Targeting myeloid-derived suppressor cells by inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor 1α could improve tumor progression.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a subset of immature myeloid cells that inhibit anti-tumor immunity and contribute to poor cancer outcomes. In this study, the authors used multi-color flow cytometry to detect changes in MDSCs in patients with cancer and tumor-bearing mice. Then the authors studied changes in MDSCs ratio and mouse tumors after administration of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) inhibitor. The results showed that the ratio of MDSCs, specifically polymorphonuclear MDSCs (PMN-MDSCs), was higher in patients with cancer, and both PMN-MDSCs and monocytic MDSCs (M-MDSCs) ratio were higher in tumor-bearing mice. When provided with the HIF-1α inhibitor LW-6, the ratio of MDSCs decreased in tumor-bearing mice, particularly PMN-MDSCs, and the volume of liver metastases also decreased. The authors' findings suggest that reducing MDSCs by inhibiting hypoxia-inducible factor 1α may slow tumor progression.

Diagnostic Utility of Surrounding Tissue Hardness in Breast Masses: A Quantitative Analysis Using Shear Wave Elastography to Distinguish Malignancy Across Various Mass Sizes.

Objective: This study aims to investigate the utility of shear wave elastography (SWE) in quantitatively assessing the surrounding tissue hardness of breast masses and its diagnostic significance in distinguishing between benign and malignant masses of varying sizes. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 60 patients with breast masses diagnosed at our hospital between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022. All patients underwent standard breast ultrasound examination and SWE assessment. Masses were categorized based on diameter (≤20mm and >20mm) for comparative analysis. SWE parameters, including maximum shear wave velocity (Max SWV), mean shear wave velocity (Mean SWV), and elasticity ratio (Eratio) of surrounding tissue, were recorded. Histopathological results determined mass nature. SWE parameters were correlated with pathological diagnoses for discrimination analysis. Results: Of all patients, 37 had benign masses, and 23 had malignant masses. Malignant masses exhibited significantly higher Max SWV, Mean SWV, and Eratio in surrounding tissue compared to benign masses (P < .05). Statistically significant differences in SWE parameters were observed between different-sized masses; smaller masses (≤20mm) showed higher SWE parameters in malignant masses compared to benign masses (P < .05). In masses larger than 20mm, though SWE parameters still differed between benign and malignant masses, the significance was less pronounced (P < .05). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis demonstrated higher diagnostic accuracy of SWE parameters in discriminating malignancy in smaller breast masses. Conclusions: SWE parameters effectively quantify surrounding tissue hardness in breast masses and have diagnostic value in distinguishing between benign and malignant masses of varying sizes, particularly in masses ≤20mm. SWE offers crucial quantitative parameters for the clinical discrimination of breast masses, enhancing diagnostic accuracy and sensitivity. Future studies should expand sample sizes and optimize diagnostic models to enhance SWE's utility further in discriminating breast mass malignancy.

Causal relationship between affect disorders and endometrial cancer: a Mendelian randomisation study.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to assess the causal relationship between depression and anxiety disorders and endometrial cancer. METHOD: We performed two-sample Mendelian randomisation analysis using summary statistics from genome-wide association studies to assess associations of major depressive disorder, anxiety and stress-related disorders with endometrial cancer. The genome-wide association studies(GWASs) data were derived from participants of predominantly European ancestry included in the Genome-wide Association Research Collaboration. Inverse variance-weighted, MR-Egger and weighted median MR analyses were performed, together with a range of sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: Mendelian randomisation analysis showed no statistically significant genetic responsibility effect of anxiety and stress-related disorders on any pathological type of endometrial cancer. Only the effect of major depressive disorder under the inverse variance weighting method increasing the risk of endometrial endometrial cancer (effect 0.004 p = 0.047) and the effect of major depressive disorder under the MR-Egger method decreasing endometrial cancer of all pathology types (effect -0.691 p = 0.015) were statistically significant. Other Mendelian randomisation analyses did not show a statistically significant effect. CONCLUSION: Major depressive disorder(MDD), anxiety and stress-related disorders(ASRD) are not genetically responsible for endometrial cancer. We consider that emotional disorders may affect endometrial cancer indirectly by affecting body mass index. This study provides us with new insights to better understand the aetiology of endometrial cancer and inform prevention strategies.

