Nanoconfined Fe(II) releaser for long-term arsenic immobilization and its sustainability assessment.

Ferrous (Fe(II))-based oxygen activation for pollutant abatements in soil and groundwater has attracted great attention, while the low utilization and insufficient longevity of electron donors are the primary challenges to hinder its practical applications. Herein, we propose a nanoconfined Fe(II) releasing strategy that enables stable long-term electron donation for oxygen activation and efficient arsenic (As) immobilization under oxic conditions, by encapsulating zero-valent iron in biomass-derived carbon shell (ZVI@porous carbon composites; ZVI@PC). This strategy effectively enhances the generation of reactive oxygen species, enabling efficient oxidation and subsequent immobilization of As(III) in soils. Importantly, this Fe(II) releaser exhibits strong anti-interference capability against complex soil matrices, and the accompanying generation of Fe(III) enables As immobilization in soils, effectively lowering soil As bioavailability. Soil fixed-bed column experiments demonstrate a 79.5 % reduction of the total As in effluent with a simulated rainfall input for 10 years, indicating the excellent long-term stability for As immobilization in soil. Life cycle assessment results show that this Fe(II) releaser can substantially mitigate the negative environmental impacts. This work offers new insights into developing green and sustainable technologies for environmental remediation.

CT Quantification of Interstitial Lung Abnormalities and Changes of Agerelated Pathomorphology.

BACKGROUND: Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) are associated with further disease progression, increased mortality risk, and decline in lung function in the elderly, which deserves enough attention. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to quantify the extent of interstitial lung abnormalities (ILA) in a non-smoking asymptomatic urban cohort in China using low-dose CT (LDCT) and to analyze the age-related pathological changes. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data and chest LDCT images from a cohort of 733 subjects who were categorized into 3 groups: 18-39, 40-59, and ≥60 years old according to age. Furthermore, we selected 40 cases of wax-embedded lung tissue blocks archived after pulmonary bullectomy and the same age groups were categorized. Four representative CT signs of ILA, including interlobular septal thickening (ILST), intralobular interstitial thickening (ILIT), ground-glass opacity (GGO), and reticular shadow (RS), were semi-quantified based on the percentage of the affected area. The scores and distribution of four CT signs of ILA were compared between different sex and age groups. The age-related pathological changes were analyzed. RESULTS: The ILA findings were found predominantly in the lower lobes and the subpleural region. The semi-quantitative scores of four CT signs in all subjects under 40 were 0. However, in subjects over 40 years old, the scores gradually increased with age, although most of them remained low. The size of the alveoli increased, the number of alveoli decreased, the alveolar septum became thinner, and the number of ATII cells increased with age. A statistically significant difference was observed among the different age groups (χ2=50.624, P=0.033; χ2=80.000, P=0.043; χ2=33.833, P=0.000; χ2=13.525, P=0.031). The macrophage population and the percentage of collagen fibers in the alveolar septum increased, while the percentage of elastic fibers decreased with age. There was no significant difference among the different age groups (χ2=19.817, P=0.506; χ2=52.419, P=0. 682; χ2=54.868, P=0.518). CONCLUSION: When the four CT signs mentioned above are in the upper central area, and the score has a medium or high score, it is crucial to determine the underlying pathological causes. ILA may be the result of chronic lung injury.

Biogeochemical Fe(II) generators as a new strategy for limiting Cd uptake by rice and its implication for agricultural sustainability.

This work has developed a new strategy of biogeochemical Fe(II) generators for activating microbial Fe(II) generation to immobilize Cd in soils through protons scavenging and coprecipitation. A new biochar modified magnetite (FeBC15) has been fabricated through a top-down method, with which microbial respiration can be stimulated in paddy soil. The FeBC15 exhibits a higher adsorption capacity for Cd than pristine magnetite (1.7 times). The results show that the available Cd can be reduced by 14.4% after adding FeBC15 compared to the control. More importantly, FeBC15 particles promote the conversion of MgCl2 - Cd to stable crystalline Fe/Al bound Cd under the incubation period. The enhanced pH and Fe(II) leads to a comparably lower Cd availability in soils than in pristine soils, which are supported by the enhanced relative abundance of Geobacter and Clostridium with the FeBC15 treatment (i.e. up to 7.44-7.68 × 109 copies/g soil). The Diffusive Gradients in Thin-films (DGT) study indicates that FeBC15 can lower the replenish capacity of soils (i.e. KdL values of 0.2-3.6 mL/g) to soil pore waters and limit root absorption. Pot experiments demonstrate that this strategy can alleviate the rice Cd content by 38.4% (< 0.2 mg/kg). This work paves a new pathway for reducing Cd uptake in rice, enabling sustainable remediation of paddy soil.

