Pulmonary Epstein-Barr virus-associated smooth muscle tumor after kidney transplantation: two case reports with review of differential diagnosis.

Pulmonary nodules are a common complication in solid organ transplant recipients, and may have various underlying causes, with Epstein-Barr virus-associated smooth muscle tumor (EBV-SMT) being one of them. Given the rarity of this entity, we describe the diagnosis and therapeutic interventions for post-transplant EBV-SMT in two individuals. Both cases involved female patients who were diagnosed with multiple pulmonary nodules 60 months and 116 months, respectively, after receiving living-related kidney transplantation. Pathological examination revealed a spindle cell tumor, with immunophenotype and EBV in situ hybridization supporting the diagnosis of EBV-SMT. After diagnosis, these two patients underwent intervention by decreasing their intake of immunosuppressants. As of the latest follow-up, the patients' lesion size remained stable, and their overall condition was favorable. We also reviewed literature about the morphological and molecular pathological features of EBV-SMT and highlighted the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of pulmonary spindle cell lesions especially in the setting of immunosuppression.

Carbon dot decorated Co3O4 nanozymes responsive to the NIR-II window for mild photothermal-enhanced nanocatalytic therapy.

Although NIR-II laser-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) is considered as an emerging strategy for tumor therapy, its therapeutic effects are still seriously hampered by low photothermal conversion efficacy, limited tissue penetration depth, and inevitable damage to adjoining healthy tissues. Herein, we report a mild second-near-infrared (NIR-II) photothermal-augmented nanocatalytic therapy (NCT) nanoplatform based on CD@Co3O4 heterojunctions by depositing NIR-II-responsive carbon dots (CDs) onto the surface of Co3O4 nanozymes. The as-prepared Co3O4 nanozymes possess multi-enzyme-mimicking catalytic activity including peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione-peroxidase to realize the cascade amplification of ROS levels owing to the presence of multivalent Co2+ and Co3+. CDs with a high NIR-II photothermal conversion efficiency (PCE) (51.1%) enable the realization of mild PTT (∼43 °C), which could not only avoid damage to adjoining healthy tissues but also enhance the multi-enzyme-mimic catalytic activity of Co3O4 nanozymes. More importantly, the NIR-II photothermal properties of CDs and the multi-enzyme-mimicking catalytic activity of Co3O4 nanozymes are greatly augmented by the fabrication of heterojunctions due to the induced localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) and accelerated carrier transfer. On the basis of these advantages, satisfactory mild PTT-amplified NCT is accomplished. Our work presents a promising approach for mild NIR-II photothermal-amplified NCT based on semiconductor heterojunctions.

PTEN Lipid Phosphatase Activity Enhances Dengue Virus Production through Akt/FoxO1/Maf1 Signaling.

Dengue virus (DENV) is an arthropod-borne viral pathogen and a global health burden. Knowledge of the DENV-host interactions that mediate virus pathogenicity remains limited. Host lipid metabolism is hijacked by DENV for virus replication in which lipid droplets (LDs) play a key role during the virus lifecycle. In this study, we reveal a novel role for phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) in LDs-mediated DENV infection. We demonstrate that PTEN expression is downregulated upon DENV infection through post-transcriptional regulation and, in turn, PTEN overexpression enhances DENV replication. PTEN lipid phosphatase activity was found to decrease cellular LDs area and number through Akt/FoxO1/Maf1 signaling, which, together with autophagy, enhanced DENV replication and virus production. We therefore provide mechanistic insight into the interaction between lipid metabolism and the DENV replication cycle.

[Short-term response of carbon emission to snow cover change in Calamagrostis angustifolia wetlands of Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China]. / ä¸‰æ±Ÿå¹³åŽŸå°å¶ç« æ¹¿åœ°ç¢³æŽ’æ”¾å¯¹é›ªè¢«å˜åŒ–çš„çŸ­æœŸå“åº”.

