LncRNA TUG1 Promotes Growth and Metastasis of Cholangiocarcinoma Cells by Inhibiting miR-29a.

BACKGROUND: As a highly malignant tumor, cholangiocarcinoma poses a serious threat to human life and health, so exploring the mechanisms of its development and progression at a molecular level is of great significance to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at investigating the effects and related mechanisms of LncRNA TUG1 on cholangiocarcinoma cells. METHODS: Cholangiocarcinoma tissues and adjacent tissues (n=82 each), human cholangiocarcinoma cell lines (RBE, QBC939, HuH28), and a human normal biliary epithelial cell line (HIBE) were collected. miR-29a-mimics, miR-29a-inhibitor, miR-NC, si-TUG1, pcDNA3.1 TUG1, and NC were transfected into the cholangiocarcinoma cells. qRT-PCR was performed to detect TUG1 and miR-29a expression in the cholangiocarcinoma tissues and cells. Western blotting (WB) was conducted to detect the expression of Bax, Caspase-3, and Bcl-2 in the cells. CCK-8 assay, Transwell, and flow cytometry were carried out to detect cell proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis. Dual luciferase reporter gene assay (DLRGA) was performed to confirm the correlation of TUG1 with miR-29a. RESULTS: TUG1 was highly expressed while miR-29a was poorly expressed in cholangiocarcinoma cells. TUG1 expression was negatively correlated with miR-29a expression, and TUG1 had a relatively high diagnostic value for cholangiocarcinoma. Cell experiments showed that inhibiting TUG1 expression or up-regulating miR-29a expression could inhibit cholangiocarcinoma cells from proliferation and invasion, and promote their apoptosis, while up-regulating TUG1 or inhibiting miR-29a could promote the proliferation and invasion but inhibit the apoptosis. Rescue experiment showed that overexpressing miR-29a could reverse the effects of high TUG1 expression on cholangiocarcinoma cells. DLRGA confirmed that there was a regulatory relationship between TUG1 and miR-29a. CONCLUSION: TUG1 is highly expressed in cholangiocarcinoma tissues. It can promote the growth and metastasis of cholangiocarcinoma cells by inhibiting miR-29a, so it may be a new target for diagnosing and treating cholangiocarcinoma.

Evaluation of Percutaneous Mechanical Thrombectomy via the AngioJet System Combined with Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis for the Treatment of Symptomatic Lower Extremity Deep Venous Thrombosis.

BACKGROUND: Current methods of treating lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (LEDVT), such as catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) alone, or percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy (PMT) alone, are accompanied by unacceptably high risks of complications. This preliminary retrospective study evaluated the efficacy of CDT combined with PMT (via the AngioJet system), relative to CDT alone, in treating LEDVT. METHODS: Forty-two patients (43 limbs) with symptomatic deep venous thrombosis received either CDT alone (n = 12) or PMT combined with CDT (PMT + CDT) from May 2012 to December 2016. The groups were compared for clinical outcomes and demographics, LEDVT risk factors, and dosages of urokinase. Thrombus removal, by venographic evidence, was classified as grades I (<50%), II (50 to 99%), or III (>99%). RESULTS: In the CDT (PMT + CDT) cohorts, grades I, II, and III thrombus removal was achieved by 8% (3%), 17% (10%), and 75% (87%) of patients, respectively. The urokinase dosage and hospitalization required by the CDT group (5.29 ± 0.45 million IU, 20.4 ± 4.6 days) were significantly greater than those required by the PMT + CDT group (4.08 ± 1.15 million IU, 16.0 ± 6.0 days; P = 0.001, 0.039). The clinical outcomes of the 2 groups were similar. CONCLUSION: Combined PMT and CDT was effective and safe for LEDVT clinical therapy, and hospital stay, urokinase dosage, and complications were less compared with patients who received CDT only.

Direct Identification of Active Surface Species for the Water-Gas Shift Reaction on a Gold-Ceria Catalyst.