A highly porous animal bone-derived char with a superiority of promoting nZVI for Cr(VI) sequestration in agricultural soils.

Paddy soil and irrigation water are commonly contaminated with hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] near urban industrial areas, thereby threatening the safety of agricultural products and human health. In this study, we develop a porous and high specific area bone char (BC) to support nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) and apply it to remediate Cr(VI) pollution in water and paddy soil under anaerobic conditions. The batch experiments reveal that BC/nZVI exhibits a higher removal capacity of 516.7 mg/(g•nZVI) for Cr(VI) than nZVI when normalized to the actual nZVI content, which is 2.8 times that of nZVI; moreover, the highest nZVI utilization is the nZVI loading of 15% (BC/nZVI15). The Cr(VI) removal efficiency of BC/nZVI15 decreases with increasing pH (4 - 10). Coexisting ions (phosphate and carbonate) and humic acid can inhibit the removal of Cr(VI) with BC/nZVI15. Additionally, BC exhibits a strong advantage in promoting Cr(VI) removal by nZVI compared to the widely used biochar and activated carbon. Our results demonstrate that reduction and coprecipitation are the dominant Cr(VI) removal mechanisms. Furthermore, BC/nZVI15 shows a significantly higher reduction and removal efficiency as well as a strong anti-interference ability for Cr(VI) in paddy soil, as compared to nZVI. These findings provide a new effective material for remediating Cr(VI) pollution from water and soil.

Modeling and Composition Design of Low-Alloy Steel's Mechanical Properties Based on Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms.

Accurately improving the mechanical properties of low-alloy steel by changing the alloying elements and heat treatment processes is of interest. There is a mutual relationship between the mechanical properties and process components, and the mechanism for this relationship is complicated. The forward selection-deep neural network and genetic algorithm (FS-DNN&GA) composition design model constructed in this paper is a combination of a neural network and genetic algorithm, where the model trained by the neural network is transferred to the genetic algorithm. The FS-DNN&GA model is trained with the American Society of Metals (ASM) Alloy Center Database to design the composition and heat treatment process of alloy steel. First, with the forward selection (FS) method, influencing factors-C, Si, Mn, Cr, quenching temperature, and tempering temperature-are screened and recombined to be the input of different mechanical performance prediction models. Second, the forward selection-deep neural network (FS-DNN) mechanical prediction model is constructed to analyze the FS-DNN model through experimental data to best predict the mechanical performance. Finally, the FS-DNN trained model is brought into the genetic algorithm to construct the FS-DNN&GA model, and the FS-DNN&GA model outputs the corresponding chemical composition and process when the mechanical performance increases or decreases. The experimental results show that the FS-DNN model has high accuracy in predicting the mechanical properties of 50 furnaces of low-alloy steel. The tensile strength mean absolute error (MAE) is 11.7 MPa, and the yield strength MAE is 13.46 MPa. According to the chemical composition and heat treatment process designed by the FS-DNN&GA model, five furnaces of Alloy1-Alloy5 low-alloy steel were smelted, and tensile tests were performed on these five low-alloy steels. The results show that the mechanical properties of the designed alloy steel are completely within the design range, providing useful guidance for the future development of new alloy steel.

Peripheral vessel and air bronchograms for detecting the pathologic patterns of subsolid nodules.

PURPOSE: To assess the relationships of subsolid nodules (SSNs) with peripheral vessels and aerated bronchi using computed tomography (CT), and to correlate the imaging features with the benign/malignant pathological diagnoses. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed data from 83 patients with a solitary SSN (January 2008 to December 2016). SSNs were imaged (LightSpeed 64-slice spiral CT, General Electric, USA), their mean diameter determined, and the relationship with peripheral vessels (types I-IV) and aerated bronchi (types I-V) were classified. Pathologic diagnoses were obtained from the surgical specimens. RESULTS: SSNs were diagnosed as benign (n = 29), pre-invasive (n = 9), micro-invasive adenocarcinoma (n = 7) and invasive adenocarcinoma (n = 38). SSN size, peripheral vessel class and aerated bronchus class differed between pathologic types (P < 0.05). For benign SSNs, peripheral vessel type II (58.6%) was most common, followed by III (20.7%) and IV (6.9%). Aerated bronchus type V (65.5%) was most frequent, followed by IV (27.6%); type I aerated bronchus was not observed. No cases of micro-invasive or invasive adenocarcinoma were peripheral vessel type I or aerated bronchus type V. For invasive adenocarcinoma, 92.1% were peripheral vessel types III + IV while 71.8% were aerated bronchus types I + II. CONCLUSIONS: SSN pathologic types differ with regard to peripheral vessel and aerated bronchus types. Type I peripheral vessel and type V aerated bronchus (both least involved) suggest a benign lesion, whereas type III/IV peripheral vessel and type I/II aerated bronchus (both most involved) suggest malignancy.

