A real-world study on the treatment of extremely preterm infants: a multi-center study in southwest area of Fujian Province in China.

BACKGROUND: Due to regional and cultural differences, the current status of extremely preterm infants(EPIs) treatment across different areas of mainland China remains unclear. This study investigated the survival rate and incidence of major diseases among EPIs in the southwest area of Fujian province. METHOD: This retrospective and multicenter study collected perinatal data from EPIs with gestational ages between 22-27+ 6w and born in the southwest area of Fujian province. The study population was divided into 6 groups based on gestational age at delivery. The primary outcome was the survival status at ordered hospital discharge or correct gestational age of 40 weeks, and the secondary outcome was the incidence of major diseases. The study analyzed the actual survival status of EPIs in the area. RESULT: A total of 2004 preterm infants with gestational ages of 22-27+ 6 weeks were enrolled in this study. Among them, 1535 cases (76.6%) were born in the delivery room but did not survive, 469 cases (23.4%) were transferred to the neonatal department for treatment, 101 cases (5.0%) received partial treatment, and 368 cases (18.4%) received complete treatment. The overall all-cause mortality rate was 84.4% (1691/2004). The survival rate and survival rate without major serious disease for EPIs who received complete treatment were 85.1% (313/368) and 31.5% (116/318), respectively. The survival rates for gestational ages 22-22+ 6w, 23-23+ 6w, 24-24+ 6w, 25-25+ 6w, 26-26+ 6w, and 27-27+ 6w were 0%, 0%, 59.1% (13/22), 83% (39/47), 88.8% (87/98), and 89.7% (174/198), respectively. The survival rates without major serious disease were 0%, 0%, 9.1% (2/22), 19.1% (9/47), 27.6% (27/98), and 40.2% (78/194), respectively. CONCLUSION: The all-cause mortality of EPIs in the southwest area of Fujian Province remains high, with a significant number of infants were given up after birth in the delivery room being the main influencing factor. The survival rate of EPIs who received complete treatment at 25-27 weeks in the NICU was similar to that in developed countries. However, the survival rate without major serious disease was significantly lower compared to high-income countries.

3'-epi-12ß-hydroxyfroside-mediated autophagy degradation of RIPK1/RIPK3 necrosomes leads to anergy of immunogenic cell death in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Increasing studies have suggested that some cardiac glycosides, such as conventional digoxin (DIG) and digitoxin, can induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) in various tumors. We previously found that 3'-epi-12ß-hydroxyfroside (HyFS), a novel cardenolide compound isolated by our group, could induce cytoprotective autophagy through inactivation of the Akt/mTOR pathway. However, whether HyFS can induce ICD remains unknown. In this study, we extend our work to further investigate whether HyFS could induce both autophagy and ICD, and we investigated the relationship between autophagy and ICD in three TNBC cell lines. Unexpectedly, compared to DIG, we found that HyFS could induce complete autophagy flux but not ICD in three human triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) cell lines and one murine TNBC model. Inhibition of HyFS-induced autophagy resulted in the production of ICD in TNBC MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-436, and HCC38 cells. A further mechanism study showed that formation of RIPK1/RIPK3 necrosomes was necessary for ICD induction in DIG-treated TNBC cells, while HyFS treatment led to receptor-interacting serine-threonine kinase (RIPK)1/3 necrosome degradation via an autophagy process. Additionally, inhibition of HyFS-induced autophagy by the autophagy inhibitor chloroquine resulted in the reoccurrence of ICD and reversion of the tumor microenvironment, leading to more significant antitumor effects in immunocompetent mice than in immunodeficient mice. These findings indicate that HyFS-mediated autophagic degradation of RIPK1/RIPK3 necrosomes leads to inactivation of ICD in TNBC cells. Moreover, combined treatment with HyFS and an autophagy inhibitor may enhance the antitumor activities, suggesting an alternative therapeutic for TNBC treatment.

Penicilazaphilone C alleviates allergic airway inflammation and improves the immune microenvironment by hindering the NLRP3 inflammasome.

