LINC00662 promotes glycolysis and cell survival by regulating miR- 375/HIF-1α axis in ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common gynecological malignancies, with the highest mortality rate in women worldwide. LINC00662, a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), was shown to play a vital role in many malignancies, while little is known about its role in OC. Firstly, our study determined the expression of LINC00662 in OC tissues and cells. Upregulation or downregulation of LINC00662 were performed in OC cells to explore its effects on cell proliferation and glycolysis of OC. The interaction between LINC00662 and miR-375 was verified using luciferase assays and RNA immunoprecipitation. Results showed that LINC00662 was highly expressed in OC tissues and cells, and patients with increased expression of LINC00662 were associated with shorter overall survival. Furthermore, functional assays proved that LINC00662 was essential for OC cell proliferation and glycolysis. Subsequently, our study further revealed that LINC00662 acted as a competitive RNA and it could modulate the expression of HIF-1α through directly binding with miR- 375. Collectively, upregulation of LINC00662 in ovarian cancer tissues is closely correlated to poor survival. LINC00662 might regulate HIF-1α expression via miR-375. These findings suggested that LINC00662 has the potential to be explored as a diagnostic biomarker for OC.

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) exposure disturbs lipid metabolism in juvenile yellow catfish Tachysurus fulvidraco.

This study was conducted to determine the mechanism by which di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) exposure influences lipid metabolism of juvenile yellow catfish Tachysurus fulvidraco. Fish were exposed to three DEHP concentrations (0, 0·1 and 0·5 mg l-1 DEHP) for 8 weeks. Fatty acid synthase (FAS) activity significantly decreased with increasing DEHP concentrations, the highest value was in the Tween control group, whereas the lowest activities of carnitine palmitoyltransferase (CPT) and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were in this group. The messenger (m)RNA levels of 6-phospho-gluconate dehydrogenase (6PGD), FAS and acetyl-CoA carboxylase a (ACCa) significantly increased with increasing DEHP concentration, the highest values were in the 0·5 mg l-1 DEHP group. The mRNA level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) was lower in Tween control than in fish exposed to 0·1 and 0·5 mg l-1 DEHP. The highest mRNA level of ACCb was in the 0·1 mg l-1 DEHP group. These results indicate that DEHP exposure can disturb lipid metabolism at the enzymatic and mRNA levels in Pelteobagrus fulvidraco.

Congenital hydrocephalus and hemivertebrae associated with de novo partial monosomy 6q (6q25.3→qter).

This study was conducted to describe a prenatal case of congenital hydrocephalus and hemivertebrae with a 6q terminal deletion and to investigate the possible correlation between the genotype and phenotype of the proband. We performed an array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) analysis on a fetus diagnosed with congenital hydrocephalus and hemivertebrae. The deletion, spanning 10.06 Mb from 6q25.3 to 6qter, was detected in this fetus. The results of aCGH, karyotype and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analyses in the healthy parents were normal, which confirmed that the proband's copy-number variant (CNV) was de novo. This deleted region encompassed 97 genes, including 28 OMIM genes. We discussed four genes (TBP, PSMB1, QKI and Pacrg) that may be responsible for hydrocephalus while the T gene may have a role in hemivertebra. We speculate that five genes in the 6q terminal deletion region were potentially associated with hemivertebrae and hydrocephalus in the proband.

Mapping quantitative trait loci for the lysozyme level and immunoglobulin G blocking percentage of classical swine fever virus.

Increased disease resistance through improved general immune capacity would be beneficial for the welfare and productivity of farm animals. Classical swine fever (CSF) is a contagious disease in farm animals. The immunoglobulin G (IgG) blocking percentage of CSF virus (CSFV) in serum is an essential diagnostic parameter in veterinary practice. In addition, lysozymes are a part of the innate immune system. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for IgG blocking percentage of CSFV and lysozyme concentration, IgG blocking percentage and lysozyme concentration in serum were measured in a composite pig population before and after challenge with modified live CSF vaccine. Through genome-wide mapping by MQREML analysis and the SOLAR software, several QTL for the lysozyme concentration and the IgG blocking percentage of CSFV were identified, respectively. Within these QTL regions, some known genes were revealed, and some of them may serve as candidate genes in the pig.

