Short-term outcomes of Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty with coronal subluxation of the knee: a retrospective case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to assess short-term outcomes in single compartment osteoarthritis patients associated with the coronal tibiofemoral subluxation (CTFS) of the knee joint after Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (OUKA), and to establish the potential impact of the degree of CTFS on operative outcomes. METHODS: Data pertaining to 183 patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis that underwent OUKA treatment between February 2016 and June 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The presence and degree of severity of CTFS were assessed using preoperative weight-bearing anteroposterior X-ray images of the knee. Patients were stratified into three subgroups based upon the observed degree of subluxation: a normal group, a mild subluxation group (CTFS < 0.5 cm), and a severe subluxation group (CTFS ≥ 0.5 cm). Anterior and posterior X-ray examination of the knee was conducted at the time of most recent follow-up for each patient to assess the degree of CTFS correction following OUKA. Clinical function was assessed using Oxford knee score (OKS) and Hospital for Special Surgery score (HSS) values, while pain was rated using visual-analog scale (VAS) scores. The mechanical femoral tibial angle (mFTA), range of motion (ROM), and complication rates in these three groups were additionally compared. RESULTS: The average follow-up duration for patients in this study was 24.1 months (range: 17-32 months). There were no significant differences in patient age, sex, body mass index (BMI), follow-up duration, mFTA, ROM, OKS, HSS, or VAS scores among these three groups (P > 0.05). After surgery, OKS and HSS scores declined significantly, but no differences in these scores were observed among groups (P > 0.05). Of these patients, 135 (73.8%) were satisfied with the operation, of whom 80 (43.7%) were very satisfied. There were no significant differences in ROM or VAS scores among groups (P > 0.05). The degree of CTFS for patients in the mild and severe subluxation groups was significantly improved following OUKA relative to preoperative values such that the degree of postoperative CTFS did not differ significantly among these groups (P > 0.05). Postoperative mFTA was also significantly improved in these three patient subgroups (P < 0.05). No patients experienced operative complications over the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: OUKA can successfully improve clinical symptoms in patients with single compartmental osteoarthritis. Moreover, OUKA can effectively correct CTFS of the knee in these patients, and the degree of preoperative CTFS has no impact on surgical efficacy. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III.

Arthroscopic Internal Drainage with Cyst Wall Resection and Arthroscopic Internal Drainage with Cyst Wall Preservation to Treat Unicameral Popliteal Cysts: A Retrospective Case-Control Study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of arthroscopic internal drainage for the treatment of unicameral popliteal cysts with or without cyst wall resection. METHODS: This was a retrospective case-control study of 73 patients diagnosed with unicameral popliteal cysts from January 2012 to January 2019 who received arthroscopic treatment. The study included 38 cases with cyst wall resection (CWR group) and 35 cases with cyst wall preservation (CWP group). The CWR group consisted of 14 men and 24 women with an average age of 51.8 years, while the CWP group consisted of 13 men and 22 women with an average age of 52.0 years. All patients were examined for intra-articular lesions and communicating ports by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to surgery, and recurrence of cysts was evaluated at the last follow-up examination. Rauschning and Lindgren grade (R-L grade) and Lysholm score were used to evaluate clinical outcomes. In addition, operation time and complications were recorded. RESULTS: The average length of follow-up was 24.2 months (range, 16 to 32 months). There were no considerable differences in age, gender, cyst size, Lysholm score, R-L grade and concomitant intra-articular cases between the CWR group and CWP group prior to surgery (P > 0.05). The last follow-up MRI scans showed that in the CWR group, the cyst disappeared in 25 cases and shrunk in 13 cases. In the CWP group, the cyst disappeared in 22 cases, shrunk in 12 cases and persisted in one case. There was no obvious difference in recurrence rate between the two groups (0% vs 2.9%, P = 0.899). At the last follow-up, there were no differences in the R-L grade (P = 0.630) and Lysholm score (88.3 ± 5.6 points vs 90.1 ± 3.8 points, P = 0.071) between the two groups. Compared with the CWP group, operation time was significantly prolonged in the CWR group (38.3 ± 3.1 min vs 58.3 ± 4.4 min, P < 0.05). In the CWR group, three cases occurred fluid infiltration under the gastrocnemius muscle, which improved after pressure bandaging and cold compress. In another three cases, hematoma was found. The incidence of complications in the CWR group was markedly higher than that in the CWP group (15.8% vs 0%, P < 0.05). During the follow-up period, none of the patients developed serious complications such as neurovascular injury, deep venous thrombosis, or infection. CONCLUSION: For unicameral popliteal cysts, arthroscopic internal drainage combined with resection of the cyst wall did not further improve the clinical outcomes or reduce the recurrence rate, while prolonging the operation time and increasing the possibility of complications.