[Inhibitory effect of overexpressed kisspeptin on proliferation and migration of MKN-45 gastric cancer cells].

Objective: To investigate the expression of kisspeptin in gastric adenocarcinoma and its effect on the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells. Methods: The level of kisspeptin in 50 gastric cancer tissues and their paracancerous tissues were detected by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting. Kisspeptin-siRNA,control-siRNA,p EGFP-N1-kisspeptin,p EGFP-N1 were separately transfected into MKN-45 gastric cancer cells. After 48-hour culture,the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-2( MMP-2),ß-catenin,C-myc,MMP-9,kisspeptin were detected by Western blotting; MTT assay was used to detect the proliferation of MKN-45 cells; wound healing assay was performed to assess the migration ability of MKN-45 cells. After MKN-45 cells were treated with Wnt / ß-catenin signal pathway inhibitor FH535,MTT assay and flow cytometry were used to evaluate cell proliferation ability and cell apoptosis,respectively. Results: Kisspeptin expression in gastric adenocarcinoma tissues was significantly lower than that of the adjacent normal tissues. The cell survival rate and migration rate of p EGFP-N1-kisspeptin group were significantly lower than those of p EGFP-N1 group. Cell survival rate and migration rate of kisspeptin-siRNA group were significantly higher than those of control siRNA group. The levels of MMP-9,MMP-2,ß-catenin and C-myc in p EGFP-N1-kisspeptin group were significantly lower than those in p EGFP-N1 group. The levels of MMP-9, MMP-2, ß-catenin and C-myc in kisspeptin-siRNA group were significantly higher than those in control-siRNA group. The proliferation and migration trend of gastric cancer cells treated with FH535 was similar to that of the p EGFP-N1-kisspeptin group. Conclusion: The expression of kisspeptin decreases in gastric cancer tissues,and kisspeptin can interact with Wnt / ß-catenin signaling pathway to inhibit the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells.

Can Nup88 expression be associated with atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer? A preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Nup88 is overexpressed in a number of types of carcinomas and is associated with myometrial invasion, but its exact expression pattern in endometrial cancer and premalignant lesions is unknown. AIMS: To evaluate the role of Nup88 in endometrial cancers and atypical endometrial hyperplasia and its clinicopathological significance. METHODS: Nup88 expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in samples from 104 endometrial cancers, 21 atypical endometrial hyperplasia lesions, and 40 normal endometria. All samples were from patients who underwent surgery at the First Hospital of Hebei Medical University (Shijiazhuang, China) between April 2006 and December 2009. Nup88 expression was compared between the groups and associations were assessed between Nup88 and clinicopathological characteristics of the subjects. RESULTS: Nup88 expression in cancer (76% of samples) and atypical hyperplasia (91%) was significantly higher compared to normal endometrium (33%, both P<0.001), but there was no significant difference between endometrial cancer and atypical hyperplasia (P=0.237). The expression of Nup88 increased significantly with increasing exposure time to estrogen (P=0.033). CONCLUSIONS: Nup88 may be related to the occurrence of endometrial cancers and premalignant lesions. Nup88 might be a useful biomarker for pre-malignant lesions and early-stage endometrial cancer.