AIMS: Penicilazaphilone C (PAC) is hypothesized to potentially serve as a therapeutic treatment for allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome and reducing oxidative stress. METHODS: An allergic asthma model was induced in female BALB/c mice of the OVA, OVA+PAC, OVA+PAC+LPS, and OVA+Dex groups by sensitizing and subsequently challenging them with OVA. The OVA+PAC and Normal+PAC groups were treated with PAC, while the OVA+PAC+LPS group also received LPS. The OVA+Dex group was given dexamethasone (Dex). Samples of serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissue were collected for histological and cytological analysis. RESULTS: Allergic mice treated with PAC or Dex showed inhibited inflammation and mucus production in the lungs. There was a decrease in the number of inflammatory cells in the BALF, lower levels of inflammatory cytokines in the serum and BALF, and a reduction in the protein expression of NLRP3, ASC, cleaved caspase-1, IL-1ß, activated gasdermin D, MPO, Ly6G, and ICAM-1. Additionally, oxidative stress was reduced, as shown by a decrease in MDA and DCF, but an increase in SOD and GSH. Treatment with PAC also resulted in a decrease in pulmonary memory CD4+ T cells and an increase in regulatory T cells. However, the positive effects seen in the PAC-treated mice were reversed when the NLRP3 inflammasome was activated by LPS, almost returning to the levels of the Sham-treated mice. SIGNIFICANCE: PAC acts in a similar way to anti-allergic inflammation as Dex, suggesting it may be a viable therapeutic option for managing allergic asthma inflammation.

Toxicarioside H-mediated modulation of the immune microenvironment attenuates ovalbumin-induced allergic airway inflammation by inhibiting NETosis.

PURPOSE: Our team identified a new cardiac glycoside, Toxicarioside H (ToxH), in a tropical plant. Previous research has indicated the potential of cardenolides in mitigating inflammation, particularly in the context of NETosis. Therefore, this study sought to examine the potential of ToxH in attenuating allergic airway inflammation by influencing the immune microenvironment. METHODS: An OVA-induced airway inflammation model was established in BALB/c mice. After the experiment was completed, serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissue samples were collected and further examined using H&E and PAS staining, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence observation, and Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Treatment with ToxH was found to be effective in reducing airway inflammation and mucus production. This was accompanied by an increase in Th1 cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-2, and TNF-ß), and the Th17 cytokine IL-17, while levels of Th2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13) and Treg cytokines (IL-10 and TGF-ß1) were decreased in both the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and the CD45+ immune cells in the lungs. Additionally, ToxH inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells and decreased the number of pulmonary CD44+ memory T cells, while augmenting the numbers of Th17 and Treg cells. Furthermore, the neutrophil elastase inhibitor GW311616A was observed to suppress airway inflammation and mucus production, as well as alter the secretion of immune Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cytokines in the lung CD45+ immune cells. Moreover, our study also demonstrated that treatment with ToxH efficiently inhibited ROS generation, thereby rectifying the dysregulation of immune cells in the immune microenvironment in OVA-induced allergic asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that ToxH could serve as a promising therapeutic intervention for allergic airway inflammation and various other inflammatory disorders. Modulating the balance of Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 cells within the pulmonary immune microenvironment may offer an effective strategy for controlling allergic airway inflammation.

Progesterone modulates the immune microenvironment to suppress ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation by inhibiting NETosis.

Studies have demonstrated that prior to puberty, girls have a lower incidence and severity of asthma symptoms compared to boys. This study aimed to explore the role of progesterone (P4), a sex hormone, in reducing inflammation and altering the immune microenvironment in a mouse model of allergic asthma induced by OVA. Female BALB/c mice with or without ovariectomy to remove the influence of sex hormones were used for the investigations. Serum, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and lung tissue samples were collected for analysis. The results indicated that P4 treatment was effective in decreasing inflammation and mucus secretion in the lungs of OVA-induced allergic asthma mice. P4 treatment also reduced the influx of inflammatory cells into the BALF and increased the levels of Th1 and Th17 cytokines while decreasing the levels of Th2 and Treg cytokines in both BALF and lung microenvironment CD45+ T cells. Furthermore, P4 inhibited the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the lungs, suppressed NETosis, and reduced the number of pulmonary CD4+ T cells while increasing the number of regulatory T cells. The neutrophil elastase inhibitor GW311616A also suppressed airway inflammation and mucus production and modified the secretion of immune Th1, Th2, Th17, and Treg cytokines in lung CD45+ immune cells. These changes led to an alteration of the immunological milieu with increased Th1 and Th17 cells, accompanied by decreased Th2, Treg, and CD44+ T cells, similar to the effects of P4 treatment. Treatment with P4 inhibited NETosis by suppressing the p38 pathway activation, leading to reduced reactive oxygen species production. Moreover, P4 treatment hindered the release of double-stranded DNA during NETosis, thereby influencing the immune microenvironment in the lungs. These findings suggest that P4 treatment may be beneficial in reducing inflammation associated with allergic asthma by modulating the immune microenvironment. In conclusion, this research indicates the potential of P4 as a therapeutic agent for ameliorating inflammation in OVA-induced allergic asthma mice.

