR, and western blot were used to study the expression of FMNL3 in TSCC tissues and its adjacent normal tissues. The relationship between FMNL3 overexpression and various clinicopathological parameters and patients' survival were further assessed. Next, we applied SCC25 and UM1 cell lines to study the effect of FMNL3 on tumor cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by silencing FMNL3. RESULTS: In this study, we demonstrated that FMNL3 expression was notably upregulated in TSCC tissues and associated with poor prognosis. The Cox regression survival analyses identified FMNL3 as an important independent predictor for patients' overall survival. We found that FMNL3 silencing by siRNA inhibited SCC25 and UM1 cell migration an invasion. CONCLUSION: FMNL3 overexpression is related to the metastasis of TSCC and poor prognosis. High expression of FMNL3 may become a new potential prognostic biomarker for patients with TSCC.