This study used public genomic data to analyse association between affective disorders, including depression and anxiety, and endometrial cancer. Genes treated as instrumental variables help us understand the causal link between affective disorders and endometrial cancer through bioinformatics. In addition to this, we added type 2 diabetes, body mass index, polycystic ovary syndrome, and age at menopause for multivariate Mendelian randomisation analyses with the aim of reducing confounding bias. Because we consider these factors may potentially influence the relationship between affective disorders and endometrial cancer. Ultimately we believe that the association between depression and endometrial cancer is not as strong as that of obesity, due to the genetic correlation between depression and obesity.

[Genetic analysis of a fetus with Meckel syndrome due to variants of TMEM67 gene].

OBJECTIVE: To carry out prenatal diagnosis for a fetus with Meckel syndrome (MKS) and explore its genetic basis. METHODS: A pregnant woman presented at Suzhou Municipal Hospital in February 2018 was selected as the study subject. Clinical data was collected. Muscle tissue sample from the abortus and peripheral blood samples from the couple were collected. Genomic DNA was extracted and subjected to chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA) and whole exome sequencing. Candidate variant was verified by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: The fetus was found to have microcephaly, oligohydramnios, polycystic kidneys and banana-shaped cerebellum at 18 weeks of gestation. After induction of labor, it was found to have encephalocele, renal cysts and polydactyly. CMA has found no abnormality. Whole exome sequencing revealed novel compound heterozygous variants c.296delA (p.Lys99SerfsTer6) and c.1243G>A (p.Val415Met) in the TMEM67 gene. Based on the guidelines from the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG), the c.296delA variant was predicted to be pathogenic (PVS1+PM2_Supporting+PP4), whilst the c.1243G>A variant was predicted to be likely pathogenic (PM2_Supporting+PM3+PP3_Moderate+PP4). CONCLUSION: The c.296delA and c.1243G>A compound heterozygous variants of the TMEM67 gene probably underlay the MKS in this fetus.

Fine particle trace elements at a mountain site in southern China: Source identification, transport, and health risks.

Trace elements in atmospheric particulate matter play a significant role in air quality, human health, and biogeochemical cycles. In this study, the trace elements (Ca, Al, K, Fe, Na, Mg, Zn, Pb, Mn, Ti, Cu, Cr, Sr, Ni) in PM2.5 samples collected at the summit of Mt. Lushan were analyzed to quantify their abundance, source, transport, and health risks. During the whole sampling period, the major trace elements was Ca, Al, and K. While the trace metals with the lowest concentrations were Sr, Ni, Rb, and Cd. The trace elements were influenced by air mass transport routes, exhibiting an increasing trend of crustal elements in the northwesterly airmass and anthropogenic elements (Zn, Mn, Cu, and Ni) in the easterly air masses. Construction dust, coal + biomass burning, vehicle emission, urban nitrate-rich + urban waste incineration emissions, and soil dust + industry emissions were common sources of PM2.5 on Mt. Lushan. Different air mass transport routes had various source contribution patterns. These results indicate that trace elements at Mt. Lushan are influenced by regional anthropogenic emissions and monsoon-dominated trace element transport. The total resulting cancer risk value that these elements posed were below the acceptable risk value of 1 × 10-6, while the non-carcinogenic risk value (1.72) was higher than the safety level, suggesting that non-carcinogenic effects due to these trace elements inhalation were likely to occur. Vehicle emission and coal + biomass burning were the common dominant sources of non-cancer risks posed by trace elements at Mt. Lushan.

Spartinivicinus marinus sp. nov., isolated from intertidal sediment.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, flagellated, and long rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain SM1973T, was isolated from an intertidal sediment sample collected from the coast of Qingdao, PR China. Strain SM1973T grew at 15-37 °C and with 0-5.5 % NaCl. It reduced nitrate to nitrite and hydrolysed aesculin but did not hydrolyse casein and gelatin. The strain showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity (98.2 %) to the type strain of Spartinivicinus ruber. The phylogenetic trees based on the 16S rRNA genes and single-copy orthologous clusters showed that strain SM1973T clustered with S. ruber, forming a separate lineage within the family Zooshikellaceae. The major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7с and/or C16 : 1 ω6с) and C16 : 0. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The main respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-9. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain SM1973T was 40.4 mol%. Based on the polyphasic evidence presented in this paper, strain SM1973T is considered to represent a novel species within the genus Spartinivicinus, for which the name Spartinivicinus marinus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SM1973T (=MCCC 1K04833T=KCTC 72846T).

