Novel miR-490-3p/hnRNPA1-b/PKM2 axis mediates the Warburg effect and proliferation of colon cancer cells via the PI3K/AKT pathway.

BACKGROUND: Heterogeneous ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNPA1) has been reported to enhance the Warburg effect and promote colon cancer (CC) cell proliferation, but the role and mechanism of the miR-490-3p/hnRNPA1-b/PKM2 axis in CC have not yet been elucidated. AIM: To investigate the role and mechanism of a novel miR-490-3p/hnRNPA1-b/PKM2 axis in enhancing the Warburg effect and promoting CC cell proliferation through the PI3K/AKT pathway. METHODS: Paraffin-embedded pathological sections from 220 CC patients were collected and subjected to immunohistochemical analysis to determine the expression of hnRNPA1-b. The relationship between the expression values and the clinicopathological features of the patients was investigated. Differences in mRNA expression were analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, while differences in protein expression were analyzed using western blot. Cell proliferation was evaluated using the cell counting kit-8 and 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assays, and cell cycle and apoptosis were detected using flow cytometric assays. The targeted binding of miR-490-3p to hnRNPA1-b was validated using a dual luciferase reporter assay. The Warburg effect was evaluated by glucose uptake and lactic acid production assays. RESULTS: The expression of hnRNPA1-b was significantly increased in CC tissues and cells compared to normal controls (P < 0.05). Immunohistochemical results demonstrated significant variations in the expression of the hnRNPA1-b antigen in different stages of CC, including stage I, II-III, and IV. Furthermore, the clinicopathologic characterization revealed a significant correlation between hnRNPA1-b expression and clinical stage as well as T classification. HnRNPA1-b was found to enhance the Warburg effect through the PI3K/AKT pathway, thereby promoting proliferation of HCT116 and SW620 cells. However, the proliferation of HCT116 and SW620 cells was inhibited when miR-490-3p targeted and bound to hnRNPA1-b, effectively blocking the Warburg effect. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that the novel miR-490-3p/hnRNPA1-b/PKM2 axis could provide a new strategy for the diagnosis and treatment of CC.

Clinicopathological study of sporadic Burkitt lymphoma in children.

BACKGROUND: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the fourth most common malignant tumors in children, Burkitt lymphoma (BL) accounts for 30-50% of all pediatric lymphomas. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinicopathologic features, immunophenotype, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and c-myc gene rearrangement of sporadic BL in children. METHODS: Ninety-two cases of pediatric BL were retrospectively analyzed for clinical features, immunohistochemistry, EBV-encoded RNA (EBER) status by in situ hybridization and c-myc gene rearrangement by fluorescence in situ hybridization. RESULTS: In the 92 cases, male is predominant in sex distribution (M: F = 3.38:1). The average age at diagnosis was 4.97 years. Polypoid BL showed a lower clinical stage (P = 0.002), and advanced clinical stage and low serum albumin level at diagnosis were associated with poor outcome (P = 0.024 and 0.053, respectively). The positive expression of CDl0, B-cell lymphoma-6, MUMl and EBER were 95.7% (88 cases), 92.4% (85 cases), 22.8% (21 cases), 41.3% (38 cases), respectively. The expression of MUM1 were not associated with EBV infection status (P = 1.000). c-myc gene rearrangement was detected in 94.6% (87/92). Clinical treatment information for 54 cases was collected, 21 patients died of tumor after surgery alone, 33 patients received surgery and chemotherapy, and of which six patients died shortly afterwords (MUM1 positive expression in 3 cases, P = 0.076). CONCLUSIONS: The anatomical location, growth pattern and serum albumin level of BL were associated with biological behavior. MUM1 may be a potential adverse prognostic marker, and not associated with EBV infection status.

Neural differentiation ability of mesenchymal stromal cells from bone marrow and adipose tissue: a comparative study.

BACKGROUND AIMS: The characteristics, such as morphologic and phenotypic characteristics and neural transdifferentiation ability, of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) derived from different origins have yet to be reported for cases isolated from the same individual. METHODS: The proliferation capacity, secretion ability of neurotrophins (NT) and neural differentiation ability in rat MSC isolated from bone marrow (BMSC) and adipose tissue (ADSC) were compared from the same animal. RESULTS: The ADSC had a significantly higher proliferation capacity than BMSC according to cell cycle and cumulative population doubling analyses. The proportion of cells expressing neural markers was greater in differentiated ADSC than in differentiated BMSC. Furthermore, the single neurosphere derived from ADSC showed stronger expansion and differentiation abilities than that derived from BMSC. The findings from Western blot lent further support to the immunocytochemical data. The mRNA and protein levels of nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived growth factor (BDNF) expressed in ADSC were significantly higher than those in BMSC at different stages before and following induction. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that the proliferation ability of ADSC is superior to that of BMSC. Furthermore, differentiated ADSC expressed higher percentages of neural markers. As one possible alternative source of BMSC, ADSC may have wide potential for treating central nervous system (CNS) diseases.

Tris(2,2'-bioxazoline-kappa2N,N')copper(II) diperchlorate and tris(2,2'-bioxazoline-kappa2N,N')nickel(II) diperchlorate.