Rosuvastatin attenuates airway inflammation and remodeling in a chronic allergic asthma model through modulation of the AMPKα signaling pathway.

The efficacy of rosuvastatin in reducing allergic inflammation has been established. However, its potential to reduce airway remodeling has yet to be explored. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of rosuvastatin in reducing airway inflammation and remodeling in a mouse model of chronic allergic asthma induced by sensitization and challenge with OVA. Histology of the lung tissue and the number of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) showed a marked decrease in airway inflammation and remodeling in mice treated with rosuvastatin, as evidenced by a decrease in goblet cell hyperplasia, collagen deposition, and smooth muscle hypertrophy. Furthermore, levels of inflammatory cytokines, angiogenesis-related factors, and OVA-specific IgE in BALF, plasma, and serum were all reduced upon treatment with rosuvastatin. Western blotting was employed to detect AMPK expression, while immunohistochemistry staining was used to observe the expression of remodeling signaling proteins such as α-SMA, TGF-ß, MMP-9, and p-AMPKα in the lungs. It was found that the activity of 5'-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase alpha (AMPKα) was significantly lower in the lungs of OVA-induced asthmatic mice compared to Control mice. However, the administration of rosuvastatin increased the ratio of phosphorylated AMPK to total AMPKα, thus inhibiting the formation of new blood vessels, as indicated by CD31-positive staining mainly in the sub-epithelial region. These results indicate that rosuvastatin can effectively reduce airway inflammation and remodeling in mice with chronic allergic asthma caused by OVA, likely due to the reactivation of AMPKα and a decrease in angiogenesis.

Autocrine phosphatase PDP2 inhibits ferroptosis by dephosphorylating ACSL4 in the Luminal A Breast Cancer.

Phosphatases can dephosphorylate phosphorylated kinases, leading to their inactivation, and ferroptosis is a type of cell death. Therefore, our aim is to identify phosphatases associated with ferroptosis by analyzing the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of the Luminal A Breast Cancer (LumABC) cohort from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). An analysis of 260 phosphatase genes from the GeneCard database revealed that out of the 28 DEGs with high expression, only the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase 2 (PDP2) had a significant correlation with patient survival. In addition, an analysis of DEGs using gene ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and gene set enrichment analysis revealed a significant variation in the expression of ferroptosis-related genes. To further investigate this, we analyzed 34 ferroptosis-related genes from the TCGA-LumABC cohort. The expression of long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4) was found to have the highest correlation with the expression of PDP2, and its expression was also inversely proportional to the survival rate of patients. Western blot experiments using the MCF-7 cell line showed that the phosphorylation level of ACSL4 was significantly lower in cells transfected with the HA-PDP2 plasmid, and ferroptosis was correspondingly reduced (p < 0.001), as indicated by data from flow cytometry detection of membrane-permeability cell death stained with 7-aminoactinomycin, lipid peroxidation, and Fe2+. Immunoprecipitation experiments further revealed that the phosphorylation level of ACSL4 was only significantly reduced in cells where PDP2 and ACSL4 co-precipitated. These findings suggest that PDP2 may act as a phosphatase to dephosphorylate and inhibit the activity of ACSL4, which had been phosphorylated and activated in LumABC cells. Further experiments are needed to confirm the molecular mechanism of PDP2 inhibiting ferroptosis.

Gankyrin inhibits ferroptosis through the p53/SLC7A11/GPX4 axis in triple-negative breast cancer cells.