Modulation of Autoimmune T-Cell Memory by Stem Cell Educator Therapy: Phase 1/2 Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease that causes a deficit of pancreatic islet ß cells. The complexities of overcoming autoimmunity in T1D have contributed to the challenges the research community faces when devising successful treatments with conventional immune therapies. Overcoming autoimmune T cell memory represents one of the key hurdles. METHODS: In this open-label, phase 1/phase 2 study, Caucasian T1D patients (N = 15) received two treatments with the Stem Cell Educator (SCE) therapy, an approach that uses human multipotent cord blood-derived multipotent stem cells (CB-SCs). SCE therapy involves a closed-loop system that briefly treats the patient's lymphocytes with CB-SCs in vitro and returns the "educated" lymphocytes (but not the CB-SCs) into the patient's blood circulation. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01350219. FINDINGS: Clinical data demonstrated that SCE therapy was well tolerated in all subjects. The percentage of naïve CD4(+) T cells was significantly increased at 26 weeks and maintained through the final follow-up at 56 weeks. The percentage of CD4(+) central memory T cells (TCM) was markedly and constantly increased at 18 weeks. Both CD4(+) effector memory T cells (TEM) and CD8(+) TEM cells were considerably decreased at 18 weeks and 26 weeks respectively. Additional clinical data demonstrated the modulation of C-C chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) expressions on naïve T, TCM, and TEM cells. Following two treatments with SCE therapy, islet ß-cell function was improved and maintained in individuals with residual ß-cell function, but not in those without residual ß-cell function. INTERPRETATION: Current clinical data demonstrated the safety and efficacy of SCE therapy in immune modulation. SCE therapy provides lasting reversal of autoimmune memory that could improve islet ß-cell function in Caucasian subjects. FUNDING: Obra Social "La Caixa", Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Red de Investigación Renal, European Union FEDER Funds, Principado de Asturias, FICYT, and Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation.

Overexpression of FXYD-3 is involved in the tumorigenesis and development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of FXYD-3 expression with clinicopathological variables and PINCH in patients with ESCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Expression of FXYD-3 protein was immunohistochemically examined in normal esophageal mucous (n = 20) and ESCC (n = 64). RESULTS: Expression of FXYD-3 in the cytoplasm markedly increased from normal esophageal epithelial cells to primary ESCC (P = 0.001). The expression of FXYD-3 was correlated with TNM stages and depth of tumor invasion. Furthermore, the cases with lymph node metastasis tended to show a higher frequency of positive expression than those without metastasis (P = 0.086), and FXYD-3 expression tended to be positively related to the expression of PINCH (P = 0.063). Moreover, the cases positive for both proteins had the highest frequency of lymph node metastasis (P = 0.001). However, FXYD-3 expression was not correlated with patient's gender (P = 0.847), age (P = 0.876), tumor location (P = 0.279), size (P = 0.771), grade of differentiation (P = 0.279), and survival (P = 0.113). CONCLUSION: Overexpression of FXYD-3 in the cytoplasm may play an important role in the tumorigenesis and development in the human ESCC, particularly in combination with PINCH expression.

Cytoplasmic expression of p33(ING1b) is correlated with tumorigenesis and progression of human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

p33(ING1b), a newly discovered candidate tumor suppressor gene and a nuclear protein, belongs to the inhibitor of growth gene family. Previous studies have shown that p33(ING1b) is involved in the restriction of cell growth and proliferation, apoptosis, tumor anchorage-independent growth, cellular senescence, maintenance of genomic stability and modulation of cell cycle checkpoints. Loss of nuclear p33(ING1b) has been observed in melanoma, seminoma, papillary thyroid carcinoma, oral squamous cell carcinoma, breast ductal cancer and acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Inactivation and/or decreased expression of p33(ING1b) have been reported in various types of cancer, including head and neck squamous cell, breast, lung, stomach, blood and brain malignancies. Since little is known about the clinicopathological significance of p33(ING1b) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), this study aimed to investigate the association of p33(ING1b) expression with clinicopathological variables and particularly interesting new cysteine-histidine rich protein (PINCH) in patients with ESCC. p33(ING1b) expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in 20 normal esophageal mucosa and in 64 ESCC specimens. The results revealed that the positive expression of p33(ING1b) protein in normal squamous cells was localized in the nucleus alone and the positive rate was 95%, while in ESCCs, the positive expression was mainly in the cytoplasm, together with nuclear expression, and the positive rate was 36% (P<0.0001). Furthermore, the cases with lymph node metastasis showed a higher frequency of positive cytoplasmic expression than those without metastasis (P=0.001). The cytoplasmic expression of p33(ING1b) was positively related to PINCH expression (P<0.0001) in ESCC, and the cases positive for both proteins had a high lymph node metastasis rate (P=0.001). In conclusion, p33(ING1b) cellular compartmental shift from the nucleus to the cytoplasm may cause loss of normal cellular function and play a central role in the tumorigenesis and metastasis of ESCC.