[Prediction of trends for fine-scale spread of Oncomelania hupensis in Shanghai Municipality based on supervised machine learning models].

OBJECTIVE: To predict the trends for fine-scale spread of Oncomelania hupensis based on supervised machine learning models in Shanghai Municipality, so as to provide insights into precision O. hupensis snail control. METHODS: Based on 2016 O. hupensis snail survey data in Shanghai Municipality and climatic, geographical, vegetation and socioeconomic data relating to O. hupensis snail distribution, seven supervised machine learning models were created to predict the risk of snail spread in Shanghai, including decision tree, random forest, generalized boosted model, support vector machine, naive Bayes, k-nearest neighbor and C5.0. The performance of seven models for predicting snail spread was evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), F1-score and accuracy, and optimal models were selected to identify the environmental variables affecting snail spread and predict the areas at risk of snail spread in Shanghai Municipality. RESULTS: Seven supervised machine learning models were successfully created to predict the risk of snail spread in Shanghai Municipality, and random forest (AUC = 0.901, F1-score = 0.840, ACC = 0.797) and generalized boosted model (AUC= 0.889, F1-score = 0.869, ACC = 0.835) showed higher predictive performance than other models. Random forest analysis showed that the three most important climatic variables contributing to snail spread in Shanghai included aridity (11.87%), ≥ 0 °C annual accumulated temperature (10.19%), moisture index (10.18%) and average annual precipitation (9.86%), the two most important vegetation variables included the vegetation index of the first quarter (8.30%) and vegetation index of the second quarter (7.69%). Snails were more likely to spread at aridity of < 0.87, ≥ 0 °C annual accumulated temperature of 5 550 to 5 675 °C, moisture index of > 39% and average annual precipitation of > 1 180 mm, and with the vegetation index of the first quarter of > 0.4 and the vegetation index of the first quarter of > 0.6. According to the water resource developments and township administrative maps, the areas at risk of snail spread were mainly predicted in 10 townships/subdistricts, covering the Xipian, Dongpian and Tainan sections of southern Shanghai. CONCLUSIONS: Supervised machine learning models are effective to predict the risk of fine-scale O. hupensis snail spread and identify the environmental determinants relating to snail spread. The areas at risk of O. hupensis snail spread are mainly located in southwestern Songjiang District, northwestern Jinshan District and southeastern Qingpu District of Shanghai Municipality.

Association analysis of polymorphisms of porcine LMP2 and LMP7 genes with haematological traits.

Low molecular weight polypeptides 2 (LMP2) and low molecular weight polypeptides 7 (LMP7) are located within the major histocompatibility complex and have been associated with autoimmune disease. In this study, polymorphisms of porcine LMP2 and LMP7 genes were analyzed by PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing methods. Four SNPs (DQ659151:g.2115T>C; DQ659151:g.4343A>G; DQ872631:g.1232C>G; DQ872631:g.2847C>T) were identified. Four SNPs of genes were analyzed for association with 22 haematological traits in Large White (n = 195), Landrace (n = 84) and Songliao Black (n = 86) pig population. Of all the 22 traits, seven were significant associated with the SNPs of LMP2/LMP7 gene (P < 0.05). They included white blood cell count (WBC) (P = 0.028), neutrophilic granulocyte count (GRAN) (P = 0.037), monocytes percentage (MO%) (P = 0.015), red blood cell (RBC) (P = 0.004), red blood cell volume distribution width (RDW) (P = 0.004), mean platelet volume (MPV) (P = 0.016) and CD4(+)CD8(+)% (P = 0.045). These results suggest LMP2/LMP7 gene should be regarded as molecular marker to estimate animal's immune status for their effects on hematological traits.

Mapping quantitative trait loci for cytokines in the pig.

Increased disease resistance through improved general immune capacity would be beneficial for the welfare and productivity of farm animals. Cytokines are essential diagnostic parameters in veterinary practice. To identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for cytokine levels in serum in the pig, Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and Interleukin 10 (IL-10) levels and the ratio of IFN-γ to IL-10 were measured in a composite pig population, before and after challenge with modified live CSF (classical swine fever) vaccine. Through interval mapping using the variance component approach and the permutation test, 11 QTL (five for IFN-γ, two for IL-10 and four for the ratio of IFN-γ to IL-10) with significance levels of P < 0.10 were identified, of which five were significant at the P < 0.05 level. The most significant QTL (P < 0.01) was found on chromosome 16, with effect on the ratio of IFN-γ to IL-10. Within these QTL regions, a number of known genes were revealed and their potential relationships to the studied traits were discussed. Some of these genes may serve as candidate genes for these traits in swine.