To understand the response of Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland of the Sanjiang Plain to changes in snow cover, we examined the greenhouse gases emission flux of the removed snow treatment (0 cm, RS), the added snow treatment (50 cm, AS) and the control (20 cm, CK) of a C. angustifolia wetland, and their relations with environmental factors with the method of the static chamber-gas chromatography. The results showed that soil temperature, soil water content, and carbon emissions were lowest during the snow-covering period under all treatments, and gradually increased with time. With the increases of time and snow thickness, soil temperature was rised and the difference of three treatments gradually was decreased. Soil water content of RS was always lower than that of CK and AS. AS and CK could promote soil CO2 emission compared with RS during and after snowmelt. The soil cumulative CH4 emissions differed little among the treatments. There was significant correlation between soil temperature and cumulative CO2 and CH4 emissions. With the increases of soil temperature, soil cumulative CO2 emission continued to increase and soil cumulative CH4 emission decreased firstly and then increased rapidly. Soil water content was significantly correlated with cumulative CO2 and CH4 emissions. As the soil moisture increased, the cumulative soil CO2 emission gradually increased, reaching a certain threshold and then flattening, while soil cumulative CH4 emission continuously increased.

Characterizing the limits of human stability during motion: perturbative experiment validates a model-based approach for the Sit-to-Stand task.

Falls affect a growing number of the population each year. Clinical methods to assess fall risk usually evaluate the performance of specific motions such as balancing or Sit-to-Stand. Unfortunately, these techniques have been shown to have poor predictive power, and are unable to identify the portions of motion that are most unstable. To this end, it may be useful to identify the set of body configurations that can accomplish a task under a specified control strategy. The resulting strategy-specific boundary between stable and unstable motion could be used to identify individuals at risk of falling. The recently proposed Stability Basin is defined as the set of configurations through time that do not lead to failure for an individual under their chosen control strategy. This paper presents a novel method to compute the Stability Basin and the first experimental validation of the Stability Basin with a perturbative Sit-to-Stand experiment involving forwards or backwards pulls from a motor-driven cable with 11 subjects. The individually-constructed Stability Basins are used to identify when a trial fails, i.e. when an individual must switch from their chosen control strategy (indicated by a step or sit) to recover from a perturbation. The constructed Stability Basins correctly predict the outcome of trials where failure was observed with over 90 % accuracy, and correctly predict the outcome of successful trials with over 95 % accuracy. The Stability Basin was compared to three other methods and was found to estimate the stable region with over 45 % more accuracy in all cases. This study demonstrates that Stability Basins offer a novel model-based approach for quantifying stability during motion, which could be used in physical therapy for individuals at risk of falling.

Long non-coding RNA MALAT1 promotes angiogenesis and immunosuppressive properties of HCC cells by sponging miR-140.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent primary liver cancer in adults. Previous studies in our laboratory found that long non-coding RNA metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) was upregulated in HCC cells, which could affect the metastasis and invasion of HCC. However, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Herein, we studied the interaction between MALAT1 and miR-140 on the regulation of angiogenesis and immunosuppressive properties. We revealed that the expression of MALAT1 and VEGF-A was significantly increased in HCC cells. Knockdown of MALAT1 in HCC cells suppressed the production of VEGF-A, impaired the angiogenesis of HUVECs, and facilitated the polarization of macrophage toward the M1 subset. Mechanistically, the interaction between MALAT1 and miR-140 or between miR-140 and VEGF-A was confirmed by multiple assays. Besides, a negative correlation between MALAT1 and miR-140 was found in HCC tissues. Furthermore, miR-140 inhibition significantly increased VEGF-A expression, promoted angiogenesis of HUVECs, and redirected the polarization of macrophages toward the M2 subset. In addition, in vivo studies also verified the regulatory network of the MALAT1/miR-140 axis on VEGF-A in HCC progression. In summary, this study revealed the mechanism that MALAT1 worked as a putative HCC promotor via inhibiting miR-140. Therefore, targeting MALAT1 or miR-140 might alleviate the progression of HCC in the future.

Responses of greenhouse gas emission to simulated nitrogen deposition in Calamagrostis angustifolia wetlands of Sanjiang Plain, China.