Overexpressed DEPDC1B contributes to the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma by CDK1.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the main type of primary liver cancer and shows a heavy burden worldwide. Its recurrence and mortality rate are still uncontrolled by the usage of present treatments. More attention has been focused on exploring specific genes that play important roles in HCC procession, and the function of DEP domain containing 1B (DEPDC1B) in HCC has not been researched. METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining was used to detect the expression level of DEPDC1B in tumor tissues and adjacent normal tissues. After DEPDC1B and CDK1 knockdown in cell lines HEP3B2.1-7 and SK-HEP-1, MTT assay and colony formation assay was used to detect cell growth, flow cytometry assay was used to investigate cell apoptosis and cell cycle, wound-healing assay and Transwell assay were used to examine the tumor cell migration. Moreover, a xenograft model was constructed to research functions of DEPDC1B in tumor growth in vivo. RESULTS: The results show that DEPDC1B knockdown inhibit the progression of HCC, through inhibiting cell proliferation, migration, colony formation, leading to G2 phase arrest, and promoting cell apoptosis in vitro, and CDK1 was selected for further mechanic research according to the results of Human GeneChip prime view. The results of recovery experiment displayed that the functions of DEPDC1B on HCC progression were mediated by CDK1. DEPDC1B knockdown can also inhibit tumor growth in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed that DEPDC1B knockdown restrains the tumor growth in vitro and vivo, and it can interact with CDK1 and rescued by CDK1. The study suggested that DEPDC1B was as a potential therapeutic target involved in HCC growth and progression.

Clinical characteristics and outcome of primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumors after comprehensive therapy.

BACKGROUND: Primary hepatic neuroendocrine tumors (PHNETs), a group of neuroendocrine neoplasms, are extremely rare. There are only few case reports about PHNETs in the literature. The lack of large samples and multicenter research results in poor diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. AIM: To discuss the clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of PHNETs and risk factors related to survival. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data, imaging features, immunohistochemistry data, and treatment efficacy of 40 patients who were pathologically diagnosed with PHNETs and admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 1, 2014 to November 15, 2019. Finally, survival analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for survival. RESULTS: The main symptoms and signs included intermittent abdominal pain (19 patients, 47.5%) and bloating (8 patients, 20.0%). The positive rates of tested tumor markers were recorded as follows: Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) (6 patients, 15.0%), CA72-4 (3 patients, 7.5%), carcinoembryonic antigen (7 patients, 17.5%), and alpha-fetoprotein (6 patients, 15.0%). Immunohistochemical staining results showed positivity for Syn in 38 (97.4%) of 39 patients, for chromogranin A in 17 (65.4%) of 26 patients, for CD56 in 35 (94.6%) of 37 patients, for AE1/AE3 in 28 (87.5%) of 32 patients, and for Ki-67 in all 40 (100.0%) patients. The overall survival rate was significantly related to the tumor grade, AE1/AE3, and Ki-67. No significant correlation was found between other parameters (age, gender, tumor number, tumor size, metastasis, and treatment) and overall survival. CONCLUSION: Higher grade, negative AE1/AE3, and higher Ki-67 are associated with a worse survival rate. Kinds of treatment and other parameters have no significant influence on overall survival.