Gankyrin is found in high levels in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and has been established to form a complex with the E3 ubiquitin ligase MDM2 and p53, resulting in the degradation of p53 in hepatocarcinoma cells. Therefore, this study sought to determine whether gankyrin could inhibit ferroptosis through this mechanism in TNBC cells. The expression of gankyrin was investigated in relation to the prognosis of TNBC using bioinformatics. Co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays were then conducted to determine the presence of a gankyrin and MDM2 complex. RT-qPCR and immunoblotting were used to examine molecules related to ferroptosis, such as gankyrin, p53, MDM2, SLC7A11, and GPX4. Additionally, cell death was evaluated using flow cytometry detection of 7-AAD and a lactate dehydrogenase release assay, as well as lipid peroxide C11-BODIPY. Results showed that the expression of gankyrin is significantly higher in TNBC tissues and cell lines, and is associated with a poor prognosis for patients. Subsequent studies revealed that inhibiting gankyrin activity triggered ferroptosis in TNBC cells. Additionally, silencing gankyrin caused an increase in the expression of the p53 protein, without altering its mRNA expression. Co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down experiments indicated that gankyrin and MDM2 form a complex. In mouse embryonic fibroblasts lacking both MDM2 and p53, this gankyrin/MDM2 complex was observed to ubiquitinate p53, thus raising the expression of molecules inhibited by ferroptosis, such as SLC7A11 and GPX4. Furthermore, silencing gankyrin in TNBC cells disrupted the formation of the gankyrin/MDM2 complex, hindered the degradation of p53, increased SLC7A11 expression, impeded cysteine uptake, and decreased GPX4 production. Our findings suggest that TNBC cells are able to prevent cell ferroptosis through the gankyrin/p53/SLC7A11/GPX4 signaling pathway, indicating that gankyrin may be a useful biomarker for predicting TNBC prognosis or a potential therapeutic target.

Immunotherapy combining tumor and endothelium cell lysis with immune enforcement by recombinant MIP-3α Newcastle disease virus in a vessel-targeting liposome enhances antitumor immunity.

BACKGROUND: Several agents for oncolytic immunotherapy have been approved for clinical use, but monotherapy is modest for most oncolytic agents. The combination of several therapeutic strategies through recombinant and nanotechnology to engineer multifunctional oncolytic viruses for oncolytic immunotherapy is a promising strategy. METHODS: An endothelium-targeting iRGD-liposome encapsulating a recombinant Newcastle disease virus (NDV), which expresses the dendritic cell (DC) chemokine MIP-3α (iNDV3α-LP), and three control liposomes were constructed. MIP-3α, HMGB1, IgG, and ATP were detected by western blotting or ELISA. The chemotaxis of DCs was examined by Transwell chambers. The phenotypes of the immune cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. The antitumor efficiency was investigated in B16 and 4T1 tumor-bearing mice. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry were used to observe the localization of liposomes, molecular expression and angiogenesis. Synergistic index was calculated using the data of tumor volume, tumor angiogenesis and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. RESULTS: Compared with NDV-LP, treatment with iNDV3α-LP and NDV3α-LP induced stronger virus replication and cell lysis in B16 and 4T1 tumor cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) with the best response observed following iNDV3α-LP treatment. B16 and 4T1 cells treated with iNDV3α-LP produced more damage-associated molecular pattern molecules, including secreted HMGB1, ATP, and calreticulin. Moreover, iNDV3α-LP specifically bound to αvß3-expressing 4T1 cells and HUVECs and to tumor neovasculature. Tumor growth was significantly suppressed, and survival was longer in iNDV3α-LP-treated B16-bearing and 4T1-bearing mice. A mechanism study showed that iNDV3α-LP treatment initiated the strongest tumor-specific cellular and humoral immune response. Moreover, iNDV3α-LP treatment could significantly suppress tumor angiogenesis and reverse the tumor immune suppressive microenvironment in both B16-bearing and 4T1-bearing mice. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, iNDV3α-LP had several functions, such as tumor and vessel lysis, MIP-3α immunotherapy, and binding to αvß3-expressing tumor and its neovasculature. iNDV3α-LP treatment significantly suppressed tumor angiogenesis and reversed the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment. These findings offer a strong rationale for further clinical investigation into a combination strategy for oncolytic immunotherapy, such as the formulation iNDV3α-LP in this study.

Engineered porous/hollow Burkholderia pseudomallei loading tumor lysate as a vaccine.

Due to its size, shape, and inherent expression of pathogen-associated molecular patterns and invasion-assistant adhesion proteins, Burkholderia pseudomallei can easily attach to, and then be internalized by, dendritic cells (DCs), leading to more efficient antigen cross-presentation if modified as carrier. Herein, we engineered Burkholderia pseudomallei as a porous/hollow carrier (SB) for loading tumor lysates (L) and adjuvant CpG (C) to be used as a tumor vaccine (SB-LC). We found that the adhesion proteins of Burkholderia pseudomallei promote internalization of the SB-LC vaccine by DCs, and result in enhanced DC maturation and antigen cross-presentation. SB-LC induces robust cellular and humoral antitumor responses that synergistically inhibit tumor growth with minimal adverse side effects in several tumor models. Moreover, SB-LC vaccination reverses the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, apparently as a result of CD8+-induced tumor ferroptosis. Thus, SB-LC is a potential model tumor vaccine for translating into a clinically viable treatment option.