Nanogels co-loading paclitaxel and curcumin prepared in situ through photopolymerization at 532 nm for synergistically suppressing breast tumors.

Combined chemotherapy plays an increasingly important and practical role in the clinical treatment of malignant tumor. In this study, paclitaxel (PTX) and curcumin (Cur) are simultaneously encapsulated into nanogels (termed as NG-PC) in situ by microemulsion photopolymerization at 532 nm for synergistically suppressing breast tumors. NG-PC with a size of 180 nm and a low polydispersity index (PDI < 0.2) presents a controlled and cumulative release of PTX and Cur within 90 h. Moreover, NG-PC displays a remarkable killing effect against 4T1 and MCF-7 cells. In vivo antitumor evaluation on 4T1 tumor-bearing mice demonstrates that NG-PC has significantly higher ability to inhibit tumor growth, inducing necrosis, apoptosis and suppression of proliferation than that of a single drug. Our research provides a facile method to prepare a nano-drug delivery platform with excellent drug co-loading ability and synergistic antitumor effect.

WDR79 promotes aerobic glycolysis of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by the suppression of SIRT4.

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is an aggressive malignant disease. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a main type of PDAC. The inhibition of aerobic glycolysis in PC cells is one of the approaches to treat PDAC. WD repeat protein 79 (WDR79) acts as a scaffold protein and is involved in several physiological processes. Since WDR79 affects the progression of several types of cancers, whereas its role in PDAC remains unclear. This study was aimed to investigate the role of WDR79 in the progression of PDAC and clarify the mechanism. We found that WDR79 was highly expressed in PDAC cells. Knockdown of WDR79 inhibited the growth as well as the motility of PDAC cells, while overexpression of WDR79 contributed to the growth and motility. The ablation of WDR79 restrained aerobic glycolysis of PDAC cells. Mechanically, we found that WDR79 depletion increased SIRT4 expression by suppressing UHRF1 expression, which counteracted the function of WDR79 in PDAC. We thought that WDR79 could serve as a target for treating PDAC.

SRRM1 promotes the proliferation, migration, and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by regulating the JAK/STAT signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: To explore the regulatory effect of serine/arginine repetitive matrix 1 (SRRM1) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its potential pathway. METHODS: SRRM1 level in the tissue was tested by western blot and immunohistochemistry. Cells proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion were tested by EdU, flow cytometry, wound healing assay, and Transwell, respectively. The potential mechanism of SRRM1 was explored through GSEA enrichment analysis and GeneMANIA protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Co-immunoprecipitation assay was used to detect PPI. Levels of Bcl-2, Bax, Cleaved caspase 3, E-cadherin, N-cadherin, Vimentin, p-JAK2, JAK2, p-STAT3, and STAT3 were tested by Western blot. SRRM1 was highly expressed in HCC tissues, and was related to the survival and prognosis of patients. RESULTS: SRRM1 is significantly upregulated in HCC tumour tissues and correlated with progression of HCC. Overexpression of SRRM1 accelerated the proliferation, migration and invasion of HCC cells, and inhibited cell apoptosis, but low expression of SRRM1 had the opposite effect. SRRM1 positively correlated with the expression of IL6ST (GP130) and activated the JAK/STAT signaling pathways. SRRM1 affected the level of key molecules p-JAK2, JAK2, p-STAT3, and STAT3 in the JAK/STAT pathway. CONCLUSION: SRRM1 played a significant role in the proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis of HCC, and promoted cancer by regulating the JAK/STAT signaling pathway.

Cardiac Function Assessment in Fetuses With Ductus Arteriosus Constriction: A Two-Dimensional Echocardiography and FetalHQ Study.