One-Stage Repair of Posterior Oblique Ligament Avulsion Fracture Combined with Medial Collateral Ligament Injury.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effect of the one-stage repair of a posterior oblique ligament avulsion fracture combined with a medial collateral ligament injury. METHODS: This study was a retrospective trial. From February 2007 to May 2017, five patients with posterior oblique ligament avulsion fracture combined with medial collateral ligament injury were included in this study. The patients were aged 37-58 years old with a mean of 45.2 years. All patients underwent the primary repair of a posterior oblique ligament avulsion fracture and medial collateral ligament injury. The main observational index included Lysholm score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, and range of motion (ROM). RESULTS: The results showed that the average time of follow-up was 53.6 months (range, 20-86 months). When compared to preoperative scores, the preoperative Lysholm score was significantly increased (47.8 ± 5.1 vs 95.0 ± 3.7, P < 0.05), the IKDC score was significantly increased (51.2 ± 5.6 vs 88.6 ± 4.2, P < 0.05), the VAS score was significantly decreased (7.0 ± 0.7 vs 0.4 ± 0.5, P < 0.05), and the ROM was significantly increased (91.6° ± 8.4° vs 129.9° ± 4.4°, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our study found that with the combination of the one-stage repair of a posterior oblique ligament (POL) avulsion fracture and medial collateral ligament injury, the patient's postoperative function recovered well, their pain was relieved, and their knee joint stability was reliable.

[Correlation between Oxford knee score and satisfaction after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty].

OBJECTIVE: To compare correlation between preoperative and postoperative Oxford knee scores and patient satisfaction after unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and to identify Oxford knee score threshold for different satisfactions. METHODS: Totally 88 patients with unicompartmental knee arthroplasty were enrolled from January 2017 to June 2018, including 24 males and 64 females, aged from 52 to 77 years old with an average of (65.39±7.33) years old. All patients completed Oxford Knee Score Questionnaire and Satisfaction Questionnaire before operation and 6 months after operation. Correlation between Oxford knee score and satisfaction was analyzed by Spearman rank correlation test, the satisfaction degree was used as the gold standard, and ROC curves were drawn to judge the value of knee score on patient satisfaction before and after operation. Yoden index were used to explore its optimal threshold. RESULTS: There was no significant correlation between preoperative Oxford knee score and satisfaction before operation (r=-0.058, P>0.05) . There was a moderate positive correlation between postoperative Oxford knee score and satisfaction (r=0.51, P<0.05), it means that the higher Oxford knee score after surgery, the higher the patients satisfaction. The area under ROC curve for preoperative Oxford knee score was 0.55 [(95%CI (0.40, 0.70), P> 0.05 ], which had not significant difference; the area under ROC curve of postoperative Oxford knee joint score was 0.95 [(95%CI (0.90, 0.99), P<0.05 ], whichhadsignificantdifference. Whenpostoperative Oxfordknee score was 35.5, the sensitivity ofsatisfactionwas0.86, the specificity was1.00, andYodenindex wasthe largest (0.86), whichcouldbe usedasa threshold for judging patient satisfaction, and had significant differences. CONCLUSION: Preoperative Oxford knee score was poorly correlated with patient satisfaction after knee joint replacement. It was not correct in predicting patient satisfaction. Postoperative Oxford knee score was significantly correlated with patient satisfaction. Patients with a knee score of 35.5 or above may be considered satisfied with surgical outcome. At the same time, we confirm that Oxford knee score has the same threshold for evaluation of subjective satisfaction after total knee arthroplasty and unicompartmental knee arthroplasty.

Hydrogen sulphide-releasing aspirin enhances cell capabilities of anti-oxidative lesions and anti-inflammation.

