Expression and significance of CDX2, FXR, and TGR5 in esophageal cancer.

This study explored the expression and significance of three critical morphogenesis genes in normal esophagus, reflux esophagitis (RE), Barrett's esophagus (BE), esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA), and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Esophageal tissue samples and tissue microarrays were used. CDX2, FXR, and TGR5 protein expression were measured by immunohistochemistry in normal esophageal, RE, BE, EA, and ESCC tissues. All 3 proteins had markedly changed expression during the progression of EA. The expressions of CDX2 and FXR were positively correlated in EA. In addition, TGR5 expression was positively correlated with CDX2 in RE and BE. The expressions of CDX2 and FXR were also positively correlated in ESCC. Although CDX2, FXR, and TGR5 were upregulated in ESCC, these factors might not be markers for the prognosis of ESCC. These results suggested that CDX2, FXR, and TGR5 might play different roles in EA and ESCC. They may represent novel therapeutic targets for patients with these cancers.

The coordination structure of the extracted nickel(ii) complex with a synergistic mixture containing dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid and 2-ethylhexyl 4-pyridinecarboxylate ester.

In this paper, a synergist complex of Ni(ii) with naphthalene-2-sulfonic acid (HNS) and n-hexyl 4-pyridinecarboxylate ester (LI), which are corresponding short chain analogues of active synergistic extractants dinonylnaphthalene sulfonic acid (HDNNS) and 2-ethylhexyl 4-pyridinecarboxylate ester (4PC, LII), was prepared and characterized by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR), elemental analyses, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI-MS) spectroscopic studies. Single crystals of the nickel synergist complex have been grown from a methanol/water (10/1) solution and analyzed by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystal structure of the nickel synergist complex shows that Ni(ii) is coordinated by four water molecules and two monodentate LI ligands and there is no direct interaction of the Ni(ii) with sulfonic oxygen atoms of naphthalene-2-sulfonic acid anions, while hydrogen-bonded interactions of the coordinated water molecules with sulfonic oxygen atoms of naphthalene-2-sulphate anions were observed. In addition, in order to provide parallels to solvent extraction, the extracted Ni(ii) complex with HDNNS and 4PC is also prepared and studied using FT-IR and ESI-MS technology. Compared with their corresponding free ligand, similar shifts assigned to the stretching vibration of the pyridine ring and S[double bond, length as m-dash]O in both the nickel synergist complex and the extracted Ni(ii) complex suggest that in the non-polar organic phase, Ni(ii) is also coordinated by LII ligands, while the sulfonic oxygen atoms of dinonylnaphthalene sulfonate anions not directly bonded to Ni(ii) form hydrogen bonds with water molecules (coordinated with Ni(ii) or/and solubilized in the non-polar organic phase). For the ESI-MS spectrum of the extracted Ni(ii) complex in non-polar organic phase, there exists a peak at m/z values of 1058.76, which indicates that the extracted Ni(ii) complex in the non-polar organic phase may have a coordination structure, [Ni(H2O)4(LII)2](DNNS)2, similar to the coordination structure of the nickel synergist complex.