Background: Fetal ductal constriction (DC) is associated with excessive polyphenol-rich food (PRF) consumption during pregnancy. However, the effect of this hemodynamic change on fetal cardiac function still needs to be elucidated. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the cardiac function of fetuses with PRF-related DC and to describe serial observations of cardiac function changes. Methods: We compared the traditional echocardiographic indices, including morphological, hemodynamic, and functional parameters, between study fetuses and controls. For global and segmental deformation analysis of the left and right ventricles, fetalHQ with the speckle-tracking technique was used to calculate sphericity index (SI), global longitudinal strain (GLS), fractional shortening (FS), fractional area change (FAC), etc. In addition, follow-up data were compared with the generalized linear model. Results: A total of 60 DC fetuses and 60 gestational-matched controls were enrolled in our study, with 20 DC fetuses undertaking a follow-up echocardiogram after 2-3 weeks. Compared with controls, there was a distinct decrease in right ventricular GLS (RVGLS) (-13.39 ± 3.77 vs. -21.59 ± 2.51, p < 0.001), RVFAC (22.20 ± 9.56 vs. 36.01 ± 4.84, p < 0.001), left ventricular GLS (LVGLS) (-19.52 ± 3.24 vs. -23.81 ± 2.01 p < 0.001), and LVFAC (39.64 ± 7.32 vs. 44.89 ± 4.91, p = 0.004). For 24-segment FS analysis, DC fetuses showed lower FS in left ventricular (LV) segments 18-24, with no difference in LV segments 1-17. Right ventricular (RV) FS in segments 4-23 was also reduced in the DC group. The 24-segment SI analysis indicated significantly lower SI in DC than those in controls for LV segments 1-14 and RV segments 19-24. We found that the pulsatility index (PI) of ductus arteriosus (DA) was an independent variable for RVGLS (ß = -0.29, p = 0.04). In 20 DC fetuses with follow-up echocardiograms, no obvious difference in myocardial deformation was found between the initial examination and follow-up data. Conclusion: Left and right ventricular performances were both impaired in DC fetuses, along with a series of morphological and hemodynamic changes. Although the state of DA constriction improved on second examinations, cardiac function was not completely restored.

Arsukibacterium indicum sp. nov., isolated from deep-sea sediment, and transfer of Rheinheimera tuosuensis and Rheinheimera perlucida to the genus Arsukibacterium as Arsukibacterium tuosuense comb. nov. and Arsukibacterium perlucidum comb. nov.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, flagellated and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain SM2107T, was isolated from a deep-sea sediment sample collected from the Southwest Indian Ocean. Strain SM2107T grew at 4-40 °C and with 0-10.0 % (w/v) NaCl. It reduced nitrate to nitrite and hydrolysed casein, gelatin, chitin and DNA. The phylogenetic trees based on the 16S rRNA genes and single-copy orthologous clusters showed that strain SM2107T, together with Rheinheimera tuosuensis, Rheinheimera perlucida and Arsukibacterium ikkense, formed a separate clade, having the highest similarity to the type strain of Rheinheimera tuosuensis (98.3%). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol and the major cellular fatty acids were summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c and/or C18 : 1 ω6c), C16 : 0, C17 : 1 ω8с and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c). The only respiratory quinone was Q-8. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain SM2107T was 48.8 %. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain SM2107T and type strains of Rheinheimera tuosuensis, Rheinheimera perlucida and Arsukibacterium ikkense were 41.16, 37.70 and 31.80 %, while the average amino acid identity values between them were 87.59, 86.76 and 83.64 %, respectively. Based on the polyphasic evidence presented in this study, strain SM2107T was considered to represent a novel species within the genus Arsukibacterium, for which the name Arsukibacterium indicum was proposed. The type strain is SM2107T (=MCCC M24986T=KCTC 82921T). Moreover, the transfer of Rheinheimera tuosuensis and Rheinheimera perlucida to the genus Arsukibacterium as Arsukibacterium tuosuense comb. nov. (type strain TS-T4T=CGMCC 1.12461T=JCM 19264T) and Arsukibacterium perlucidum comb. nov. (type strain BA131T=LMG 23581T=CIP 109200T) is also proposed.