[Status of chronic filariasis: a cross-sectional study in Jiangxi Province, 2018].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the status of chronic filariasis patients in Jiangxi Province in 2018, so as to provide insights into the follow-up care of the patients. METHODS: In 2018, a case follow-up study was conducted in all registered patients with chronic filariasis in previously endemic areas of Jiangxi Province, and a clue investigation was done for identifying the missing patients. In addition, the data of caring sites for chronic filarisis patients were collected and analyzed in the province. RESULTS: A total of 802 chronic filariasis patients were identified in 56 counties (districts) of Jiangxi Province in 2018. The patients had a male/female ratio of 1∶1, and 85.41% had ages of over 70 years. There were 58.60%, 93.89%, 17.21% and 3.62% of chronic filariasis patients with lymphangitis, lymphedema/elephantiasis, chyluria and hydrocele, respectively. A total of 273 caring sites were assigned in 56 counties (districts) of Jiangxi Province, and 306 caring activities were carried out in 2018. CONCLUSIONS: The number of chronic filariasis patients has significantly decreased in Jiangxi Province; however, the care remains to be intensified for chronic filariasis patients.

SNP detection and haplotype analysis in partial sequence of MSTN gene in sheep.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of the MSTN gene amplified from sixty sheep of nine Chinese indigenous sheep breeds and one imported sheep breed were sequenced to identify the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a 378-bp fragment including intron 2 and exon 3 of the MSTN gene. A total of fifteen SNPs (A1937C, T1942G, C1956T, A1972C, A1990G, A2008C, A2011G, C2019T, A2025C, A2027C, T2085G, T2173C, C2198T, C2210T and C2213T) were detected among the sixty sequenced individuals and they were all located in intron 2. Twelve haplotypes were identified from these fifteen SNPs, of which haplotype I (CGTCGCGTCCGCTTT) and VIII (ATCAAAACAATTCCC) were the two major and basic ones with frequencies of 12.25% and 77.80%, respectively. Haplotype VIII was distributed in all sheep breeds and all individuals of the meat or meat-wool type sheep breeds were homozygous with respect to this haplotype. This suggests that haplotype VIII might be related to meat production traits in sheep. Haplotype I was only distributed in the fur, lambskin type and fur-meat type sheep breeds. This suggests that haplotype I may have some relationship with fur traits in sheep.

Oxide formation and alloying elements enrichment on TRIP steel surface during inter-critical annealing.

The gas atmosphere in continuous annealing and galvanizing lines alters both composition and microstructure of the surface and sub-surface of sheet steels. The alloying element enrichments and the oxide morphology on transformation-induced plasticity steel surfaces are strongly influenced by the dew point of the furnace atmosphere and annealing temperature. The formation of a thin oxide film and enrichment of the alloying elements during annealing may result in surface defects on galvanized sheet products. The present contribution reports on the use of microanalysis techniques such as electron backscatter diffraction, glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy and electron probe micro-analysis for the detailed surface analysis of inter-critically annealed transformation-induced plasticity steel such as oxide phase determination, microstructure and microtexture evolutions.

The correlation between children's status asthmatics and interstitial lung disease.

OBJECTIVE: Investigating the correlation between children's status asthmatics and interstitial lung disease (ILD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: We continuously selected 20 cases of children's status asthmatics combined with ILD (group A), 20 cases of pure status asthmatics (group B), 20 cases of pure ILD (group C) and 20 cases of healthy children (group D). We measured Th1/Th2 by flow cytometry as well as the level of expression of hs-CRP, IL-7 cytokines (TSLP), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) and anti-Jo-1 antibody by ELISA method. RESULTS: Th1 and Th1/Th2 of groups A and B were significantly lower than those of group C and D. Th2 was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that of groups C and D. The level of expression of hs-CRP, TSLP, MCP-1 and anti-Jo-1 antibody in the groups A and B were all significantly higher (p<0.05) than those of groups C and D. There were differences of the above index of the comparison between groups A and B, but no difference between groups C and D. CONCLUSIONS: Children's status asthmatics and ILD may correlate with the abnormal expression of Th1/Th2, hs-CRP, TSLP, MCP-1 and anti-Jo-1 antibody.