[Target-specific cytotoxic activity of recombinant fusion toxin C-CPE-ETA' against CLDN-3,4-overexpressing ovarian cancer cells].

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the possibility of creating a toxin, C-CPE-ETA', by fusing C-terminal high affinity binding domain of CPE (C-CPE) with a truncated form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (ETA') and to examine whether C-CPE-ETA' could specifically target CLDN-3, 4 molecule and the targeted toxin was cytotoxic against CLDN-3,4-overexpressing ovarian cancer. METHODS: CLDN-3 and CLDN-4 expressions were analyzed at the mRNA level in three ovarian cancer cell lines and epithelial ovarian cancer tissues from 20 patients. After transforming an expression plasmid of C-CPE-ETA' into E. coli BL21 (DE3) plysS strain, the recombinant protein was purified using His-Bind resin chromatography column and analyzed by Western blot and Coomassie blue staining. The specific binding, proapoptotic and cytolytic activities were evaluated by flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy with the JC-1 probe and MTT assay in CLDN-3,4-overexpressing ovarian cancer cells. RESULTS: Quantitive RT-PCR results showed there existed high levels of CLDN-3 and CLDN-4 in ovarian cancer cells, CAOV3, OVCAR3 and SKOV3. Moreover, high expressions of CLDN-3 and CLDN-4 were observed in 90.0% (18/20) and 60.0% (12/20) of ovarian cancer tissues, with an expression level 10-fold higher than that in the normal ovarian tissue. A 58 000 recombinant protein C-CPE-ETA' was demonstrated by Western blot and Coomassie blue staining. Purified and recombinant C-CPE-ETA' was bound with high affinity to CLDN-3,4-overexpressing ovarian cancer cells, CAOV3, OVCAR3 and SKOV3 cells. C-CPE-ETA' was strongly proapoptotic and cytotoxic towards the CLDN-3,4-overexpressing ovarian cancer cells. The concentration of IC(50) was 7.364 ng/ml for CAOV3 cells, 8.110 ng/ml for OVCAR3 cells and 22.340 ng/ml for SKOV3 cells, respectively. However, control CLDN-3,4-deficient cell line HUVEC was not susceptible to the recombinant C-CPE-ETA' at a concentration up to 10 µg/ml. CONCLUSIONS: The C-CPE-ETA' protein exhibits remarkably specific cytotoxicity for CLDN-3,4-overexpressing ovarian cancer cells. Its therapeutic potential warrants further development for ovarian cancer molecular targeted therapy.

A recombinant oncolytic Newcastle virus expressing MIP-3α promotes systemic antitumor immunity.

BACKGROUND: The oncolytic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is inherently able to trigger the lysis of tumor cells and induce the immunogenic cell death (ICD) of tumor cells and is also an excellent gene-engineering vector. The macrophage inflammatory protein-3α (MIP-3α) is a specific chemokine for dendritic cells (DCs). Thus, we constructed a recombinant NDV expressing MIP-3α (NDV-MIP3α) as an in vivo DC vaccine for amplifying antitumor immunities. METHODS: The recombinant NDV-MIP3α was constructed by the insertion of MIP-3α cDNA between the P and M genes. Western blotting assay and ELISA were used to detect MIP-3α, HMGB1, IgG, and ATP in the supernatant and sera. The chemotaxis of DCs was examined by Transwell chambers. The phenotypes of the immune cells (eg, DCs) were analyzed by flow cytometry. The antitumor efficiency of NDV-MIP3α was observed in B16 and CT26 tumor-bearing mice. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry were applied to observe the ecto-calreticulin (CRT) and intratumoral attraction of DCs. Adoptive transfer of splenocytes and antibodies and depletion of T-cell subsets were used to evaluate the relationship between antitumor immunities and the role of the T-cell subtype. RESULTS: The findings show that NDV-MIP3α has almost the same capabilities of tumor lysis and induction of ICD as the wild-type NDV (NDV-WT). MIP-3α secreted by NDV-MIP3α could successfully attract DCs in vitro and in vivo. Both B16 and CT26 cells infected with NDV-MIP3α could strongly promote DC maturation and activation. Compared with NDV-WT, intratumoral injection of NDV-MIP3α and the adoptive transfer of T lymphocytes from mice injected with NDV-MIP3α resulted in a significant suppression of B16 and CT26 tumor growth. The NDV-MIP3α-induced production of tumor-specific cellular and humoral immune responses was dependent on CD8+ T cells and partially on CD4+ T cells. A significant reversion of tumor microenvironments was found in the mice injected with NDV-MIP3α. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with NDV-WT, the recombinant NDV-MIP3α as an in vivo DC vaccine demonstrates enhanced antitumor activities through the induction of stronger system immunities and modulation of the tumor microenvironment. This strategy may be a potential approach for the generation of an in vivo DC vaccine.