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) has been considered as a toxic gas for a long time till new researches discovered the endogenous H2S effects on physiological and pathological processes. In virtue of H2S's effects on cellular redox imbalance and aspirin's good anticoagulation property, exogenous H2S donors, such as H2S-releasing aspirin (ACS14), have been explored to attenuate side effects of aspirin on gastrointestinal mucosal damage. However, existing researches mainly focus on the antithrombotic effects. Considering H2S role in angiogenesis and vascular-protection progress, we herein focused on if ACS14 further has the ability to attenuate oxidative lesion and inflammation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and macrophages. In this study, we synthesized ACS14 by 5-(4-methoxyphenyl)-1,2-dithiole-3-thione and o-acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), and the obtained compounds showed the ability to release H2S. Our data illustrated that both aspirin and ACS14 had good cytocompatibility, and could support the proliferation of HUVECs. And, ACS14 was found to be able to promote 1.6 folds increase compared to aspirin. H2S released from ACS14 was detected inside cells, wherein H2S fluorescence intensity increased twofold in 5 µM and 10 µM ACS14 groups than 1 µM group. Owing to reactive oxygen species inside cells being obviously decreased in ACS14 group, the apoptosis rate of HUVEC herein was reduced as low as 1.6% from 60% of blank group. Meanwhile, the tumour necrosis factor alpha release in macrophage was also declined by 15% in ACS14 groups than the others. Basically, the ACS14 we obtained had the cyto-protective and anti-inflammatory capabilities. Potential applications for vascular intima repair in atherosclerosis are further expected.

Establishment and characterization of GCSR1, a multi-drug resistant signet ring cell gastric cancer cell line.

Signet ring cell gastric cancer (SRCGC) has very poor prognosis worldwide, and studying its molecular characteristics is urgent for improving the outcome. However, few well-characterized SRCGC cell lines are available for research. Therefore, we established a novel cell line GCSR1, from a Chinese male SRCGC patient. Cell morphology of GCSR1 in culture, maintained in vitro for over 90 passages, is similar to the cells from the patient. GCSR1 cells proliferated in vitro with a doubling time of 67.65 h. Karyotyping showed they were aneuploid. Missense mutation occurred in codon 193 of P53 and deletion occurred in exons 1 and 3 of P16. Results of CCK8 assay revealed that GCSR1 was more resistant to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and mitomycin (MMC) than other gastric cancer cell lines. Stem cell marker assay by flow cytometry showed that GCSR1 had high proportion of CD44+ and/or CD133+ cells. It formed colonies easily in soft agar and generated xenograft tumors in nude mice. In conclusion, GCSR1 is a well-established, well-characterized multi-drug resistant cell line with abundant cancer stem cells.

Prognostic role of C-reactive protein in gastric cancer: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: A number of studies have investigated the association between increased pretreatment serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and the prognosis of gastric cancer. However, due to the inconsistent results, whether the serum CRP level can be a prognostic factor in primary gastric cancer remains controversial. METHODS: We searched Medline, PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for relevant high-quality reports. A meta-analysis was carried out using the included studies to assess the association between pretreatment serum CRP level and overall survival (OS) in patients with gastric cancer. Correlation analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between serum CRP and tumor characteristics such as tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage and recurrence. RESULTS: Twelve reports involving 2,597 patients with gastric cancer were included. Primary meta-analysis indicated a significant association between elevated CRP level and poor OS (HR 1.77, 95% CI 1.56-2.00). Subgroup analyses showed no single factor could alter the primary results when we divided the included studies by "number of patients", "max follow-up period", "TNM stage", "treatment" and "cut-off value". Correlation analyses showed that serum CRP level was significantly related to TNM stage (OR 2.96, 95% CI 2.22-3.93) and tumor recurrence (OR 1.81, 95% CI 1.21-2.71). CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that increased pretreatment serum CRP level (≥10mg/L) was significantly associated with poor prognosis in gastric cancer patients, either in early or advanced stages.

Indocyanine green clearance in evaluating the recovery of liver reserve function after superselective transarterial chemoembolization.