A long-term simulated nitrogen deposition experiment was carried out in Ecological Locating Research Station of the Institute of Nature and Ecology of Heilongjiang Academy of Sciences, with three different treatments including low nitrogen treatment (40 kg N·hm-2·a-1), high nitrogen treatment (80 kg N·hm-2·a-1) and the control (0 kg N·hm-2·a-1). The greenhouse gas emission fluxes were measured using a static box-gas chromatography method, with environmental factors being simultaneously investigated to understand the responses of greenhouse gas emission to the nitrogen deposition in the Calamagrostis angustifolia wetland. The results showed that low and high nitrogen treatments significantly increased the greenhouse gas emission fluxes. The CO2 emission flux increased by 47.5% and 47.9%, the CH4 emission fluxes increased by 76.8% and 110.1%, and the N2O emission fluxes increased by 42.4% and 10.6% in low nitrogen treatment and high nitrogen treatment, respectively. Low nitrogen input changed the seasonal dynamics of N2O emission fluxes but had no significant effect on that of CO2 and CH4 emissions. High nitrogen treatment did not affect the seasonal dynamics of greenhouse gas emissions. Soil temperature significantly positively correlated with CO2 and CH4 emission fluxes. There was no correlation between soil temperature and N2O emission flux because the factors affecting N2O emission were complex.

Serum levels of miRNA in patients with hepatitis B virus-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) is a life-threatening condition and its exact pathophysiology and progression remain unclear. The present study aimed to assess the role of serum miRNAs in the evaluation of HBV-ACLF and to develop a model to predict the outcomes for ACLF. METHODS: Serum was collected from 41 chronic hepatitis B and 55 HBV-ACLF patients in addition to 30 chronic asymptomatic HBV carriers as controls. The miRNAs expressions were measured by real-time quantitative PCR (q-PCR). Statistical analyses were conducted to assess the ability of differentially expressed miRNAs and other prognostic factors in identifying ACLF prognosis and to develop a new predictive model. RESULTS: Real-time q-PCR indicated that serum miR-146a-5p, miR-122-3p and miR-328-3p levels were significantly upregulated in ACLF patients compared to chronic hepatitis B and chronic asymptomatic HBV carriers patients. In addition, multivariate regression analyses indicated that Na+, INR, gastrointestinal bleeding and miR-122-3p are all independent factors that are reliable and sensitive to the prognosis of HBV-ACLF. Therefore, we developed a new model for the prediction of HBV-ACLF disease state: Y = 0.402 × Na+ - 1.72 × INR - 4.963 × gastrointestinal bleeding (Yes = 0; No = 1)-0.278 × (miR-122-3p) + 50.449. The predictive accuracy of the model was 95.3% and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was 0.847. CONCLUSIONS: Expression levels of these miRNAs (miR-146a-5p, miR-122-3p and miR-328-3p) positively correlate with the severity of liver inflammation in patients with ACLF and may be useful to predict HBV-ACLF severity.

Early hepatitis B viral DNA clearance predicts treatment response at week 96.

AIM: To investigate whether hepatitis viral DNA load at 24 wk of treatment predicts response at 96 wk in patients with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: A total of 172 hepatitis B envelope antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B patients who received initial treatment at 16 tertiary hospitals in Hunan Province, China were enrolled in this study. All patients received conventional doses of lamivudine and adefovir dipivoxil, telbivudine, entecavir dispersible tablets, or entecavir tablets for 96 wk. Patients who used other antiviral drugs or antitumor and immune regulation therapy were excluded. Patients were stratified into three groups according to their viral DNA load at 24 wk: < 10 IU/mL (group 1), 10-103 IU/mL (group 2), and > 103 IU/mL (group 3). Correlations of 24-wk DNA load with HBeAg negative status and HBeAg seroconversion at 96 wk were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to test the predictive value of the HBV DNA load at 24 wk for long-term response. RESULTS: The rates of conversion to HBeAg negative status and HBeAg seroconversion rates were 53.7% and 51.9%, respectively, in group 1; 35.21% and 32.39% in group 2; and 6.38% and 6.38% in group 3. The receiver operating characteristic curves for the three subgroups revealed that the lowest DNA load (< 10 IU/mL) was better correlated with response at 96 wk than a higher DNA load (10-103 IU/mL). Nested PCR was used for amplifying and sequencing viral DNA in patients with a viral DNA load > 200 IU/mL at 96 wk; resistance mutations involving different loci were present in 26 patients, and three of these patients had a viral DNA load 10-103 IU/mL at 96 wk. CONCLUSION: Hepatitis B viral DNA load at 24 wk of antiviral treatment in patients with chronic hepatitis B is a predictor of the viral load and response rate at 96 wk.