Toxicarioside O Inhibits Cell Proliferation and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition by Downregulation of Trop2 in Lung Cancer Cells.

Toxicarioside O (TCO), a natural product derived from Antiaris toxicaria, has been identified to be a promising anticancer agent. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of TCO on the proliferation and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of lung cancer cells and its molecular mechanisms. Here, we indicated that TCO inhibits the proliferation of lung cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrated that TCO induces apoptosis in lung cancer cells. Moreover, we found that TCO suppresses EMT program and inhibits cell migration in vitro. Mechanistically, TCO decreases the expression of trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (Trop2), resulting in inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway and EMT program. Overexpression of Trop2 rescues TCO-induced inhibition of cell proliferation and EMT. Our findings demonstrate that TCO markedly inhibits cell proliferation and EMT in lung cancer cells and provides guidance for its drug development.

[Association of EGFR expression with angiogenesis and chemoresistance in ovarian carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the association of EGFR expression with angiogenesis and chemoresistance in ovarian cancer. METHODS: Immunohistochemical PV-6000 staining was used to detect the expression of EGFR, LRP protein and MVD in 102 ovarian tumor specimens. RESULTS: EGFR, LRP positive rates and MVD in borderline and malignant ovarian specimens were significantly higher than those in the normal and benign ones (P < 0.01). EGFR positive expression rate in stage III-IV carcinoma tissues, poor differentiation and with ascites was higher than that in stage I-II carcinomas of well differentiation and without ascites (P < 0.05). MVD was related to histological grade, residual tumor and ascites, LRP positive expression had no correlation with the clinicopathologic parameters (P > 0.05). The effective rate of chemotherapy in patients with EGFR and LRP-positive expression were 57.1% and 53.7%, respectively, significantly lower than that in cases with EGFR and LRP-negative expression (85.0% and 90.9%, P < 0.05). In the 64 cases with complete data, the three-year survival rate was 53.0%. The survival time was shorter in the cases with EGFR and LRP-positive expression, poor differentiation, ascites and chemoresistance (P < 0.01), and only LRP-positive expression and chemotherapeutic effect were independently related to survival time (P < 0.05). There was a correlation between EGFR and MVD (r = 0.548, P < 0.01), EGFR and LRP positive expression (P = 0.020). CONCLUSION: The expression of EGFR in ovarian cancer is related to angiogenesis and chemoresistance. EGFR and LRP-positive expression are related to chemoresistance, and detection of the two proteins may be helpful in guiding chemotherapy choice for ovarian cancer. LRP-positive expression and chemotherapeutic effect may be independent prognostic factors.

[Expression of mesothelin mRNA and protein in ovarian carcinomas].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of mesothelin (MESO) mRNA and protein and its significance in ovarian carcinomas. METHODS: Semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression level of MESO mRNA and protein, respectively, in 124 samples of ovarian tumor and normal tissues, including 84 epithelial ovarian carcinomas, 12 borderline ovarian tumors, 16 benign ovarian tumors and 12 normal ovarian tissues. RESULTS: The expression of MESO mRNA and protein in epithelial ovarian carcinomas (1.4005 +/- 0.4646, 2.7857 +/- 2.2712) and borderline ovarian tumors (1.0650 +/- 0.3100, 2.9167 +/- 2.391) were significantly higher than that in benign ovarian tumors (0.6463 +/- 0.2419, 1.2500 +/- 1.6125) and normal ovarian tissues (0.6439 +/- 0.2729, 0.9167 +/- 1.2401) (P < 0.05), and also significantly higher in serous cystadenocarcinoma (1.5255 +/- 0.4151, 3.3036 +/- 2.6141) and endometrioid carcinoma (1.5250 +/- 0.5419, 3.0000 +/- 2.3094) than that in mucinous cystadenocarcinoma (1.0675 +/- 0.3149, 1.0556 +/- 1.9242) (P < 0.05). The expression of MESO mRNA and protein in stages II and IV carcinomas (1.5100 +/- 0.4142, 3.6087 +/- 3.3959) was significantly higher than that in stages I and II carcinomas (1.1190 +/- 0.4909, 1.7895 +/- 2.6320; P < 0.05), and also significantly higher in grade 3 carcinomas than that in grade 1 and 2 ones (P < 0.05), but was not correlate with age or serum CA125 of the patients (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrated that the expression of MESO mRNA and protein is increased in ovarian carcinomas and borderline ovarian tumors, and MESO may play a role in the adhesion and dissemination of ovarian carcinomas.