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) may ravage normal liver tissues apart from the neoplastic nodules which offset the anti-tumor effect. This study aimed to evaluate the recovery of liver reserve function (LRF) after TACE by indocyanine green (ICG) clearance test and other routine liver function tests. Forty-six newly diagnosed HCC patients who had undergone TACE as the initial treatment from January 2011 to January 2012 were enrolled in this study. The effects of age, basic ICG clearance rate and interval time between two assessments on the recovery of LRF were analyzed. We found that ICG retention rate at the 15 minutes (ICGR15) was significantly increased after TACE (12.3+/-8.1% vs 16.8+/-12.1%, P<0.01) in all the 46 patients. In particular, the ICGR15 value was increased in older patients (age>55 years, 20.3+/-12.5% vs 13.7+/-7.2%, P<0.01). The interval of ICG test also affected the ICGR15 value (≤47 days, 17.8+/-11.4% after vs 12.1+/-7.1% before TACE, P<0.01). Our data suggested that TACE decreased LRF, especially in older patients. ICG test was more sensitive to evaluate the recovery of LRF after TACE than the Child-Pugh grade and routine liver function tests.

Molecular biomarkers of colorectal cancer: prognostic and predictive tools for clinical practice.

Colorectal cancer remains one of the most common types of cancer and leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Although we have made steady progress in chemotherapy and targeted therapy, evidence suggests that the majority of patients undergoing drug therapy experience severe, debilitating, and even lethal adverse drug events which considerably outweigh the benefits. The identification of suitable biomarkers will allow clinicians to deliver the most appropriate drugs to specific patients and spare them ineffective and expensive treatments. Prognostic and predictive biomarkers have been the subjects of many published papers, but few have been widely incorporated into clinical practice. Here, we want to review recent biomarker data related to colorectal cancer, which may have been ready for clinical use.

Efficacy and Durability in Direct Labeling of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Using Ultrasmall Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles with Organosilica, Dextran, and PEG Coatings.

We herein report a comparative study of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) labeling using spherical superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles containing different coatings, namely, organosilica, dextran, and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). These nanomaterials possess a similar SPIO core size of 6-7 nm. Together with their coatings, the overall sizes are 10-15 nm for all SPIO@SiO2, SPIO@dextran, and SPIO@PEG nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were investigated for their efficacies to be uptaken by rabbit bone marrow-derived MSCs without any transfecting agent. Experimentally, both SPIO@SiO2 and SPIO@PEG nanoparticles could be successfully uptaken by MSCs while the SPIO@dextran nanoparticles demonstrated limited labeling efficiency. The labeling durability of SPIO@SiO2 and SPIO@PEG nanoparticles in MSCs after three weeks of culture were compared by Prussian blue staining tests. SPIO@SiO2 nanoparticles demonstrated more blue staining than SPIO@PEG nanoparticles, rendering them better materials for MSCs labeling by direct uptake when durable intracellullar retention of SPIO is desired.

Clinical applications of VEGF-trap (aflibercept) in cancer treatment.

Angiogenesis is one of the key acquired characteristics or "hallmarks" essential for the growth and development of all solid tumor types. The antiangiogenic agent vascular endothelial growth factor-Trap (VEGF-Trap) (aflibercept), which is a composite decoy receptor based on VEGF receptor-1 and VEGF receptor-2 fused to an Fc segment of immunoglobulin G1 that binds specifically to VEGF, has demonstrated preclinical efficacy in a range of different tumor types. VEGF-Trap exerts its antiangiogenic effects through regression of tumor vasculature, remolding or normalization of surviving vasculature, and inhibition of new tumor vessel growth. Preclinical and clinical studies have reported that VEGF-Trap can be combined effectively with both chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This review examines the main effects of VEGF-Trap on tumor vasculature and on different types of solid tumors, and explores the preclinical and clinical benefits of incorporating VEGF-Trap into anticancer treatment strategies.

Advances in combination of antiangiogenic agents targeting VEGF-binding and conventional chemotherapy and radiation for cancer treatment.