PINCH expression and its clinicopathological significance in gastric adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Particularly interesting new cysteine-histidine rich protein (PINCH) is an important component of the local adhesion complexes and upregulated in several types of malignancies, and involved in the incidence and development of tumours. PINCH expression is also independently correlated with poorer survival in patients with colorectal cancer. However, there is no study of PINCH in gastric cancer, therefore, the aim of this project was to investigate PINCH expression and its clinicopathological significance in gastric adenocarcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: PINCH expression was immunohistochemically examined in normal gastric mucous (n=30) and gastric adenocarcinoma (n=73), from gastric cancer patients. RESULTS: PINCH expression in the associated-stroma of gastric cancers was heterogeneous, and its positive rate (75%) was higher than that of normal gastric mucosa (43%, X^{2} =9.711, p=0.002). The stronger staining was observed at the invasive edge of tumour when compared to the inner area of tumour. The rate of positive PINCH (88%) in the cases with lymph node metastasis was higher than that (52%) in the cases without metastasis (X^{2}=11.151, p=0.001). PINCH expression was not correlated with patients' gender, age, tumour size, differentiation and invasion depth (p> 0.05). COMCLUSION: PINCH protein might play an important role in the tumourigenesis and metastasis of gastric adenocarcinoma.

[Effects of carbon monoxide inhalation on severe limb ischemia/reperfusion injury and its damages lead to shock].

OBJECTIVE: To study the protective effect of carbon monoxide (CO) inhalation on the serious limb ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, and which effects caused to shock in rats. METHODS: 36 SD rats were randomly divided into I/R, I/R + CO (RC), sham operation (S) groups. I/R injury models were made by the occlusion of the femoral artery for 8 h and the reperfusion for 12 h, 10 d. Before reperfusion of 2 h, RC group started to breathe medical air containing CO (the volume fraction of CO: 0.075%) continuously, until after reperfusion for 4 h, a total of inhalation 6 h. S, I/R groups exposed to air, breathe freely. Caudal artery pressures (CAP), ten days survival rate, serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) activity, limb wet - to - dry weight ratio (W/D) and the pathologic changes of limb were observed. RESULTS: Once the reperfusion started, the CAP decreased rapidly in I/R group, and the mean reduced to(5.3259 +/- 0.3832) kPa when reperfusion for 8 h. Compared to I/R group, the CAP decreased slower and smaller in RC group, moreover, its mean reduced to (8.3300 +/- 0.4224) kPa when reperfusion for 8 h. The 10 d survival rate in I/R group was that 8 rats died all between reperfusion for 13 - 20 h. Only 1 rat died in RC group and the other 7 rats were still alive when reperfusion for 10 d. Compared to I/R group, the pathological features of the ischemic limb were significant ly improved, and the figures of W/D, serum LDH and CK value were remarkable lower in RC group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Inhaling exogenous low-dose CO has a reverse regulation in the blood pressure decline caused by serious limb I/R injury in rats. And at the same time, it can effectively prevent the occurrence of shock, reduce physical damage, significantly increase the survival rate of animals.

Overexpression of MAC30 in the cytoplasm of oral squamous cell carcinoma predicts nodal metastasis and poor differentiation.

BACKGROUND: Expression of the meningioma-associated protein (MAC30) was increased in several types of tumors, including esophageal, gastric and colon tumors, compared to normal tissue. MAC30 expression levels gradually increased from normal colorectal mucosa to primary colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer spreading to the lymph nodes. MAC30 expression was related to survival in patients with colorectal cancer. However, there is no study on MAC30 in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). METHODS: Therefore, MAC30 expression in OSCC was investigated and possible associations of MAC30 expression with clinicopathological variables in OSCC have been analyzed. MAC30 expression was immunohistochemically examined in 20 normal oral mucosa and 43 OSCC specimens. RESULTS: Expression levels of MAC30 in the cytoplasm markedly increased from normal oral epithelial cells to primary OSCC. Strong cytoplasmic staining was significantly higher in primary OSCC compared to normal oral mucosa samples (51 vs. 20%, p = 0.019). Furthermore, MAC30 expression levels in primary tumors of patients with lymph node metastasis exceeded levels in those without metastasis (65 vs. 35%, p = 0.048), and MAC30 expression in poorly differentiated tumors was higher than in well-differentiated ones (90 vs. 39%, p = 0.005). CONCLUSION: Overexpression of MAC30 in the cytoplasm of OSCC may predict nodal metastasis and poor differentiation.