[Construction and package of the expression plasmid pAdEasy-1 system encoding the human papillomavirus 16 E7 gene and the gene's influence on HeLa cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of human papillomavirus 16 E7 gene on cell cycle of cervical cancer HeLa cell, through construction and expression of human papillomavirus 16 E7 gene with adenovirus vector. METHODS: Recombinant adenovirus which expressed E7 gene was constructed and packed. Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to detect the changes of cell cycle phase and cyclin D1 between cells infected and uninfected by recombinant adenovirus. The 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphennyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay was used in the detection of the alteration of cell growth. RESULTS: The recombinant adenovirus had stable efficiency of infection and E7 genes could be expressed stably. The result of MTT showed the multiplication of HeLa cells was accelerated from 0.27 +/- 0.03 before infection to 0.38 +/- 0.02 after infection (P < 0.01). FCM showed the number of cells in S phase increased from (26.0 +/- 0.4)% to (36.0 +/- 2.0)% at 12 hours and (49.9 +/- 4.2)% at 24 hours after infection (P < 0.05). Cyclin D1 expression was 22.4% before infection, and decreased to 55.2% after infection (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The recombinant adenovirus expressing E7 gene could infect target cells. E7 gene can influence cell-cycle of HeLa cells, which can be used to restrain cervical cancer.

[Effect of pirenzepine on form deprivation myopia in chicks and its possible mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of M1-selective muscarinic antagonist, pirenzepine, on form deprivation myopia and investigate the expression of MMP-2 and its inhibitor TIMP-2 in the fibrous sclera in order to better understand the mechanism by which pirenzepine inhibits myopia. METHODS: 40 chicks after birth one day were divided into 4 groups randomly: I. Control group; II. Form deprivation group; III. Vehicle application group; IV. Pirenzepine injected group. Form deprivation myopia was established in right eyes of group II, III, IV by placement of a translucent occluder. The deprived eyes of group III and IV received daily subconjunctival administration of vehicle PBS and pirenzepine respectively. Optical measures such as refraction, axial length, equatorial diameter were made at the end of the experiment. Total RNA and protein were extracted from the posterior fibrous sclera chicks. The expression of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 mRNA and protein were investigated with RT-PCR and Western blot analysis respectively. RESULTS: Refraction status, axial length, equatorial diameter of the eyes in pirenzepine injected group were significantly lower when compared with form deprivation group (P < 0.01), but the parameters were higher when compared with normal control group therefore relatively myopic changes were detected. There were no significant difference between drug control and pirenzepine injected group when optical measures and the expression of MMP-2, TIMP-2 were concerned (P > 0.05). The expressions (mRNA and protein) of both MMP-2 and TIMP-2 were significantly different in form deprivation group when compared with normal control group (MMP-2 mRNA increased by 143.51%, P < 0.01; protein increased by 114.60%, P < 0.01; TIMP-2 mRNA decreased by 55.05%, P < 0.01; protein decreased by 53.73%, P < 0.01). In pirenzepine injected group the relative expression of MMP-2 mRNA and protein were decreased obviously by 41.95% (P < 0.01) and by 36.16% (P < 0.01), while TIMP-2 mRNA and protein expression was increased significantly by 72.46% (P < 0.01) and by 53.05% (P < 0.01) respectively compared with the form deprived group. CONCLUSION: Subconjunctivally administration of the M1 selective muscarinic antagonist, pirenzepine, partly prevents or restrains form deprivation induced myopia. It may exert its inhibitory effect by modulating the expression of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 in fibrous sclera.

Binocular vision and abnormal head posture in children when watching television.