Novel HBV mutations and their value in predicting efficacy of conventional interferon.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating studies assessing the impacts of hot spot mutations on conventional interferon (IFN) efficacy come to discrepant conclusions; studies regarding the mutations in S and RT regions are also unclear. The present study aimed to evaluate the impacts of HBV mutations on the efficacy of conventional IFN. METHODS: A total of 126 patients who received conventional IFN treatment for 48 weeks were enrolled. Biochemical and serological parameters were routinely tested. The sequences of HBV from 78 serum samples were amplified by nested-PCR; mutations were identified with sequence scanner V1.0 after ABI 3730xl direct sequencing, HBV genotypes were determined according to RT gene sequences utilizing NCBI Genotyping Tool which was based on phylogenetic analysis. RESULTS: The baseline DNA levels of virological response (VR) group were significantly lower than those of no VR group [7.13+/-0.76 vs 7.69+/-0.56 lg (copies/mL), P=0.001]. The baseline ALT levels were significantly higher in the HBeAg clearance group (204.72+/-88.65 vs 162.80+/-85.81 IU/L, P<0.05) and HBeAg seroconversion group (204.89+/-95.68 vs 166.75+/-84.43 IU/L, P<0.05). Females and lower BMI levels (20.01+/-2.33 vs 21.65+/-3.66 kg/m2, P<0.05) were prone to acquired biochemical response (BR). PC-W28STOP (ntG1896A) was significantly higher in the combined response (CR) group than that in the no CR group (91.7% vs 39.7%, P=0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that baseline DNA, PC-P159T (ntC2288A), BCP-N118T (ntA1726C) and BCP-L134L (ntA1775C/G/T) influenced VR independently. PC-G182C (ntG2357T), PC-S64A/T (ntT2003G/A) and BMI were independent influence factors for HBeAg clearance, HBeAg seroconversion and BR, respectively. The new predicting model concluded that baseline DNA and new mutations for VR were established successfully, and ROC analysis showed that AUC was 0.842 (P<0.001) with a sensitivity of 0.652 and a specificity of 0.933. CONCLUSIONS: PC-P159T (ntC2288A), BCP-N118T (ntA1726C), BCP-L134L (ntA1775C/G/T), PC-G182C (ntG2357T) and PC-S64A/T (ntT2003G/A) were novel identified mutations that impacted IFN therapeutic efficacy. These novel mutations could serve as important predictors before conventional IFN treatment.

A novel prognostic score for acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure.

Patients with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (HBV-ACLF) show high morbidity and mortality. Independent prognostic predictors of short-term HBV-ACLF mortality include the Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score, the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, other MELD-based indices and the dynamic changes in these indices. The aims of this study were to evaluate the existing prognostic scores in a large cohort of HBV-ACLF patients and create a new predictive model. We retrospectively reviewed 392 HBV-ACLF patients from December 2008 to November 2011 and evaluated their 3-month survival. The predictive accuracy of CTP, MELD and MELD-based indices and the dynamic changes in the MELD-related scores (Δ scoring systems) upon admission and after two weeks of treatment were compared using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve method. Life-threatening factors and a series of bio-clinical parameters were studied by univariate and multivariate analyses. Among the existing scores, MELD had the best predictive ability. However, our new regression model provided an area under the curve of 0.930 ± 0.0161 (95% CI: 0.869 to 0.943), which was significantly larger than that obtained with the MELD score at admission and after two weeks of treatment as well as with the dynamic changes of the MELD score (0.819, 0.921, and 0.826, respectively) (Z=3.542, P=0.0004). In a large cohort of patients retrospectively reviewed for this study, our prognostic model was superior to the MELD score and is, therefore, a promising predictor of short-term survival in patients with HBV-ACLF.

Soft Tissue Deformations Contribute to the Mechanics of Walking in Obese Adults.