PINCH protein expression in normal endometrium, atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrioid endometrial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Particularly interesting new cysteine-histidine rich protein (PINCH), as an adapter protein of the LIM family for signal transduction in the integrin and growth factor pathway, is upregulated in the stroma of several common types of cancers and involved in promoting tumor progression. In the present study, we examined PINCH expression in normal endometrium, atypical endometrial hyperplasia and endometrioid carcinoma, and further studied the relationships of PINCH expression with clinicopathological variables in cancer patients. METHODS: PINCH expression was examined by immunohistochemistry in 23 normal endometrial samples, 18 atypical endometrial hyperplasias and 48 endometrioid endometrial carcinomas. RESULTS: The PINCH expression in the stroma of cancer (71%) was significantly increased compared to either normal endometrium (17%, p < 0.0001) or atypical hyperplasia (39%, p = 0.017), along with 9 cancers that had stronger PINCH expressions at the invasive margin of the cancers compared to the inner cancers. PINCH expression in cancer was higher in the patients with hypertension (p = 0.041) and estrogen exposure time >30 years (p = 0.021). On the other hand, PINCH expression was not related to menopausal status, gravid status, blood sugar/lipid, family background of cancer, histological grade, myometrial invasion, cervical involvement, lymph nodal metastases, growth pattern, estrogen and progestogen receptors (p > 0.05). conclusion: The results suggest that PINCH seems to play a role, presently unknown, in the tumorigenesis and development of endometrial cancer that merits further study.

[Carbon monoxide inhalation protects against limb ischemia/reperfusion injury].

OBJECTIVE: To study the protective effect of carbon monoxide(CO) inhalation in the limb ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of rats. METHODS: Forty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: S, I/R and RC groups. I/R injury model was made by the occlusion of the femoral artery for four hours and the reperfusion for forty-eight hours. RC group was exposed to medical air mixed CO (the volume fraction of CO: 0.05%) during limb reperfusion in rats. The other two groups were exposed to the routine air. Gross morphology of the ischemic limb, wet-to-dry weight ratio (W/D), and skeletal muscle histopathology were observed. The apoptosis index and expression levels of Bax and Bcl-2 in the muscle were assessed with Flow Cytometry. The activities of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK) were tested by Automatic Biochemical Analyzer. RESULTS: Compared to I/R group, W/D, serum LDH and CK activities, the apoptosis index and Bax expression level in the muscle were all significantly decreased, the Bcl-2 expression level was significantly increased, gross morphology of the ischemic limb and muscle histopathology were obviously improved in RC group. CONCLUSION: Inhaling exogenous CO can attenuate limb I/R injury.

Expression and significance of FXYD-3 protein in gastric adenocarcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: FXYD-3, also known as Mat-8, is a member of the FXYD protein family. It was reported that this protein can associate with and modify the transport properties of Na, K-ATPase, and may play an important role in a variety of physiological and pathological states. This protein is up-regulated in certain types of cancers (such as breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer), but down-regulated in other types of cancers (such as colon and kidney cancer). No study has been performed in gastric cancer; therefore, the aim of this project was to investigate FXYD-3 expression and its clinicopathological significance in gastric adenocarcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: FXYD-3 protein was examined by immunohistochemistry in normal gastric mucous (n= 29) and gastric adenocarcinoma (n=51), obtained from surgical resection of gastric cancer patients. RESULTS: FXYD-3 protein was present in the cytoplasm of normal gastric epithelial cells or gastric cancer cells. The rate of FXYD-3 strong expression was significantly higher in cancer (51% of 51) than in normal mucosa (10% of 29, X;{2}=13.210, p < 0.0001). FXYD-3 expressed strongly in ulcerative/infiltrating types of cancers compared to polypoid/fungating ones (X;{2}=5.765, p=0.016). However, FXYD-3 expression was not correlated with patient's gender, age, tumor size, lymph node status and histological grade (p > 0.05). Conclosion: Up-regulated expression of FXYD-3 protein may be involved in tumourgenesis and invasion of gastric adenocarcinoma.

Anti-Helicobacter pylori therapy followed by celecoxib on progression of gastric precancerous lesions.