Alteromonas oceanisediminis sp. nov., isolated from deep-sea sediment.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic and rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain SM 2104T, was isolated from a deep-sea sediment sample collected from the Southwest Indian Ocean. Strain SM 2104T grew at 10-37 °C (optimum at 25 °C), and with 1.0-9.0% (w/v, optimum with 2-4%) NaCl. It hydrolyzed starch, tween 80 and gelatin but did not reduced nitrate to nitrite. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain SM 2104T was affiliated with the genus Alteromonas, sharing the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with type strains of Alteromonas flava (97.5%) and Alteromonas facilis (97.4%) and forming a distinct clade together with the two Alteromonas species. The digital DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values between strain SM 2104 T and type strains of Alteromonas flava and Alteromonas facilis were below 14.5%, and 71.0%, respectively. The major fatty acids of strain SM 2104T were summed feature 3 (C16:1ω6c/C16:1ω7c), C16:0 and summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c/C18:1ω6c). The major polar lipids of strain SM 2104T were phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol and the only respiratory quinone of strain SM 2104T was ubiquinone-8. The genomic DNA G + C content of strain SM 2104T was 48.0%. On the basis of the phylogenetic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genomic analyses presented in this study, strain SM 2104T is considered to represent a novel species within the genus Alteromonas, for which the name Alteromonas oceansediminis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SM 2104T (= CCTCC AB 2021121T = KCTC 82867T).

Multicenter analysis of gastrointestinal stromal tumors in inner Mongolia of China: A study of 804 cases.

INTRODUCTION: To analyze the clinicopathological characteristics, immunohistochemistry, genotyping and prognosis of patients in the multicenter GIST data in Inner Mongolia, China. METHODS: Retrospective analysis was performed on GIST data from January 2013 to January 2018 in Inner Mongolia. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the clinical characteristics of GIST patients. The Chi-square test was performed on the modified NIH criteria by age distribution, and Kaplan-Merie method was used for survival analysis. RESULTS: A total of 804 patients were included in the GIST database in Inner Mongolia, with a male to female ratio of 1.1102:1. The most common location was the gastric (465). Mitotic count ≤5/50HPFs was found in 67.3 % patients. There were 276 patients with tumor diameter of 2-5 cm and 354 patients with tumor diameter of 5.1-10 cm.The modified NIH criteria was mainly of intermediate risk (210) and high risk (342). The recurrence and metastasis of patients were related to the tumor location, mitotic index, tumor size, and modified NIH criteria. All patients were followed up for 1-10 years, in which 63.1 % of them were followed up for at least three years. The 3-year survival rates of patients with modified NIH criteria of very low risk, low risk, intermediate risk, and high risk were 100 %, 100 %, 100 %, and 96.3 %, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of GIST in middle-aged and elder people in Inner Mongolia is high, and the long-term prognosis of patients after surgical treatment is good, which can objectively reflect the incidence, diagnosis and treatment of GIST in Inner Mongolia.

The Association of Pulmonary Flow Characteristics With Cardiac Function in Tricuspid Valve Malformation Fetuses: Study With Two-Dimensional Speckle Tracking Echocardiography.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationship between cardiac function and pulmonary flow characteristics in tricuspid valve malformation (TVM) fetuses by conventional and speckle tracking echocardiography. METHODS: Eighty-eight TVM fetuses were retrospectively included and compared with 80 normal controls. TVM fetuses in each trimester were divided into two subgroups according to pulmonary flow characteristics: those with normal pulmonary flow (TVM-N) and those with reduced or absent pulmonary flow (TVM-R/A). Cardiac measurements, Celermajer index, and Simpson-Andrews-Sharland (SAS) score were obtained. Speckle tracking echocardiography was used to compute ventricular deformation parameters. RESULTS: TVM fetuses demonstrated significantly lower global longitudinal strain (GLS) and strain rate for both ventricles than controls (all P < .05). When compared with TVM-N, left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction, LV fractional area change, right ventricular (RV) fractional area change, LVGLS, and RVGLS were significantly reduced (all P < .05), while the RV diameter Z-score, RV/LV diameter, SAS score, and Celermajer index were obviously increased in TVM-R/A in both trimesters (all P < .05). Both LVGLS and RVGLS correlated with cardiothoracic circumference ratio, RV diameter Z-score, RV/LV diameter, Celermajer index, and SAS score (all P < .01). There was a slow decline for LVGLS and RVGLS in TVM-N fetuses throughout the gestation. Conversely, these two parameters worsened rapidly in TVM-R/A group. CONCLUSIONS: TVM fetuses present biventricular dysfunction by deformation analysis in the second and third trimester of pregnancy. TVM fetuses with reduced or absent pulmonary flow exhibit significantly greater impairment and more rapid deterioration of cardiac function, which may contribute to poor outcomes.