Despite great efforts and resources being devoted to treatment, the incidence and mortality of numerous cancers have not decreased in recent decades. This is a result of the resistance of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents and radio-therapy. The development of antiangiogenic agents that target vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) provides a new option for treatment of cancer. Major advances have been achieved with cancer therapy based on antiangiogenic VEGF-targeted agents in the past few years, and some of the recently approved therapies are now being used in daily clinical practice. A further challenge is finding a more efficacious combination of antiangiogenic VEGF-targeted therapies and conventional radio- and chemotherapies. This review outlines the current preclinical and clinical cancer treatments using optimized combinations of antiangiogenic VEGF-targeted agents and conventional radiochemotherapy and highlights that better scheduling for the combination of radiochemotherapy and antiangiogenic VEGF-targeted agents should be developed to achieve better treatment outcomes.

Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound increases cellular uptake of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanomaterial: results from human osteosarcoma cell line U2OS.

PURPOSE: To determine whether low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is able to facilitate the uptake of a superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanomaterial by cells that do not express high endocytosis capacity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The human osteosarcoma cell line U2OS and a silica-coated SPIO functionalized peripherally with amines groups (overall diameter 8 nm) were used in this study. Adherent U2OS cells were labeled with SPIO by incubating with culture media containing the SPIO at 4.5 microg[Fe]/mL. LIPUS with the same parameters as those used in clinical application to accelerate bone fracture healing (1.5 MHz, duty cycle 1:4, spatial-average temporal-average intensity 30 mW/cm(2)) was applied to the cells at the beginning of the labeling process for 0, 0.5, 1, or 3 hours. The total incubation time with SPIO was 12 hours. SPIO labeling efficiency was evaluated with Prussian blue staining and a blueness measurement method, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of cell pellets via measuring areas of SPIO-induced signal void. RESULTS: Both Prussian blue staining and in vitro MRI demonstrated that LIPUS application increased the SPIO nanomaterial labeling efficiency for U2OS cells in an exposure-duration-dependent manner. CONCLUSION: This study is a "proof of concept" that LIPUS can facilitate the cellular take-up of SPIO nanomaterial.

Quantitative profiles of the mRNAs of ER-alpha and its novel variant ER-alpha36 in breast cancers and matched normal tissues.

OBJECTIVE: The novel estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) variant ER-alpha36 is reported to be functional in the estrogen signaling pathway and is related to tamoxifen resistance in breast cancer. However, ER-alpha36 tends to be a favorable factor for survival in patients without tamoxifen therapy. To investigate the mechanisms behind this paradox, we determined the differences between the transcriptional profiles of ER-alpha36 and full-length ER-alpha (ER-alpha66) in breast cancers and matched normal tissues. METHODS: We analyzed ER-alpha36 and ER-alpha66 messenger RNA (mRNA) levels in 74 pairs of breast cancers and matched normal tissues using a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, and correlated the results with their clinicopathological characteristics. RESULTS: Breast cancers expressed lower ER-alpha36 mRNA levels than matched normal tissues regardless of their ER-alpha66 expression status. Down-regulation of ER-alpha36 mRNA was correlated with local progression, lymph node metastasis, and advanced cancer stage. The level of ER-alpha66 mRNA was lower in ER-alpha negative breast cancers compared with matched normal tissues. No differences in ER-alpha66 mRNA levels were observed during cancer progression. CONCLUSION: Down-regulation of ER-alpha36 is associated with carcinogenesis and progression of breast cancer.

Durable mesenchymal stem cell labelling by using polyhedral superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

Small polyhedral superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles (<10 nm) coated with a thin layer of silica were prepared (SPIO@SiO(2) and SPIO@SiO(2)-NH(2)). Surface modification of the small polyhedral silica-coated SPIO nanoparticles with amines led to substantially higher mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) labelling efficiency without the use of additional transfecting agents. Therefore, amine surface-modified nanoparticles (SPIO@ SiO(2)-NH(2)) appeared to be the preferred candidate for MSC labelling. In vitro studies demonstrated that controlled labelling of SPIO@SiO(2) and SPIO@SiO(2)-NH(2) did not cause MSC death or proliferation inhibition. MSCs labelled with SPIO@SiO(2)-NH(2) nanoparticles retained differentiation potential and showed osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiations. The noncytotoxic polyhedral SPIO@SiO(2)-NH(2) nanoparticle-labelled MSCs were successfully implanted in rabbit brain and erector spinae muscle, and demonstrated long-lasting, durable MRI labelling efficacy after 8-12 weeks.