AIM: To evaluate whether celecoxib, a selective cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor, could reduce the severity of gastric precancerous lesions following Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) eradication. METHODS: H pylori-eradicated patients with gastric precancerous lesions randomly received either celecoxib (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) for up to 3 mo. COX-2 expression and activity was determined by immunostaining and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) assay, cell proliferation by Ki-67 immunostaining, apoptosis by TUNEL staining and angiogenesis by microvascular density (MVD) assay using CD31 staining. RESULTS: COX-2 protein expression was significantly increased in gastric precancerous lesions (atrophy, intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia, respectively) compared with chronic gastritis, and was concomitant with an increase in cell proliferation and angiogenesis. A significant improvement in precancerous lesions was observed in patients who received celecoxib compared with those who received placebo (P < 0.001). Of these three changes, 84.6% of sites with dysplasia regressed in patients treated with celecoxib (P = 0.002) compared with 60% in the placebo group, suggesting that celecoxib was effective on the regression of dysplasia. COX-2 protein expression (P < 0.001) and COX-2 activity (P < 0.001) in the gastric tissues were consistently lower in celecoxib-treated patients compared with the placebo-treated subjects. Moreover, it was also shown that celecoxib suppressed cell proliferation (P < 0.01), induced cell apoptosis (P < 0.01) and inhibited angiogenesis with decreased MVD (P < 0.001). However, all of these effects were not seen in placebo-treated subjects. Furthermore, COX-2 inhibition resulted in the up-regulation of PPARgamma expression, a protective molecule with anti-neoplastic effects. CONCLUSION: H pylori eradication therapy followed by celecoxib treatment improves gastric precancerous lesions by inhibiting COX-2 activity, inducing apoptosis, and suppressing cell proliferation and angiogenesis.

FXYD3 expression in gliomas and its clinicopathological significance.

FXYD3, interacting with Na+/K+-ATPase, is considered a cell surface regulator modulating the function of ion pumps and ion channels. The FXYD3 gene was originally cloned from murine mammary tumors and then from human breast tumors. However, no study of FXYD3 has been carried out in gliomas; therefore, we examined FXYD3 expression in gliomas and its clinicopathological significance. FXYD3 expression was immunohistochemically examined in 71 primary gliomas, along with 37 matched adjacent normal brain samples and 8 recurred gliomas. The frequency of strong FXYD3 expression was higher in the primary tumors in either unmatched (p = 0.046) or matched cases (p = 0.02), compared to normal brain tissue. FXYD3 expression was significantly more increased in females than males (p = 0.01), and in multiple site gliomas than single sites (p = 0.02). There was no difference of FXYD3 expression regarding age, tumor location, size, histological type, and tumor grade (p > 0.05). The results suggest that FXYD3 expression may be involved in glioma development, especially in multiple gliomas and female patients.

[Exogenous carbon monoxide protects against liver injury induced by ischemia/reperfusion of hind limbs in rats].

AIM: To investigate the protective effect of exogenous carbon monoxide (CO) on the liver injury induced by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) of hind limbs in rats. METHODS: 100 SD rats were divided randomly into sham operated group (S), S+ CO group (SC), I/R group (I/R), I/ R+ CO group (RC). A rat model of ischemia in hind limbs and the reperfusion liver injury was established with the occlusion of the femoral arteries for 4 h and re-opening for 6 - 72 h, 10 d. The rats in SC and RC groups were exposed to air containing CO (the volume traction of CO: 0.05%) for 2 h before and after reperfusion or the corresponding control time point, while the other two groups were exposed to the routine air. The pathologic changes of liver tissue were morphologically observed by HE stain. Serum GPT activity was tested by Automatic Biochemical Analyzer. The percentage of apoptosis, expression levels of bax and bcl-2 protein in liver tissue were detected by Flow Cytometry. RESULTS: There was no difference between S and SC groups. Compared with SC group: (1) Pathological changes in liver tissue were significant in I/R and RC groups. (2) The serum GPT activity of I/R and RC groups was obviously increased. (3) In IR and RC groups, the percentage of apoptosis in liver tissue was all significantly increased. (4) The bax expression level was significantly increased. Compared RC group with I/R group: (1) Pathological change was slight. (2) The serum GPT activity was depressed. (3) The percentage of apoptosis and expression level of bax protein in liver tissue were depressed. (4) The expression level of bcl-2 protein in liver tissue was increased. CONCLUSION: Exogenous CO could attenuate liver tissue injury induced by limbs I/R in rats.