UNLABELLED: Obesity not only adds to the mass that must be carried during walking but also changes body composition. Although extra mass causes roughly proportional increases in musculoskeletal loading, less well understood is the effect of relatively soft and mechanically compliant adipose tissue. PURPOSE: This purpose of this study was to estimate the work performed by soft tissue deformations during walking. The soft tissue would be expected to experience damped oscillations, particularly from high force transients after heel strike, and could potentially change the mechanical work demands for walking. METHODS: We analyzed treadmill walking data at 1.25 m·s for 11 obese (BMI >30 kg·m) and nine nonobese (BMI <30 kg·m) adults. The soft tissue work was quantified with a method that compares the work performed by lower extremity joints as derived using assumptions of rigid body segments, with that estimated without rigid body assumptions. RESULTS: Relative to body mass, obese and nonobese individuals perform similar amounts of mechanical work. However, negative work performed by soft tissues was significantly greater in obese individuals (P = 0.0102), equivalent to approximately 0.36 J·kg vs 0.27 J·kg in nonobese individuals. The negative (dissipative) work by soft tissues occurred mainly after heel strike and, for obese individuals, was comparable in magnitude to the total negative work from all of the joints combined (0.34 J·kg vs 0.33 J·kg for obese and nonobese adults, respectively). Although the joints performed a relatively similar amount of work overall, obese individuals performed less negative work actively at the knee. CONCLUSIONS: The greater proportion of soft tissues in obese individuals results in substantial changes in the amount, location, and timing of work and may also affect metabolic energy expenditure during walking.

Arctigenin promotes apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells via the iNOS/NO/STAT3/survivin signalling.

Arctigenin is a biologically active lignan extracted from the seeds of Arctium lappa and shows anticancer activity against a variety of human cancers. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of arctigenin on ovarian cancer cell proliferation and survival and associated molecular mechanisms. Human ovarian cancer OVCAR3 and SKOV3 cells were treated with arctigenin, and cell proliferation and apoptosis were assessed. Western blot analysis was used to examine signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3) phosphorylation and survivin and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. The involvement of STAT3/survivin/iNOS/NO signalling in arctigenin action was checked. Arctigenin treatment resulted in a significant and dose-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation. Arctigenin-treated cells showed a 4-6 times increase in the percentage of apoptosis, compared with control cells. Pre-treatment with Ac-DEVD-CHO, a specific inhibitor of caspase-3, counteracted the induction of apoptosis by arctigenin. Arctigenin treatment significantly inhibited STAT3 phosphorylation and survivin and iNOS expression. Arctigenin-induced apoptosis was impaired by pre-transfection with survivin-expressing plasmid or addition of chemical nitric oxide (NO) donors. Additionally, exogenous NO prevented the suppression of STAT3 phosphorylation and survivin expression by arctigenin. Arctigenin treatment inhibits the proliferation and induces caspase-3-dependent apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells. Suppression of iNOS/NO/STAT3/survivin signalling is causally linked to the anticancer activity of arctigenin. Therefore, arctigenin may be applicable to anticancer therapy for ovarian cancer.

A preclinical evaluation of a novel multikinase inhibitor, SKLB-329, as a therapeutic agent against hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a serious life-threatening malignant disease of liver. Molecular targeted therapies are considered a promising strategy for the treatment of HCC. Sorafenib is the first, and so far the only targeted drug approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical therapy of HCC. Despite being effective in some HCC patients, some demerits of sorafenib in the treatment of HCC, such as modest survival benefits, and drug resistance, have also been reported, which highlights the unmet medical need among patients with HCC. Here, we report a novel multikinase inhibitor discovered by us, SKLB-329, which potently inhibits angiogenesis-related kinases including VEGFR1/2/3, and FGFR2, and the Src kinase. SKLB-329 significantly inhibited endothelial cell growth, migration, invasion and tube formation. It showed potent anti-angiogenic activity in a transgenic zebrafish model. Moreover, SKLB-329 could efficiently restrain the proliferation of HCC cells through down-regulation of Src-mediated FAK and Stat3 activity. In vivo, oral administration of SKLB-329 considerably suppressed the tumor growth in HCC xenograft models (HepG2 and SMMC7721) in a dose-dependent manner. In all of the in vitro and in vivo assays of this investigation, sorafenib was used as a positive control, and in most assays SKLB-329 exhibited a higher potency compared with the positive control. In addition, SKLB-329 also bears favorable pharmacokinetic properties. Collectively, the results of preclinical studies presented here demonstrate that SKLB-329 is a promising drug candidate for HCC treatment.

ARHI overexpression induces epithelial ovarian cancer cell apoptosis and excessive autophagy.

