The Effect of Iodine-125 Radioactive Particle Stent with Doxorubicin-loaded Nano-tetrahedrons Combined with Transarterial Chemoembolization on Survival and Prognosis of Patients with Cholangiocarcinoma.

This study was to analyze the application of doxorubicin-loaded DNA nano-tetrahedral Iodine-125 (I-125) radioactive particle stent (doxorubicin-loaded 125I stent) combined with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) in improving the prognosis of patients with cholangiocarcinoma (CC). The doxorubicin-loaded DNA nano-tetrahedrons were constructed, the preparation plan was optimized, and the toxicity test was performed. The prepared doxorubicin-loaded DNA nano-tetrahedrons were applied to 85 cases in the K1 group (doxorubicin-loaded 125I + TACE), 85 cases in the K2 group (doxorubicin-loaded 125I), and 85 cases in K3 group (TACE). It was found that the optimal initial concentration of doxorubicin for the preparation of DNA-loaded nano-tetrahedrons was 200 mmol, and the optimal reaction time was 7 hours. The serum total bilirubin (TBIL) level in the K1 group at 30 days after operation was lower than that in the K2 and K3 groups at 7, 14 and 21 days. (P< 0.05). The alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level in the K1 group was lower in contrast to that in the other two groups at 7, 14, and 21 days after surgery (P< 0.05); and the five-year survival rate of patients in the K1 group was greater in contrast to the rate in K2 and K3 groups (P< 0.05). In short, the implantation of a doxorubicin-loaded 125I stent combined with TACE could effectively improve the five-year survival rate of patients with CC and improve the prognosis effect of the patients.

Modeling Allometric Relationships in Leaves of Young Rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) Grown at Different Temperature Treatments.

Functional-structural plant modeling (FSPM) is a fast and dynamic method to predict plant growth under varying environmental conditions. Temperature is a primary factor affecting the rate of plant development. In the present study, we used three different temperature treatments (10/14°C, 18/22°C, and 26/30°C) to test the effect of temperature on growth and development of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) seedlings. Plants were sampled at regular intervals (every 3 days) to obtain growth data during the length of the experiment (1 month in total). Total leaf dry mass, leaf area, leaf mass per area (LMA), width-length ratio, and the ratio of petiole length to leaf blade length (PBR), were determined and statistically analyzed, and contributed to a morphometric database. LMA under high temperature was significantly smaller than LMA under medium and low temperature, while leaves at high temperature were significantly broader. An FSPM of rapeseed seedlings featuring a growth function used for leaf extension and biomass accumulation was implemented by combining measurement with literature data. The model delivered new insights into growth and development dynamics of winter oilseed rape seedlings. The present version of the model mainly focuses on the growth of plant leaves. However, future extensions of the model could be used in practice to better predict plant growth in spring and potential cold damage of the crop.

miR-503 suppresses metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma cell by targeting PRMT1.

Accumulating evidence indicates that microRNAs function as oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes in human cancer. MiR-503 is deregulated in various human cancers and has been associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. However, the underlying mechanisms of miR-503 involvement in the development and progression of HCC remains poorly understood. In the present study, we report that miR-503 suppresses cell metastasis in HCC through targeting the protein arginine methyl transferase 1 (PRMT1) mRNA. Notably, we identified that miR-503 was able to target 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of PRMT1 mRNA by luciferase reporter gene assays. Then, we revealed that miR-503 was able to reduce the expression of PRMT1 at the levels of mRNA and protein using RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis. The expression levels of miR-503 were negatively related to those of PRMT1 mRNA in clinical HCC tissues. In terms of function, transwell and wound healing assays demonstrated that the miR-503 remarkably inhibited invasion and migration of HCC cells, which was reversed by overexpressed PRMT1. Furthermore, exogenous expression of miR-503 dramatically suppressed epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) via PRMT1 in HCC cells. In conclusion, we denomstrated PRMT1 as a novel target gene of miR-503 and miR-503-mediated PRMT1 could also emerge as a potential important biomarker for HCC.