Concomitant treatment of ureteral calculi and ipsilateral pelvic sciatic nerve schwannoma with transperitoneal laparoscopic approach: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Schwannomas are rare peripheral neural myelin sheath tumors that originate from Schwann cells. Of the different types of schwannomas, pelvic sciatic nerve schwannoma is extremely rare. Definite preoperative diagnosis of pelvic schwannomas is difficult, and surgical resection is the gold standard for its definite diagnosis and treatment. CASE SUMMARY: We present a case of pelvic schwannoma arising from the sciatic nerve that was detected in a 40-year-old man who underwent computed tomography for intermittent right lower back pain caused exclusively by a right ureteral calculus. Subsequently, successful transperitoneal laparoscopic surgery was performed for the intact removal of the stone and en bloc resection of the schwannoma. The total operative time was 125 min, and the estimated blood loss was inconspicuous. The surgical procedure was uneventful. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 5 with the simultaneous removal of the urinary catheter. However, the patient presented with motor and sensory disorders of the right lower limb, caused by partial damage to the right sciatic nerve. No tumor recurrence was observed at the postoperative appointment. CONCLUSION: Histopathological examination of the specimen confirmed the diagnosis of a schwannoma. Thus, laparoscopic surgery is safe and feasible for concomitant extirpation of pelvic schwannomas and other pelvic and abdominal diseases that require surgical treatment.

Strategy of functional nucleic acids-mediated isothermal amplification for detection of foodborne microbial contaminants: A review.

Foodborne microbial contamination (FMC) is the leading cause of food poisoning and foodborne illness. The foodborne microbial detection methods based on isothermal amplification have high sensitivity and short detection time, and functional nucleic acids (FNAs) could extend the detectable object of isothermal amplification to mycotoxins. Therefore, the strategy of FNAs-mediated isothermal amplification has been emergingly applied in biosensors for foodborne microbial contaminants detection, making biosensors more sensitive with lower cost and less dependent on nanomaterials for signal output. Here, the mechanism of six isothermal amplification technologies and their application in detecting FMC is firstly introduced. Then the strategy of FNAs-mediated isothermal amplification is systematically discussed from perspectives of FNAs' versatility including recognition elements (Aptamer, DNAzyme), programming tools (DNA tweezer, DNA walker and CRISPR-Cas) and signal units (G-quadruplex, FNAs-based nanomaterials). Finally, challenges and prospects are presented in terms of addressing the issue of nonspecific amplification reaction, developing better FNAs-based sensing elements and eliminating food matrix effects.

An ultra-sensitive photothermal lateral flow immunoassay for 17ß-estradiol in food samples.

Hormone residues in food and drinking water endanger human health, therefore, on-site analysis techniques of superior performance are important for monitoring this risk. In this study, an ultra-sensitive photothermal lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) for quantification of 17ß-estradiol (E2) has been developed. Anti-E2 antibody modified black phosphorus-Au (BP-Au) nanocomposite was developed as a photothermal contrast signal probe and the temperature at test-zone was recorded with an infrared camera. Under the irradiation of 808 nm laser at test-zone, it gave temperatures negatively related to the concentrations of E2 in samples. Under optimal detecting conditions, the developed photothermal LFIA exhibited a limit of detection of 50 pg mL-1, over 100-fold more sensitive than visual LFIA, and a linear range of 3 orders of magnitude. This method has been successfully applied to water, milk, and milk powder samples.

Anti-cancer effect of LINC00478 in bladder cancer correlates with KDM1A-dependent MMP9 demethylation.

Accumulating evidence has highlighted the important roles of long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) during cancer progression. However, the involvement of LINC00478 in bladder cancer remains largely unclear. Accordingly, the current study sought to investigate the function of LINC00478 on malignant phenotypes of bladder cancer cells as well as the underlying mechanism. By integrating data from in silico analysis, we uncovered that LINC00478 was differentially expressed in bladder cancer. We further analyzed the expression of LINC00478 and matrix metalloprotein 9 (MMP9) in bladder cancer tissues and cell lines and observed a significant decline in LINC00478 expression and an elevation in MMP9 expression. In addition, chromatin immunoprecipitation, RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation, and RNA pull-down assays predicted and validated that LINC00478 targeted lysine-specific demethylase-1 (KDM1A) and down-regulated the expression of MMP9 by decreasing the monomethylation on lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4me1) of MMP9 promoter. Treatment with KDM1A inhibitor tranylcypromine (TCP) also led to an increase in the enrichment of H3K4me1 in the MMP9 promoter region. Through gain- and loss-of-function approaches, we found that LINC00478 up-regulation diminished the malignant phenotype of bladder cancer cells in vitro, and further inhibited xenograft tumor growth and metastasis in vivo by repressing MMP9. Collectively, our findings unraveled a LINC00478-mediated inhibitory mechanism in bladder cancer via the recruitment of histone demethylation transferase KDM1A to the MMP9 promoter region, which can provide potential implications for novel therapeutic targets against bladder cancer.

A Stable Quaternized Chitosan-Black Phosphorus Nanocomposite for Synergetic Disinfection of Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens.

Antibiotics are widely used for treatment of bacterial infections, and their overuse has contributed to microbial resistance. Currently, an alternative antibiotic-free therapy for inactivating bacteria is of great interest. Black phosphorus (BP), a biocompatible and nontoxic rising-star two-dimensional layered material, has gained remarkable interest in many bioapplications including biosensing, cancer therapy, drug delivery, and also antibacterial treatment. However, BP nanosheets suffer from instability in ambient environments due to rapid oxidation and degradation. To address this issue, BP nanosheets were modified with quaternized chitosan (QCS) by electrostatic adsorption to prepare a BP-QCS composite for photothermal/pharmaco treatment of bacterial infection. The BP-QCS has obviously enhanced solubility and chemical stability in aqueous suspensions. We have demonstrated that under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation, the BP-QCS can synergistically inactivate more than 95% methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (MRSA) and Escherichia coli within 10 min with a dose of only 75 µg/mL in vitro. Meanwhile, the BP-QCS composite under NIR can synergistically inactivate 98% S. aureus in vivo. Furthermore, the BP-QCS suspensions at effective antibacterial concentrations have negligible cytotoxicity and in vivo toxicity.