OBJECTIVE: ARHI is a maternally imprinted tumor suppressor gene that is responsible for initiating programmed cell death and inhibiting cancer cell growth. However, the influence of ARHI on epithelial ovarian cancer cell death and the underlying mechanisms behind how ARHI regulates cancer cells still require further studies. METHODS: Epithelial ovarian cancer cells TOV112D and ES-2 were used in this in vitro study. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and autophagy activities were compared in TOV112D and ES-2 cells transfected with ARHI vectors or control vectors. Bcl-2 siRNA was transfected into TOV112D cells to investigate the roles of Bcl-2 played in regulating apoptosis and autophagy. RESULTS: ARHI expression was reduced in TOV112D and ES-2 cells compared with normal epithelial ovarian cells (NOE095 and HOSEpiC). Overexpressed ARHI inhibited cancer cell proliferation, whereas induced forced cell apoptosis and excessive formation of autophagosomes inhibited promoted cell death. Furthermore, we found that Bcl-2 expression moderately declined in response to ARHI overexpressing in ES-2 and TOV112D cells; meanwhile, more apoptotic cells and higher LC3 level presented after silence of Bcl-2 in TOV112D cells. Reduced Bcl-2-Beclin 1 complex were observed in ARHI overexpressing cells. Moreover, modulation of ARHI to Bcl-2 expression could be ascribed partially to the activation of PI3k/AKT pathway. The addition of LY294002 enabled to suppress Bcl-2 expression and cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: The silence of ARHI expression in vitro seems to accelerate the malignant transformation of healthy ovarian cells by restraining apoptosis and autophagy. The overexpressed ARHI in TOV112D cancer cells suppresses the activation of PI3K/AKT and reduces the expression of Bcl-2, leading to enhanced cell apoptosis and autophagic cancer cell death.

SC-535, a novel oral multikinase inhibitor, showed potent antitumor activity in human melanoma models.

BACKGROUND: Melanoma is considered as one of the most aggressive and deadliest cancers and current targeted therapies of melanoma often suffer limited efficacy or drug resistance. Discovery of novel multikinase inhibitors as anti-melanoma drug candidates is still needed. METHODS: In this investigation, we assessed the in vitro and in vivo anti-melanoma activities of SC-535, which is a novel small molecule multikinase inhibitor discovered by us recently. We analyzed inhibitory effects of SC-535 on various melanoma cell lines and human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) in vitro. Tumor xenografts in athymic mice were used to examine the in vivo activity of SC-535. RESULTS: SC-535 could efficiently inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) 1/2/3, B-RAF, and C-RAF kinases. It showed significant antiangiogenic potencies both in vitro and in vivo and considerable anti-proliferative ability against several melanoma cell lines. Oral administration of SC-535 resulted in dose-dependent suppression of tumor growth in WM2664 and C32 xenograft mouse models. Studies of mechanisms of action indicated that SC-535 suppressed the tumor angiogenesis and induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in human melanoma cells. SC-535 possesses favorable pharmacokinetic properties. CONCLUSION: All of these results support SC-535 as a potential candidate for clinical studies in patients with melanoma.

STAT3 acetylation-induced promoter methylation is associated with downregulation of the ARHI tumor-suppressor gene in ovarian cancer.

ARHI is a Ras-related imprinted tumor-suppressor gene that inhibits cancer cell growth and motility. ARHI is downregulated in the majority of ovarian cancer cells, and promoter methylation is considered to be associated with its loss of expression. however, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the specific functions of ARHI and its methylation in ovarian cancer cell proliferation. Furthermore, we examined the possible role of acetylated STAT3 in modulating the expression of ARHI and its methylation. In accordance with the majority of previous studies, reduced ARHI expression was found in epithelial ovarian cancer tissues and cancer cell lines as indicated by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. In addition, CpG islands I and II within ARHI promoter regions were partially methylated or hypermethylated in cancer cell lines (SKOV-3 and HO-8910) as analyzed by pyrosequencing assays, resulting in enhanced proliferation of the cancer cells. This proliferation was reversed by the administration of 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Subsequently, we demonstrated that STAT3 acetylation was increased in HO-8910 cells, and the methylation status of CpG I was altered in response to the acetylation of STAT3 using western blotting. Finally, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and IP analysis indicated that acetylated STAT3 bound to the ARHI promoter and recruited DNA methyltransferase 1 for genetic modification. In conclusion, acetylated STAT3-induced promoter gene methylation accounts for the loss of ARHI expression and cancer cell proliferation.

[Effect of microRNA on proliferation caused by mutant HBx in human hepatocytes].