Potential of Thermolysin-like Protease A69 in Preparation of Bovine Collagen Peptides with Moisture-Retention Ability and Antioxidative Activity.

Bovine bone is rich in collagen and is a good material for collagen peptide preparation. Although thermolysin-like proteases (TLPs) have been applied in different fields, the potential of TLPs in preparing bioactive collagen peptides has rarely been evaluated. Here, we characterized a thermophilic TLP, A69, from a hydrothermal bacterium Anoxybacillus caldiproteolyticus 1A02591, and evaluated its potential in preparing bioactive collagen peptides. A69 showed the highest activity at 60 °C and pH 7.0. We optimized the conditions for bovine bone collagen hydrolysis and set up a process with high hydrolysis efficiency (99.4%) to prepare bovine bone collagen peptides, in which bovine bone collagen was hydrolyzed at 60 °C for 2 h with an enzyme-substrate ratio of 25 U/g. The hydrolysate contained 96.5% peptides that have a broad molecular weight distribution below 10000 Da. The hydrolysate showed good moisture-retention ability and a high hydroxyl radical (•OH) scavenging ratio of 73.2%, suggesting that the prepared collagen peptides have good antioxidative activity. Altogether, these results indicate that the thermophilic TLP A69 has promising potential in the preparation of bioactive collagen peptides, which may have potentials in cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical industries. This study lays a foundation for the high-valued utilization of bovine bone collagen.

Association between interleukin gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to gastric cancer in the Qinghai population.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations between interleukin (IL) gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to gastric cancer in the Qinghai population, China. METHODS: Patients with gastric cancer and cancer-free controls were enrolled into the study from Qinghai Provincial People's Hospital between September 2016 and September 2018. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped with the Sequenom MassARRAY® SNP genotype system. The Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in allele and genotype frequencies, and general characteristics between patients with gastric cancer and cancer-free controls, were evaluated using χ2-test. Potential associations between interleukin gene variants and the risk of gastric cancer were analysed by logistic regression. RESULTS: Among eight candidate SNPs, the allele and genotype frequency distribution of IL-1B rs1143634 polymorphism was significantly different between patients with gastric cancer (n = 190) and cancer-free controls (n = 186). The IL-1B rs1143634 GA genotype and IL-1B rs1143634 GA + AA genotype were associated with a reduced risk of gastric cancer, however, the remaining SNPs were not statistically associated with gastric cancer risk in the Qinghai population. CONCLUSION: The IL-1B rs1143634 polymorphism might be associated with a decreased risk of gastric cancer, and may be a protective factor against gastric cancer.

Marinifaba aquimaris gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel chitin-degrading gammaproteobacterium in the family Alteromonadaceae isolated from seawater of the Mariana Trench.

A novel Gram-negative, rod-shaped, aerobic, oxidase-positive and catalase-negative bacterium, designated strain SM1970T, was isolated from a seawater sample collected from the Mariana Trench. Strain SM1970T grew at 15-37 oC and with 1-5% (w/v) NaCl. It hydrolyzed colloidal chitin, agar and casein but did not reduce nitrate to nitrite. Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain SM1970T formed a distinct lineage close to the genus Catenovulum within the family Alteromonadaceae, sharing the highest sequence similarity (93.6%) with type strain of Catenovulum maritimum but < 93.0% sequence similarity with those of other known species in the class Gammaproteobacteria. The major fatty acids of strain SM1970T were summed feature 3 (C16: 1 ω7c and/or C16: 1 ω6c), C16: 0 and summed feature 8 (C18: 1 ω7c and/or C18: 1 ω6c). The major polar lipids of the strain included phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylglycerol and its main respiratory quinone was ubiquinone 8. The draft genome of strain SM1970T consisted of 77 scaffolds and was 4,172,146 bp in length, containing a complete set of genes for chitin degradation. The average amino acid identity (AAI) values between SM1970T and type strains of known Catenovulum species were 56.6-57.1% while the percentage of conserved proteins (POCP) values between them were 28.5-31.5%. The genomic DNA G + C content of strain SM1970T was 40.1 mol%. On the basis of the polyphasic analysis, strain SM1970T is considered to represent a novel species in a novel genus of the family Alteromonadaceae, for which the name Marinifaba aquimaris is proposed with the type strain being SM1970T (= MCCC 1K04323T = KCTC 72844T).