Current studies on biological effects of low level internal irradiation.

The biological effects of relative low level internal irradiation were introduced. 1. Life span studies on carcinogenesis. Pacific Northwest Laboratory observed 3782 rats given a single inhalation of 239Pu O2 at initial lung burden ranging from 0.25 to 180 nCi. Significant life span shortening was found at lung dose > 8 Gy and it was indicated that the presence of a "possible" threshold of about 1 Gy for lung tumor formation. 2. Health effects of radon and its progeny. Both experimental and epidemiological survey were studied. The nominal probability coefficient (fatality) for the public and workers are 7.90 x 10(5) per mJhm-3 (2.77 x 10(-4) per working level month, WLM). 3. Health effects on 3H on postnatal brain development and neurobehavior, genetic effects, carcinogenic effects and adaptive effects of 3H were investigated. 4. Study on the effects of neuroendocrine system under low level irradiation of 75Se (Auger electron emitter) and 35S (beta-particles emitter). The results showed that the neuroendocrine system is very sensitive to small dose of internal irradiation.

Radiation effects on the immunological functions and membranes of alveolar macrophages of rats.

Alveolar macrophages (AM) from BCG activated Wistar rat were irradiated with different doses of Gamma rays in vitro. The effects of radiation on their immunological functions and membrane damage were studied. The non-specific cytotoxicity and specific phagocytosis of AM irradiated with dose of 0, 100, 300 and 500 Gy decreased with the increase in dose. The relative fractions of Lactate Dehydrogenase and Beta-glucuronidase (beta-glu) activity in supernatant increased with the increase in dose. There was a correlation between the suppression of immunological functions and the degree of damage of cytoplasmic and lysosomal membranes of AM after irradiation. Na2SeO3, a protective agent of cell membranes, alleviated this effect on the suppressive cytotoxicity indices of irradiated AM.

Suppression of radioactive strontium absorption by sodium alginate in animals and human subjects.

The effect of 23 sodium alginate preparations from different species of algae (Sargassum sp.) and kelp (Laminaria sp.) on reducing the absorption of strontium was studied in detail. A pilot production procedure has been established. Na alginate from S. siliquastrum was proven to be a potent agent for reducing Sr absorption, with high efficiency and virtually no toxicity. It reduced the body burden of strontium 3.3-4.2 fold in rats. Strontium absorption in human subjects was reduced by 78% (+/- 8.9) or completely suppressed the increase of serum Sr at 2 h after ingestion of stable Sr in volunteers and decrease 24 h urine Sr to similar extent. No undesirable effects on gastrointestinal function was observed nor were Ca, Fe, Cu and Zn metabolism changed, both in the animal experiments and in human. It was concluded that alginate preparations derived from Sargassum species are a suitable antidote against radiostrontium absorption on a long-term basis, when added to bread at a 6% level. In cases of emergency, an alginate syrup preparation appears to be more suitable because of its rapid action.

Single-nucleotide polymorphism identification in the caprine myostatin gene.

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of MSTN gene amplified from 35 goats representing 17 Chinese indigenous goat breeds and five imported goat breeds were sequenced to identify the single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of a 379-bp fragment including part of intron 2 and exon 3 of MSTN gene. A total of eight SNPs (A1980G, G1981C, A1982G, G1984T, A2121G, T2124C, G2174A and A2246G) were identified among the sequenced goats. The SNPs found are all located in intron 2 except for A2246G, which was a synonymous mutation in exon 3. Four haplotypes were sorted from these eight SNPs, of which, haplotype I (AGAGATGA) and haplotype II (GCGTGTAA) are the two main haplotypes with the frequency of 77.8% and 14.8% respectively. The SNPs found at positions 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984 and 2121 might be linked to inheritance completely.

The promoting effect of tumour necrosis factor alpha in radiation-induced cell transformation.

