[miR-218 Promoted the Apoptosis of Human Ovarian Carcinoma Cells via Suppression of the WNT/ß-Catenin Signaling Pathway].

MicroRNA-218 (miR-218) is a short, noncoding RNA, with multiple biological functions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential effects of miR-218 on the apoptosis of human ovarian carcinoma cells and the underlying mechanisms by which miR-218 exerted its actions. After over-expressing miR-218 in human ovarian carcinoma (OVCAR3) cells, cell viability was determined by MTT method, cell apoptosis was observed by flow cytometry (FCM), mRNA expression of miR-218, Bcl2, Bax was measured by RT-PCR and protein expression levels of Wnt, tankyrase and ß-catenin were quantified by Western blots. Over-expression of miR-218 potently suppressed cell viability and promoted the apoptosis of human ovarian carcinoma cells in a time-dependent manner. In addition, the down-regulation of tankyrase expression level was detected in miR-218-over-expressed cells. Following the block of the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway using the inhibitor XAV-939, the effects of miR-218 on the proliferation and apoptosis of human ovarian carcinoma cells were significantly suppressed. Augmenting expression of miR-218 and/or miRNA-218 mimicking therapeutics may provide viable avenue for the treatment of ovarian cancer.

[Clinical observation of partial pancreatectomy as part of primary cytoreductive surgery in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of partial pancreatectomy as part of primary cytoreductive surgery in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). METHODS: A total of 8 patients were recruited in this study who underwent partial pancreatectomy during the primary cytoreductive surgeries for advanced EOC in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from April 2009 to July 2015. Their clinicopathological characteristics, diameter of metastatic tumors, the scope of cytoreductive surgeries, residual diseases after cytoreductive surgeries, postoperative complications and survival situation were retrospective analyzed. RESULTS: (1) Clinicopathological characteristics: the median age of these patients was 58 years old (range: 39-63 years old) . The median value of preoperative serum CA125 was 1 688 kU/L (range: 119-5 000 kU/L) . The median diameter of metastatic tumors involved in pancreatic body or tail was 4.5 cm (range: 3-10 cm). All the tumors from the 8 patients were confirmed to be high-grade serous carcinoma. Four patients were staged as International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Ⅳ, and the other 4 patients were staged as FIGO Ⅲc. (2) Tumor metastases and the scope of cytoreductive surgeries: all of these 8 patients had widely disseminated ovarian cancer, with involvement of upper abdominal, middle abdominal and pelvic cavity. Each patient underwent extensive intra-abdominal cytoreductive surgeries, including hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, omentectomy, pelvic peritonectomy, splenectomy, partial pancreatectomy. Each patient had cytoreductive surgeries of 9.6 different sites on average. Of all 8 patients who underwent partial pancreatectomy, 7 patients had pancreatic tails removed; the other 1 patient had pancreatic body and tail removed. The median volume of blood loss during surgery was 1 350 ml (range: 300-3 500 ml) , blood transfusion was performed in 7 patients with the median volume of 1 150 ml (range: 500-1 800 ml). (3) Residual diseases after cytoreductive surgeries: optimal cytoreduction was achieved in all patients, with microscopic residual disease in 3 patients, residual tumors diameter < 0.5 cm in 3 patients, and residual tumors diameter between 0.5 and 1 cm in 2 patients. (4) Postoperative complications: 4 patients suffered from complications including pancreatic leakage (2/8), intraperitoneal hemorrhage (1/8) and pancreatic pseudocyst accompanied by infection (1/8). These complications were treated successfully by conservative managements. (5) Survival situation: during the median follow-up duration of 17 months (ranged from 2 to 46 months), 5 patients were still alive until the end of follow-up, including 4 cases under treatment and 1 case survived 29 months without relapse after treatment. Three patients were respectively died in 5, 20 and 46 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: There is a higher risk of postoperative complications of pancreas resection as part of primary cytoreductive surgery in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, but the resection of pancreatic metastases and part of the pancreas is feasible and necessary.

Distribution of Baseline Sensitivities to Natural Product Physcion Among Isolates of Sphaerotheca fuliginea and Pseudoperonospora cubensis.

The ethanol extract from rhubarb was commercialized in China (Veguard, Physcion, 5 g/liter AS) for control of cucumber powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca fuliginea) and cucumber downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis). To provide the basic data for the risk assessment of resistance to this product, physcion was selected to represent the active ingredients to establish baseline sensitivity of powdery mildew and downy mildew populations. For powdery mildew, 262 isolates of S. fuliginea from nine regions and, for downy mildew populations, 116 isolates of P. cubensis from six regions were collected in China during 2004 and 2005 and tested for sensitivity. In addition, the sensitivity of a powdery mildew isolate was monitored for 15 asexual generations under selection pressure with physcion. The results showed that there was no significant difference among regions in the frequency distribution of baseline sensitivity to this ingredient for either cucumber powdery mildew isolates or cucumber downy mildew isolates. Baseline sensitivity was distributed as a normal unimodal curve with a mean median (50%) effective concentration (EC50) of 0.304 µg/ml for powdery mildew population and mean EC50 of 0.501 µg/ml for downy mildew population. The variation of sensitivity to physcion was low because the range factor (maximum EC50/minimum EC50 of isolates within population) varied from 1.63 to 3.42 among powdery mildew populations and from 1.70 to 2.38 among downy mildew populations. The powdery mildew isolate XZ4 did not decrease sensitivity under the selection pressure of physcion at the dose of EC70 for 15 generations.

Epidemic hemorrhagic fever. The mechanism of coagulation and fibrinolysis.

To understand the mechanism of hemorrhage, coagulation and fibrinolysis in epidemic hemorrhagic fever (EHF), thrombin time (TT), prothrombin time (PT), fibrinogen (FIG), the platelet count (PLAT), plasminogen (PLG), antithrombin-III (AT-III), fibrin-fibrinogen degraded products (FDP) and platelet functions of aggregation and release were studied dynamically with advanced methods in 134 EHF patients. TT and PT were prolonged, FIG, AT-III and PLG were decreased and FDP was increased. Besides, the decrease of PLAT, the platelet functions of aggregation and release were below the normal level. The results showed that the balance of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis was lost from the early stage of the disease.

[Long-term clinical observation after repair of ruptured Achilles tendon (with 62 cases report)].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical result and influence factors of prognosis after repair of ruptured Achilles tendon with operative treatment. METHODS: From 1961 to 1994, 62 cases with ruptured Achilles tendon were treated operatively. Among them, "8"-shaped suture was used in 8 cases, aponeurosis flap repair in 30 cases, transfer repair of tendon of peroneus longus muscle in 2 cases, reverse "V-Y" shaped tendon plastic operation in 10 cases, and mattress suture of opposite ends in 12 cases. RESULTS: Followed up 3 to 33 years, there was excellent in 40 cases, better in 13 cases, moderate in 6 cases, poor in 3 cases, 85.5% in excellent rate. Postoperative infection and re-rupture were occurred in 6 cases respectively. CONCLUSION: Different operative procedures are adopted to achieve better long-term clinical result according to the injury types.