GP73 promotes invasion and metastasis of bladder cancer by regulating the epithelial-mesenchymal transition through the TGF-ß1/Smad2 signalling pathway.

This study investigated the effects of Golgi membrane protein 73 (GP73) on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and on bladder cancer cell invasion and metastasis through the TGF-ß1/Smad2 signalling pathway. Paired bladder cancer and adjacent tissue samples (102) and normal bladder tissue samples (106) were obtained. Bladder cancer cell lines (T24, 5637, RT4, 253J and J82) were selected and assigned to blank, negative control (NC), TGF-ß, thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), TGF-ß1+ TSP-1, GP73-siRNA-1, GP73-siRNA-2, GP73-siRNA-1+ TSP-1, GP73-siRNA-1+ pcDNA-GP73, WT1-siRNA and WT1-siRNA + GP73-siRNA-1 groups. Expressions of GP73, TGF-ß1, Smad2, p-Smad2, E-cadherin and vimentin were detected using RT-qPCR and Western blotting. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were determined using MTT assay, scratch testing and Transwell assay, respectively. Compared with the blank and NC groups, levels of GP73, TGF-ß1, Smad2, p-Smad2, N-cadherin and vimentin decreased, and levels of WT1 and E-cadherin increased in the GP73-siRNA-1 and GP73-siRNA-2 groups, while the opposite results were observed in the WT1 siRNA, TGF-ß, TSP-1 and TGF-ß + TSP-1 groups. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion notably decreased in the GP73-siRNA-1 and GP73-siRNA-2 groups in comparison with the blank and NC groups, while in the WT1 siRNA, TGF-ß, TSP-1 and TGF-ß + TSP-1 groups, cell migration, invasion and proliferation showed the reduction after the EMT. These results suggest that GP73 promotes bladder cancer invasion and metastasis by inducing the EMT through down-regulating WT1 levels and activating the TGF-ß1/Smad2 signalling pathway.

Effects of MicroRNA-19b on the Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Migration of Wilms' Tumor Cells Via the PTEN/PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway.

Wilms' tumor (WT) is a most common renal cancer that occurs among children, and microRNA-19b (miR-19b) usually participates in various human cancers. Importantly, the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway plays a key role in cell apoptosis, growth and proliferation. Thus, our present study aims to investigate the effect of miR-19b on the PTEN/PI3K/Akt signaling pathway during WT cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis. WT tissues and adjacent normal tissues from WT patients were collected. qRT-PCR was applied to detect miR-19b expression in both the WT tissues and the adjacent normal tissues, immunohistochemistry was applied to detect the protein expressions of PTEN, P13K, and p-Akt, SK-NEP-1 cells were divided into the blank, negative control (NC), miR-19b mimics and miR-19b inhibitors groups. MTT assay, propidium iodide (PI) staining, Annexin-V/PI double-staining, Transwell assay and Western blotting were performed to examine cell proliferation, cycle, apoptosis, migration, and invasion, and the protein expressions of PTEN, P13K, Akt, and p-Akt. Increased miR-19b expression, positive expression rates of P13K and Akt, decreased PTEN expression rate, a negative correlation between PTEN expression and tumor lymph node metastasis, and a positive correlation between the expression of P13K and Akt and the clinical stages were observed in the WT tissues. The miR-19b inhibitors group exhibited decreased cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, migration and invasion, and protein expressions of PI3K and p-Akt but increased PTEN protein expression compared with the blank and NC groups. Thus, inhibition of miR-19b suppresses the progression of WT by modulating the PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 3424-3434, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Expression and significance of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, transforming growth factor-ß1 and Twist in prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, TGF-ß1 and Twist protein and investigate its significance in the occurrence and development of prostate cancer. METHODS: The expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, TGF-ß1 and Twist protein in 59 prostate cancer tissues and 21 adjacent tissues were detected by immunohistochemical SABC staining, and the correlation with clinicopathological features was analyzed. RESULTS: Positive rates of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, TGF-ß1 and Twist were 32.2%, 54.2%, 71.2% and 74.6%, respectively, in prostate cancer tissues and 85.7%, 9.52%, 19.0% and 9.52%, respectively, in cancer-adjacent tissues, with significant differences between the two groups (P<0.05). The reduced expression of E-cadherin was related to the differentiation of prostate cancer tissues and PSA level, but was not associated with clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, bony metastasis and age. The increased expression of N-cadherin, TGF-ß1 and Twist was related to the differentiation of prostate cancer tissues, clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, bony metastasis, but not to age. The difference in positive expression of N-cadherin and TGF-ß1 was significant between PSA≤20 µg/L group and PSA>20µg/L group, but the positive expression of Twist was not significant between groups. The expression of E-cadherin was highly negatively correlated with that of N-cadherin and also highly negatively correlated with that of Twist. The expression of TGF-ß1 was correlated with those of E-cadherin, N-cadherin and Twist. CONCLUSIONS: The reduced expression of E-cadherin, abnormal expression of N-cadherin, transformation form E-cadherin to N-cadherin and the increased expression of TGF-ß1 and Twist play an important role in the occurrence and development of prostate cancer.