The ability of tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), a potent endogenous inflammatory agent, to promote malignant transformation of Syrian hamster embryo cells (SHE) initiated by a 0.5-Gy dose of alpha-particles was investigated. Opsonized zymosan particles, which were phagocytosed by a human macrophage-like cell line, triggered TNF-alpha production from U937 cells. This cell supernatant could significantly increase the transformation frequency (TF) of primary SHE cells previously irradiated by a 0.5-Gy dose of alpha-particles. The TF decreased significantly if monoclonal antibody against TNF-alpha was added to the supernatant. Similarly, recombinant human TNF-alpha (rhTNF-alpha) increased the TF of alpha-irradiated primary SHE cells to an even greater extent. Addition of TNF-alpha to subcultures of irradiated SHE cells permitted the continuous propagation of these primary cells. In contrast, both TNF-alpha-treated control and alpha-irradiated cells without subsequent TNF-alpha treatment senesced after 7-15 passages. Irradiated SHE cells treated continuously with TNF-alpha could be subcultured over 40 passages and produced fibrosarcomas upon inoculation into nude mice. Our results provide the first evidence that TNF-alpha released by activated macrophages may contribute to the process of malignant transformation initiated by low-dose alpha-particles.

5-Amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside potentiates the metabolism and anti-human immunodeficiency virus activity of 2',3'-dideoxyinosine.

The antiviral activity of the purine dideoxynucleosides 2',3'-dideoxyadenosine (ddA) and 2',3'-dideoxyinosine (ddI) is dependent on their conversion into ddA triphosphate in vivo. 5-Amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside (AICA riboside), a natural metabolite in purine biosynthetic pathways, is converted into IMP, a substrate for the biosynthesis of adenine and guanine nucleotides, and enhances the intracellular purine nucleotide pools. Because IMP also serves as a phosphate donor in the anabolic phosphorylation of ddI (and ddA) into ddI monophosphate by the cytosolic enzyme 5'-nucleotidase, we investigated the effects of AICA riboside on the phosphorylation and antiretroviral activity of these purine nucleoside analogs. At an AICA riboside concentration of 0.5 mM, there was a approximately 2-fold increase in the intracellular ATP and GTP levels, whereas a nearly 8-fold increase was observed for the phosphorylation of ddA (or ddI). A marked reduction in intracellular pools of the pyrimidine nucleotides CTP and UTP was observed in AICA riboside-treated cells and inhibited cell proliferation. However, this growth inhibition was prevented by the addition of uridine to the cultures. Cells pretreated with AICA riboside and ddI were less susceptible to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and synthesized reduced levels of HIV proviral DNA. A 10-fold potentiation of the effectiveness of ddI against both wild-type HIV (HIVIIIB) and a ddI-resistant variant HIV was observed in the presence of 0.5 mM AICA riboside. These results show that AICA riboside modulates the anabolism and antiviral activity of ddI, and they have implications for possible therapies with dideoxynucleosides.

[Cytostatic and growth-stimulating effects of alveolar macrophages of rats on tumor cells].

Cytostatic and growth-stimulating effects of alveolar macrophages (AM) of rats on tumor cells were studied. The experimental results are summarized as follows. 1. The cytotoxicity of AM activated with BCG to tumor cells was increasing with the increase of effector cells/target cells (E/T) ratio. AM without the treatment with BCG expressed slight cytotoxicity to tumor cells at a high E/T, and growth-stimulating effect on tumor cells, at a low E/T. 2. AM after 24-hour culture had a lower manifestation of cytotoxicity to human lung adenocarcinoma cell line than that of AM without 24-hour culture, and had a growth-stimulating effect on B-16 cell line. 3. Cytostatic and growth-stimulating effects of AM without or with 24-hour culture were decreasing with the increase of irradiation doses.

[Radiation effects on expression of FC-receptor of alveolar macrophages of rat and their specific phagocytosis].

BCG-activated alveolar macrophages (AM) of Wistar rats were irradiated with different doses of gamma-ray in vitro. The effects of radiation on the expression of their Fc-receptor and specific phagocytic activity were observed. AM, after irradiation with doses of 0, 100, 300 and 500 Gy, showed decreasing phagocytic activity to chicken red blood cells (CRBC) opsonized with anti-CRBC antibody with no change in phagocytic indices. The expression of Fc-receptor of AM was, however, increased.