To study the effect of micro (mi)RNA on cellular proliferation induced by hepatitis B x protein, HBx, in human liver cells and to investigate the underlying molecular mechanism of this cancer-related effect. The human L02 hepatocyte cell line was stably transfected with HBx (L02/HBx) or an HBx mutant (L02/HBx-d382) that induces higher levels of cellular proliferation. The differential miRNA expression profiles were determined by microarray analysis and confirmed by real-time PCR. Two miRNAs, miR-338-3p and miR-551b, that were found to be significantly down-regulated in the L02/HBx-d382 cells were selected for further study and transfected individually into cells using the lipofectamine procedure. The cell survival rate was analyzed by MTT assay, and cell cycles were assessed by flow cytometry. Expressions of cyclinD1, cyclinG1, and E2F1 were assessed by real-time PCR and Western blotting. Compared with the microarray miRNA profile of L02/pcDNA3.0 cells, six miRNAs were up-regulated and five miRNAs were down-regulated in the L02/HBx-d382 cells, while four miRNAs were up-regulated and 12 were down-regulated in the L02/HBx cells. The microarray results were consistent with real-time PCR results. Transfection of miR-338-3p and miR-551b significantly inhibited the cell survival rates (P less than 0.001) and induced G0/G1 phase cycle arrest. According to MTT results: for L02/HBx-d382 cells, compared with lipofectamine or non-transfected (NC) controls, the t value of miR-338-3p was 10.402, 9.133 and the t value of miR-551b was 8.763, 7.403; for L02/HBx cells, compared with lipofectamine or NC controls, the t value of miR-338-3p was 9.105, 8.074 and the t value of miR-551b was 7.673, 7.52. According to flow cytometry results: for L02/HBx-d382 cells, compared with lipofectamine or NC controls, the t value of miR-338-3p was 12.173, 11.107 and the t value of miR-551b was 15.364, 13.377; for L02/HBx cells, compared with lipofectamine or NC controls, the t value of miR-338-3p was 15.416, 13.378, and the t value of miR-551b was 13.276, 13.109. The protein levels of cyclinD1, cyclinG1, and E2F1 were significantly reduced by both miR-338-3p and miR-551b ( P less than 0.001). For L02/HBx-d382 cells, compared with lipofectamine or NC controls: E2F1 had t = 11.132, 10.031 and 12.017, 10.973, respectively; cyclinD1 had t = 15.654, 15.013 and 15.447, 14.733, respectively; cyclinG1 had t = 8.017, 7.661 and 7.402, 7.417, respectively. For L02/HBx cells, compared with lipofectamine or NC controls: E2F1 had t = 14.244, 13.331 and 15.022, 14.468, respectively; cyclinD1 had t = 8.695, 8.137 and 7.877, 7.503, respectively; cyclinG1 had t = 7.73, 7.471 and 7.596, 7.41, respectively. In contrast, the mRNA levels for E2F1, cyclinD1, and cylcinG1 showed no significant differences between the miRNA transfected cells and controls. Wild-type HBx and the high proliferation-inducing mutant HBx can influence the miRNA expression profile of L02 cells. HBx down-regulates miR-338-3p and miR-551b in L02 cells, and the high proliferation-inducing mutant has a more robust effect. The mechanism of miR-338-3p- or miR-551b-mediated cell growth inhibition appears to be related to the direct modulation of cyclinD1, cyclinG1, and E2F1.

[Application of acellular allograft dermal tissue patch in the repair of transvaginal rectovaginal fistula].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical effect of acellular allograft dermal tissue patch used in transvaginal rectovaginal fistula repair. METHODS: From Jan. 2008 to Dec. 2011, 22 patients with rectovaginal fistula undergoing treatment in Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital were studied retrospectively. Twelve patients treated by tissue patch were classified into study group matched with 10 patients with general surgery as controls. RESULTS: In study group, 11 patients were successfully repaired by their first surgery;one patient was successfully fixed by the second surgery. The successful rate of first operation was 11/12 in study group and 4/5 in recurrent transvaginal rectovaginal fistula. In control group, 7 patients were fixed successfully in their first surgeries, the successful rate of first surgery was 7/10. Two primary patients and 1 recurrent patient were successfully fixed by their second surgeries. All of the patients were followed up for (9.0 ± 2.0) months, and no recurrence diseases were observed. CONCLUSION: The transvaginal rectovaginal fistula fixed using acellular allograft dermal tissue patch could get less trauma and higher cure rate.