Characterization and Antioxidant Activity of Released Exopolysaccharide from Potential Probiotic Leuconostoc mesenteroides LM187.

A released exopolysaccharide (rEPS)-producing strain (LM187) with good acid resistance, bile salt resistance, and cholesterol-lowering properties was isolated from Sichuan paocai and identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. mesenteroides. The purified rEPS, designated as rEPS414, had a uniform molecular weight of 7.757 × 105 Da. Analysis of the monosaccharide composition revealed that the molecule was mainly composed of glucose. The Fourier transform-infrared spectrum showed that rEPS414 contained both α-type and ß-type glycosidic bonds. 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectra analysis showed that the purified rEPS contained arabinose, galactose, and rhamnose, but less uronic acid. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that the exopolysaccharide displayed a large number of scattered, fluffy, porous cellular network flake structures. In addition, rEPS414 exhibited strong in vitro antioxidant activity. These results showed that strain LM187 and its rEPS are promising probiotics with broad prospects in industry.

Ultrasound Features Improve Diagnostic Performance of Ovarian Cancer Predictors in Distinguishing Benign and Malignant Ovarian Tumors.

To determine whether ultrasound features can improve the diagnostic performance of tumor markers in distinguishing ovarian tumors, we enrolled 719 patients diagnosed as having ovarian tumors at Nanfang Hospital from September 2014 to November 2016. Age, menopausal status, histopathology, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stages, tumor biomarker levels, and detailed ultrasound reports of patients were collected. The area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity of the bellow-mentioned predictors were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic curve. Of the 719 patients, 531 had benign lesions, 119 had epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC), 44 had borderline ovarian tumors (BOT), and 25 had non-EOC. AUCs and the sensitivity of cancer antigen 125 (CA125), human epididymis-specific protein 4 (HE4), Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm (ROMA), Risk of Malignancy Index (RMI1), HE4 model, and Rajavithi-Ovarian Cancer Predictive Score (R-OPS) in the overall population were 0.792, 0.854, 0.856, 0.872, 0.893, 0.852, and 70.2%, 56.9%, 69.1%, 60.6%, 77.1%, 71.3%, respectively. For distinguishing EOC from benign tumors, the AUCs and sensitivity of the above mentioned predictors were 0.888, 0.946, 0.947, 0.949, 0.967, 0.966, and 84.0%, 79.8%, 87.4%, 84.9%, 90.8%, 89.1%, respectively. Their specificity in predicting benign diseases was 72.9%, 94.4%, 87.6%, 95.9%, 86.3%, 90.8%, respectively. Therefore, we consider biomarkers in combination with ultrasound features may improve the diagnostic performance in distinguishing malignant from benign ovarian tumors.

[The investigation of STK15 gene amplification and overexpression in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of STK15 gene amplification and overexpression to genesis and development of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). METHODS: STK15 gene amplification in 40 cases carcinoma tissues and normal tissues as control was detected by differential PCR approach. STK15 mRNA and protein levels were evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry method. RESULTS: In 40 LSCC cases, STK15 gene amplification was found in 14 tumor tissues(35%), mRNA overexpression in 27 tumor tissues(67.5%), and protein upregulated in 29 tumor tissues(72.5%). Statistics analysis showed that STK15 gene amplification and mRNA overexpression were obviously associated to differentiation degree of LSCC, and protein overexpression was closely associated with both differentiation degree and pathological grades of LSCC. CONCLUSION: This research results suggest that STK15 gene amplification contributes to its mRNA and protein overexpression through affecting the exact replication of centrosome and separation of chromosomes. STK15 gene thus plays a role in LSCC oncogenesis and malignant progression.