Long non­coding RNA OIP5­AS1 facilitates the progression of ovarian cancer via the miR­128­3p/CCNG1 axis.

Long non­coding RNA (LncRNA) o­phthalaldehyde-interacting protein 5 antisense transcript 1 (OIP5­AS1) serves major roles in the progression of various types of cancer. The present study investigated its biological function in ovarian cancer (OC) and its mechanisms. The levels of OIP5­AS1, microRNA­128­3p (miR­128­3p) and cyclin G1 (CCNG1) were examined by reverse transcription­quantitative PCR. Cell viability, apoptosis, migration and invasion were detected to analyze cellular progression. Glycolytic metabolism was assessed by detecting the levels of glucose consumption and lactate production. CCNG1 and hexokinase 2 protein levels were measured by western blotting. Dual­luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull­down assays were performed to affirm the interaction between two molecules. OIP5­AS1 was found to be upregulated in OC tissues and cells. Knockdown of OIP5­AS1 suppressed cell viability, migration, invasion and glycolysis while promoting apoptosis in OC cells. OIP5­AS1 interacted with miR­128­3p and functioned as an oncogene by sequestering miR­128­3p. In addition, CCNG1 was a target gene for miR­128­3p and miR­128­3p regulated the CCNG1­induced effects on OC cells by downregulating CCNG1. OIP5­AS1 upregulated the expression of CCNG1 via targeting miR­128­3p. OIP5­AS1 knockdown also inhibited tumor growth of OC in vivo by modulating the expression of miR­128­3p and CCNG1. Collectively, these data illustrated that the oncogenic role of OIP5­AS1 in OC was associated with the miR­128­3p/CCNG1 axis at least in part. OIP5­AS1 might be a probable diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker for the treatment of OC patients.

Combined Treatment with Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Exendin-4 Promotes Islet Regeneration in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats.

This study was designed to assess whether the combination of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog exendin-4 (Ex4) and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) could enhance ß-cell action in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to five groups: the normal control group (Normal), diabetes mellitus (DM) group, MSC-treated group (MSC), Ex4-treated group (Ex4), and MSC plus Ex4-treated group (MSC+Ex4). Body weight, blood glucose level, intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test, and in vitro glucose-stimulated insulin secretion were used to assess the treatment efficacy. The expression level of insulin, glucagon, pancreatic duodenal homeobox-1 (PDX-1), v-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog A (MafA), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R), and forkhead transcription factor 1 (FoxO1) was estimated by immunofluorescence analysis. Proliferation was assessed by Ki67 staining, and apoptosis was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining in ß-cells. Glucose-induced insulin secretion in the MSC+Ex4 group was significantly increased compared to that in the MSC group in vitro and in vivo. Compared to that of the other groups, the number of insulin-immunopositive cells was increased in both the MSC and MSC+Ex4 groups. However, ß-cell proliferation and apoptosis in the MSC group and MSC+Ex4 group were not significantly different. Importantly, the expression level of PDX-1, MafA, FoxO1, and GLP-1R in ß-cells in the MSC+Ex4 group was significantly higher than those in the MSC group. The numbers of insulin+ glucagon+ double positive cells and glucagon+ GLP-1+ double positive cells were significantly increased after MSC treatment and MSC+Ex4 combined treatment, suggesting the enhanced function of newly formed islet ß-cells. Our findings showed that the combination of MSC and Ex4 enhanced the function of newly formed ß-cells in STZ-induced diabetic rats by acting on multiple insulin transcription factors. Thus, combined MSC and Ex4 therapy provides a feasible approach for future diabetes treatments.