In the two isomorphous title compounds, viz. tris[2,2'-bi(4,5-dihydro-1,3-oxazole)-kappa(2)N,N']copper(II) diperchlorate, [Cu(C6H8N2O2)3](ClO4)2, (I), and tris[2,2'-bi(4,5-dihydro-1,3-oxazole)-kappa2N,N']nickel(II) diperchlorate, [Ni(C6H8N2O2)3](ClO4)2, (II), the MII ions each have a distorted octahedral coordination geometry formed via six N atoms from three 2,2'-bioxazoline ligands. For each ligand, the two five-membered rings are nearly coplanar. It is noteworthy that the Jahn-Teller effect is stronger in (I) than in (II). The three-dimensional supramolecular structures of (I) and (II) are formed via weak hydrogen-bonding interactions between O atoms from perchlorate anions and H atoms from 2,2'-bioxazoline ligands.

[Responses of neurons and astrocytes in rat hippocampus to kainic acid-induced seizures].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the time course of the responses of neurons and astrocytes in rat hippocampus (HI) to kainic acid (KA)-induced seizures in various regions. METHODS: By means immunohistochemical staining for anti-Fos protein and anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), the regional distribution of reactive neurons and astrocytes in the HI was observed at different time points after a unilateral stereotaxic microinjection of KA into the lateral ventricle of rats to cause limbic and generalized convulsive seizures. RESULTS: The injection of KA triggered limbic motor seizures including immobilization, staring, facial and jaw clonus ect. followed by recurrent generalized convulsive seizures. After KA-induced seizures, the GFAP-positive astrocytes and Fos-positive neurons were markedly increased in the HI. The increase of GFAP immunoreactivity was observed 30 min after the seizure onset, reaching the maximum at 1 h; the increase of Fos immunoreactivity was detected at 1 h after the onset, peaking at 2 h. CONCLUSION: The neurons and astrocytes in rat HI are highly active during seizures and the reactive astrocytes might play an important role in epileptogenesis.

Temporal lobe epilepsy surgery and preoperative factors predictive of postoperative outcome: retrospective analysis of 143 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term outcome of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) surgery with dipole localization and to analyze the preoperative factors predicting a satisfactory postoperative outcome of the patients. METHODS: A total of 143 patients, who underwent TLE surgery with dipole localization combined with magnetic resonance imaging between 1999 and 2001 and were followed up for at least 1 year, were enrolled in this retrospective analysis of clinical, electrophysiological, neuroimaging and surgical factors to determine the independent predictors for the clinical outcome of the patients. RESULTS: During the follow-up with a mean duration of 27.5 months, 70.6% (101) of the patients were found to be completely seizure- free or with only aura (Class I), and 14.0% (20) had only rare seizures (Class II, fewer than three seizures per year), which resulted in satisfactory seizure control in 84.6% of the cases. In addition, obvious improvement was achieved in 10.5% (15) of the cases (Class III, at least an 75% seizure reduction), while 4.9% (n=7) failed to respond to the surgical treatment (Class III, less than 75% seizure reduction), showing a rate of unsatisfactory seizure control of 15.4%. The preoperative factors contributing to the prediction of good seizure control (P <0.05) included early onset of epilepsy (before the age of five years), presence of complex partial seizure as a predominant seizure type, low seizure frequency, unilateral structural abnormality detectable on magnetic resonance images, absence of cortical dysplasia, restrained epileptic activity as detected by dipole localization, and agreement of pathological findings of the lesion with epileptogenic focus. CONCLUSION: The surgical treatment with the help of dipole localization results in satisfactory clinical outcome of the patients, and some preoperative factors in relation to the clinical findings and diagnosis may predict excellent postoperative outcome.

Dipole localization in surgical treatment of epileptic foci secondary to intracranial mass lesions: retrospective analysis of 47 cases.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of dipole localization in the surgical treatment of epileptic foci arising from intracranial mass lesions and observe the long-term effect of this technique. METHOD: With the assistance if dipole localization system for epileptic foci and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we performed precise localization of the epileptic foci secondary to the intracranial mass lesions both preoperatively and during the surgeries in 47 cases. The clinical features of this type of epilepsy and the precautions essential for the operations were reviewed, with the long-term outcome of the patients analyzed on the basis of a follow-up study for at least 1 year of all these cases. RESULTS: The mean follow-up duration was 27.9 months. After the operations, 35 patients (74.5%) were completely seizure-free or with only postoperative auras, and 7 (14.9%) had only rare fits of seizures (fewer than 3 in a year), accounting for a rate for satisfactory seizure control of 89.4% and a rate for obvious improvement of 6.4% (n=3, with at least an 75% seizure reduction). Only 2 patients (4.3%) failed to respond favorably to the surgery by showing less than 75% seizure reduction. No severe long-term complications were found in these cases. CONCLUSION: Dipole localization is capable of accurate localization of the secondary epileptic foci to provide precise guidance for their surgical treatment, with which improvement of the therapeutic effect and reduction of the complications can be achieved.