AIM: To determine the association between the binocular vision and an abnormal head posture (AHP) when watching television (TV) in children 7-14y of age. METHODS: Fifty normal children in the normal group and 52 children with an AHP when watching TV in the AHP group were tested for spherical equivalents, far and near fusional convergence (FC) and fusional divergence (FD) amplitudes, near point of convergence, far and near heterophoria, accommodative convergence/ accommodation ratio and stereoacuity. The values of these tests were compared between the two groups. The independent t test was applied at a confidence level of 95%. RESULTS: The far and near FC amplitudes and far FD amplitudes were lower in the AHP group (the far FC amplitudes: break point 13.6±5.4(Δ), recovery point 8.7±5.4(Δ). The near FC amplitudes: break point 14.5±7.3(Δ), recovery point 10.3±5.1(Δ). The far FD amplitudes: break point 3.9±2.7(Δ), recovery point 2.6±2.3(Δ)) compared with those in the normal group (the far FC amplitudes: break point 19.1±6.2(Δ), recovery point 12.4±4.5(Δ). The near FC amplitudes: break point 22.3±8.0(Δ), recovery point 16.1±5.7(Δ). The far FD amplitudes: break point 7.0±2.1(Δ), recovery point 4.6±1.9(Δ)). Other tests presented no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSION: An association between the reduced FC and FD amplitudes and the AHP in children when watching TV is proposed in the study. This kind of AHP is considered to be an anomalous manifestation which appears in a part of puerile patients of fusional vergence dysfunction.

[Study on the changes of T-lymphocyte subsets in the patients with endometriosis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the function of T-lymphocyte subsets in patients with endometriosis. METHODS: The levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the serum, and peritoneal fluid of 30 cases with endometriosis were detected using enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay and compared with those of 20 non-endometriosis cases. The expression of IL-2 and IL-6 in ectopic endometrial tissue from the patients with endometriosis and the endometrial tissues of 10 normal women was investigated by immunohistochemistry method. RESULTS: Significantly elevated levels of IL-6 (cytokines of T help cell 2) were found in the serum and peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis (Median: 5.3 ng/L, 2.1 ng/L, P < 0.05) compared with that of non-endometriosis patients median: 2.5 ng/L, 0.9 ng/L). The level of IL-6 in the serum and peritoneal fluid of endometriosis patients in early stages (stages I, II) was 3.7 ng/L, 1.6 ng/L, significantly lower than those in advanced stages (stages III, IV) (13.6 ng/L, 4.1 ng/L) (P < 0.05). The ratio of IL-2/IL-6 in the serum and peritoneal fluid in patients with endometriosis (0.7, 1.1) was significantly lower than those in the control non-endometriosis group (0.8, 6.2, P < 0.05). The levels of IL-6 detected in the peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis had a positive correlation with those in the serum (r = 0.745, P < 0.01). The levels of IL-6 in serum and peritoneal fluid in the patients with endometriosis had a negative correlation with the IL-2/IL-6 ratios in the serum and peritoneal fluid respectively (r = -0.406, r = -0.480, P < 0.05). IL-2 and IL-6 were expressed in the interstitial cells of ectopic endometrial tissue, with an expression rate of 56.7%, and 60.0% respectively. There was significant difference in the expression of IL-2 and IL-6 between the ectopic endometrial tissue and normal endometrial tissue. CONCLUSIONS: The levels of IL-6 in the serum and peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis are increased, implying that IL-6 might play a role in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. The ratio of IL-2/IL-6 in the serum and peritoneal fluid was decreased in patients with endometriosis compared with the control group, suggesting shift of Th1 cell toward Th2 cell in patients with endometriosis. Stronger expression of IL-2 and IL-6 in the ectopic endometrial tissues may contribute to the disturbed immune regulation in patients with endometriosis.

[Association study between a polymorphism of aldosterone synthetase gene and the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between -344T polymorphism in aldosterone synthetase (CYP11B2) gene promoter region and the pathogenesis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). METHODS: Ninety two patients with PCOS and controls were genotyped according to the fragment length (273 bp and or 202 bp) of CYP11B2 gene promoter by the technique of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The levels of luteinizing hormone, follicular stimulating hormone, estrodiol, progesterone, prolactin, testosterone, plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma angiotensin II (PANG II) and aldosterone in the basal state were also determined. Different genotypes between PCOS were compared about their levels of PRA, PANG II, aldosterone and testosterone. RESULTS: (1) The C allele frequencies of CYP11B2 gene in control and PCOS was 22% and 36%, respectively. (2) The frequency of variants (TC, CC) of CYP11B2 gene -344T polymorphism site in PCOS (57%) was significantly higher than that of control subjects (37%). (3) The level of PRA, PANG II, aldosterone, testosterone were all significantly higher in the genotype of -344CC than in that of -344TT in PCOS and normal women (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: (1) The variants (T-->C) of -344T polymorphism site of CYP11B2 gene predisposes increased risk of PCOS. (2) The genotype of -344CC, -344TC may be susceptible genotype of PCOS and has related to the enhanced functional activity of ovarian renin angiotensin system in PCOS.