The vanillin derivative 6-bromine-5-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde induces aberrant mitotic progression and enhances radio-sensitivity accompanying suppression the expression of PLK1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common form of esophageal cancer in China. Since chemotherapy is the standard clinical intervention for advanced ESCC, the development of highly effective and minimal/non-toxic drugs is essential to improve the clinical outcome and prognosis of the patients. A novel derivative of vanillin, 6-bromine-5-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (BVAN08), has been recently reported to activate different cell death pathways in cancer cells. In this study, we demonstrate that BVAN08 exhibits a potent anti-proliferation effect on ESCC cells (TE-1 and ECA-109) by inhibiting the expression of PLK1, an important mitotic kinase. Consistent with this, BVAN08 induces mitotic arrest and chromosomal misalignment in ESCC cells. The disruption of microtubule nucleation around centrosomes is also observed in BVAN08 treated ESCC cells. Furthermore, BVAN08 enhances radio-sensitivity of ESCC cells by prolonging DNA damage repair. These findings underscore the potential value of BVAN08 in cancer therapeutics and demonstrate the underlying mechanism by which BVAN08 induces mitotic catastrophe and enhances radio-sensitivity in ESCC cells.

Ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of RNA and DNA methylation.

Previous studies have reported that nucleic acid methylation is a critical element in cardiovascular disease, and most studies mainly focused on sequencing and biochemical research. Here we developed an Ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/ MS) method for the quantification analysis of the dissociative epigenetic modified nucleosides (5mdC, 5mrC, m6A) in Myocardial Infarction (MI) SD rats from different periods (1 week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks) after the surgery. The samples for analysis were obtained from heart tissue and blood of the rats. All the quantification results are compared with the sham-operated group. Total RNA and DNA were isolated by enzymatic hydrolytic methods before the UPLC-MS/MS analysis. The statistical analysis demonstrates the dynamic changes of modified nucleosides in MI rats, and it showed good specificity, accuracy, stability and less samples were needed in the method. In this paper, we discovered that the concentration of 5mdC, 5mrC, m6A from heart tissue significantly increased at 8 weeks after the surgery. Furthermore, UPLC-MS/MS helps us observe the similar change of the concentration of those 3 methylated biomarkers in peripheral blood after 8 weeks. The result shows that the dynamic process of those 3 methylated biomarkers in peripheral blood is related to the content of methylated biomarkers from the heart tissue. Based on the scientific evidence available, we proved that the methylation of genetic materials in peripheral blood is similar to myocardial infarction tissue. The relation between them indicates that peripheral blood could be a promising alternative to the heart tissue which monitor the level of methylation and MI diagnosis-aided.

[Regenerative medicine and burn care in China].

In the recent 30 years, regenerative medicine has become a discipline with full vitality and hope owing to its tremendous demands in China. Chinese scientists in these areas have been making remarkable achievements in fields of stem cells, tissue engineering, and burns.

Procalcitonin is a good tool to guide duration of antibiotic therapy in patients with severe acute pancreatitis. A randomized prospective single-center controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical usefulness of procalcitonin (PCT) for guiding duration of antibiotic therapy in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS: A total of 71 patients with confirmed severe acute pancreatitis from March 2009 to September 2011 in the Department of Critical Care Medicine of Huizhou Municipal Central Hospital, Guangdong, China were enrolled in this study. Procalcitonin was measured daily by a semi-quantitative immunoassay in the study group. Patients were randomly assigned into 2 groups including a PCT-guided group (study group) and a prophylactic antibiotic therapy (control group). Antibiotic therapy in the study group was not applied until clinical signs and symptoms of infection appeared (PCT value was >0.5ng/ml). We discontinued the antibiotic therapy if clinical signs and symptoms of infection improved and PCT was <0.5ng/ml over 3 days. In the control group, antibiotic therapy was administrated for 2 weeks, or antibiotic therapy was continued because of confirmed infection until clinical signs and symptoms of infection disappeared over 3 days. RESULTS: In the study group (35 patients), the duration of antibiotic therapy and hospitalization was significantly shorter than the control group (36 patients) (10.89+/-2.85 versus 16.06+/-2.48 days, p<0.001, and 16.66+/-4.02 days versus 23.81+/-7.56 days, p<0.001) without negative clinical effects and the cost of hospitalization was significantly lower. CONCLUSION: Procalcitonin is a helpful and safe tool for guiding duration of antibiotic treatment in patients with severe acute pancreatitis.