Pitfalls in interpreting rat knee joint magnetic resonance images and their histological correlation.

BACKGROUND: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has been increasingly used as an investigational tool for assessing the structure and function of animal joint disease models, while to date MR tomographic knowledge of laboratory animal skeletal microanatomy remains limited. PURPOSE: To describe pitfalls in interpreting rat knee joint MR images and their histological correlation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: MR scans of the right knee of five 3-month-old Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were carried out using a 4.7T magnet, using a fat-suppressed three-dimensional (3D) gradient echo sequence with a spatial resolution of 59 x 117 x 234 microm. Histology assessment with hematoxylin and eosin staining and Safranin O staining was carried out in the five 3-month-old SD rats and two SD rats of 1 month and 6 months old, respectively. MR images were analyzed by a radiologist, and histology data were assessed by a radiologist and a pathologist. RESULTS: Though the MR images were acquired in normal rats, many signs unfamiliar to radiologists were noted, including notch-like bright signal areas in the epiphysis, gray signal areas in the epiphysis, and fuzzy joint surface of the epiphysis of the femur and tibia. Detailed inspection of the histology specimen showed more unfamiliar features of rat knee microanatomy, including curvy or dipped surface of the femur/tibia epiphysis, areas composed of a mixture of cartilage and bone components, normal notch structure, cyst-like structure, and cavity between cortical lamellae under the joint cartilage. CONCLUSION: There are a number of normal microstructures of the rat knee joint that can be potentially misinterpreted as arthritic changes on MR images. Recognizing these rat knee microstructures can help correct image reading during biomedical research.

Estrogen receptor alpha variant ERalpha46 mediates growth inhibition and apoptosis of human HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells in the presence of 17beta-oestradiol.

BACKGROUND: Estrogen is involved in suppression of colon cancer development and exerts its function via estrogen receptors alpha and beta (ERalpha, ERbeta). The recently identified ERalpha46 resulted from exon 1-deletion from the 66-kDa full length form of ERalpha66 is devoid of the transactivation domain AF-1, whose function remains largely unknown. METHODS: In this study, we compared the expression of ERalpha46 mRNA in 32 normal colorectal tissues and their matched colorectal cancer tissues by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Human colon adenocarcinoma cell HT-29, that has low endogenous expression of ERalpha46, was transfected with ERalpha46-expression vector; methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, flow cytometry, DNA fragmentation and TUNEL staining were used to evaluate the proliferation and apoptosis status of the cells in the presence of 17beta-oestradiol. RESULTS: Higher ERalpha46 mRNA levels were observed in normal colorectal tissues than in the corresponding cancer tissues. ERalpha46-transfected cells showed a significantly decreased growth rate than control cells and an accumulation of cells in the G(0/1) phase and a reduced proportion of cells in G(2)/M phase after exposed to 10(-8) mol/L 17beta-oestradiol. There were also more positive TUNEL stained cells in ERalpha46-transfected cells than the control cells in the presence of 17beta-oestradiol (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that ERalpha46 may be involved in the development and/or progression of colorectal cancer via mediating growth inhibition and apoptosis of cancer cells in the presence of 17beta-oestradiol.

BRCA1/2 associated hereditary breast cancer.

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women today. Some of the patients are hereditary, with a large proportion characterized by mutation in BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 genes. In this review, we provide an overview of these two genes, focusing on their relationship with hereditary breast cancers. BRCA1/2 associated hereditary breast cancers have unique features that differ from the general breast cancers, including alterations in cellular molecules, pathological bases, biological behavior, and a different prevention strategy. But the outcome of BRCA1/2 associated hereditary breast cancers still remains controversial; further studies are needed to elucidate the nature of BRCA1/2 associated hereditary breast cancers.