The crucial role of the metal-oxide interface in the catalysts of the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction has been recognized, while the precise illustration of the intrinsic reaction at the interfacial site has scarcely been presented. Here, two kinds of gold-ceria catalysts with totally distinct gold species, <2 nm clusters and 3 to 4 nm particles, were synthesized as catalysts for the WGS reaction. We found that the gold cluster catalyst exhibited a superiority in reactivity compared to gold nanoparticles. With the aid of comprehensive in situ characterization techniques, the bridged -OH groups that formed on the surface oxygen vacancies of the ceria support are directly determined to be the sole active configuration among various surface hydroxyls in the gold-ceria catalysts. The isotopic tracing results further proved that the reaction between bridged surface -OH groups and CO molecules adsorbed on interfacial Au atoms contributes dominantly to the WGS reactivity. Thus, the abundant interfacial sites in gold clusters on the ceria surface induced superior reactivity compared to that of supported gold nanoparticles in catalyzing the WGS reaction. On the basis of direct and solid experimental evidence, we have obtained a very clear image of the surface reaction for the WGS reaction catalyzed by the gold-ceria catalyst.

Evaluation of efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization combined with computed tomography-guided radiofrequency ablation for hepatocellular carcinoma using magnetic resonance diffusion weighted imaging and computed tomography perfusion imaging: A prospective study.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with computed tomography-guided radiofrequency ablation (CT-RFA) in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using magnetic resonance diffusion weighted imaging (MR-DWI) and CT perfusion imaging (CT-PI). METHODS: From January 2008 to January 2014, a total of 522 HCC patients receiving TACE combined with CT-RFA were included in this study. All patients underwent TACE followed by CT-RFA, and 1 day before treatment and 1 month after treatment they received MR-DWI and CT-PI. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect the concentration of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Tumor response was evaluated using the revised RECIST criteria. One-year follow-up was conducted on all patients. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve was drawn to evaluate the efficacy of TACE combined with CT-RFA for HCC using MR-DWI and CT-PI. RESULTS: Total effective rate (complete remission [CR] + partial remission [PR]) of TACE combined with CT-RFA for HCC was 82.95%. HCC patients of CR + PR had lower hepatic blood flow (HBF), hepatic blood volume (HBV), permeability surface (PS), hepatic arterial perfusion (HAP), and hepatic perfusion index (HPI) levels than those of SD + PD, but HCC patients of CR + PR had higher mean transit time (MTT) level than those of SD + PD. The patients of PR + CR had higher apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values than those of SD + PD. The patients of PR + CR showed lower AFP concentration than those of SD + PD. ROC curve analysis indicated that the area under the curve (AUC) of AFP, HBV, PS, HAP, HPI, and ADC was more than 0.7, but the AUC of HBF, MTT, and PVP were less than 0.7. After treatment, the AFP, HBF, HBV, PS, HAP, and HPI in the HCC patients with recurrence were higher than those in the HCC patients without, but MTT and ADC in the HCC patients with recurrence were lower than those in the HCC patients without. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that MR-DWI and CT-PI can effectively evaluate the efficacy of TACE combined with CT-RFA and postoperative recurrence of HCC.

Contributions of distinct gold species to catalytic reactivity for carbon monoxide oxidation.

Small-size (<5 nm) gold nanostructures supported on reducible metal oxides have been widely investigated because of the unique catalytic properties they exhibit in diverse redox reactions. However, arguments about the nature of the gold active site have continued for two decades, due to the lack of comparable catalyst systems with specific gold species, as well as the scarcity of direct experimental evidence for the reaction mechanism under realistic working conditions. Here we report the determination of the contribution of single atoms, clusters and particles to the oxidation of carbon monoxide at room temperature, by the aid of in situ X-ray absorption fine structure analysis and in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy. We find that the metallic gold component in clusters or particles plays a much more critical role as the active site than the cationic single-atom gold species for the room-temperature carbon monoxide oxidation reaction.

Gastritis cystica profunda in a previously unoperated stomach: a case report.

Gastritis cystica profunda is a relatively rare disease, usually observed at anastomotic sites in stomachs of patients that have undergone gastric procedures. We present the rare case of an elevated lesion in the anterior wall of the gastric antrum of a 43-year-old Chinese woman who had never undergone gastric surgery and had no gastrointestinal tract symptoms. Although the physical examination and laboratory data showed no abnormalities, endoscopic ultrasonography revealed an anechoic cystic structure. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed the gastric wall of the greater curvature of the antrum was markedly and irregularly thickened, and mild to moderate enhancement was observed around the lesion with no enhancement in the central portion, suggestive of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor. The patient underwent a distal gastric resection of the 2.5 cm × 1.5 cm lesion. A postoperative pathologic examination showed dilated cystic glands in the muscularis mucosa and submucosal layers and erosion of the mucosal surface of the tumor, confirming the diagnosis of gastritis cystica profunda without malignancy.