[Effects of long non-coding RNA-HOTAIR on the cell cycle and invasiveness of prostate cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA-HOTAIR in prostate cancer cells and its effects on the growth and metastasis of the cells. METHODS: Using quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR), we determined the relative expression of HOTAIR in the normal human prostate epithelial cell line RWPE-I and prostate cancer cell lines PC-3 and DU145. We detected the effects of HOTAIR on the cell cycle and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells by RNA interference, flow cytometry, and Transwell mitration assay. RESULTS: The expressions of HOTAIR in the PC3 and DU145 cells were increased 3.2 and 5.7 times, respectively, as compared with that in the normal RWPE-1 cells. After si-HOTAIR interference, the prostate cancer cells were arrested in the G2 phase and downregulated in the G1 phase. The invasive ability of the prostate cancer cells was evidently inhibited, with the inhibition rates of 32% and 44% of the PC3 cells and 43% and 34% of the DU145 cells for si-HOTAIR1 and si-HOTAIR2, respectively. CONCLUSION: IncRNA HOTAIR is highly expressed in prostate cancer, which is associated with the growth and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells. HOTAIR is potentially a novel marker for the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer.

[A survey of the quality of life among 740 men after surgical sterilization].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the life quality of men after surgical sterilization. METHODS: We investigated the incidence of psychosomatic reactions, their influential factors and the quality of life among 740 men after surgical sterilization. We also evaluated the effectiveness of mental intervention for those with psychosomatic reactions. RESULTS: Totally, 59 (8%) of the subjects were not satisfied with their life status, including 42 (5.67%) suffering from psychosomatic reactions, and their psychosomatic reactions were related to their education background, economic status and understanding of sterilization. After 2 - 24 months of mental intervention, 34 (80.95%) of the 42 cases were cured, 6 (14.29%) relieved, and 2 (4.76%) unimproved. CONCLUSION: Mental intervention is effective for psychosomatic reactions in men after surgical sterilization.

[Expression of ACTN2, alpha-actin and TNNT2 in rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells induced by low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields].

OBJECTIVE: To study the expression of Actinin, alpha 2 (ACTN2), alpha-actin and Troponin T type 2 (TNNT2) in rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) induced by low frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs). METHODS: The rBMSCs were isolated by adherence method and the third-generation of the rBMSCs were randomly divided into PEMFs groups, 5-Azacytidine groups (5-Aza), PEMFs +5-Aza group and control groups. PEMFs groups with complete medium were exposed to 50 Hz, 1 mT PEMFs for 30 min every day, lasting for 10 d, 15 d and 20 d, respectively. 5-Aza groups were induced by 10 micromol/L 5-Aza for 1 day, then the medium was changed to complete medium without 5-Aza. PEMFs +5-Aza group were firstly induced by 10 micromol/L 5-Aza for 1 day, and then were exposed to PEMFs according to the way of PEMFs group. And control groups were only cultured with complete medium, rBMSCs' growth status and morphological features were observed by inverted phase microscope. The mRNA expressions of ACTN2 and TNNT2 were determined by real-time fluorescent quantitation PCR. And the protein expression of the ACTN2, alpha-actin and TNNT2 were detected with Western blot method. RESULTS: The result showed that the mRNA expression level of the ACTN2 and TNNT2 and the protein expression level of the ACTN2, alpha-actin and TNNT2 were significantly higher in the PEMFs group, 5-Aza group and PEMFs+ 5-Aza group when compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: PEMFs may induce rBMSCs differentiation into cardiomyocyte-like cells in vitro.

[Protective effect of MEK inhibitor (U0126) on donor testes from ischemia-reperfusion injury after orthotopic testicular transplantation in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of MEK inhibitor (U0126) on donor testes from ischemia-reperfusion injury after orthotopic testicular transplantation in rats. METHODS: The rats were divided into 7 groups, Group 1: normal control; Group 2: cold perfusion control; Group 3: sham operation control; Group 4: transplanted for 30 min; Group 5: transplanted for 1 week; Group 6: transplanted for 30 min with pretreatment of U0126; Group 7: transplanted for 1 week with pretreatment of U0126. The orthotopic testicular transplantation model was established with cuff. The levels of ERK1, ERK2, pERK1 and pERK2 of donor testes were evaluated; the change of histology and gonadal hormones were measured as well. RESULT: Group 1, 2 and 3 had no significant differences in all results (P>0.05). The levels of ERK1, ERK2, pERK1 and pERK2 in Group 4 were significantly increased compared with Group 1 (P<0.05), the levels of ERK1 and ERK2 in Group 6 were not different from those of Group 4 (P >0.05), but the levels of pERK1 and pERK2 in Group 6 were lower than those in Group 4 significantly(P <0.05), the histological changes in Group 6 were similar to Group 1 but milder than that in Group 4. The histological injury was more severe in Group 5 than that in Group 7, and the levels of gonadal hormones in Group 5 were lower than those in Group 7 (P <0.05) which remained at the normal levels. CONCLUSION: U0126 has a protective effect on the donor testes in a short period through inhibiting expression of pERK1/2 activated by testicular transplantation.

[Pinus koraiensis seed consumption by rodents and birds].

An investigation from 2006 to 2007 was made on the Pinus koraiensis seed consumption by rodents and birds in the broad-leaved P. koraiensis mixed forest and birch forest at the same altitude in Changbai Mountains. The results showed that in broad-leaved P. koraiensis mixed forest, rodents consumed more pinecone seeds than birds; while in birch forest, birds did more than rodents. In the two forests, the total number of pinecone seeds consumed by rodents was significantly higher than that consumed by birds (P < 0.01). In addition, rodents consumed more embedded seeds in broad-leaved P. koraiensis mixed forest than in birch forest, and the consumption amount in the two forests decreased with increasing embedded depth.

Incidental prostate cancer in radical cystoprostatectomy specimens.

AIM: To investigate the rates of prostate cancer (PCa) in radical cystoprostatectomy (RCP) specimens for bladder cancer in mainland China. To determine the follow-up outcome of patients with two concurrent cancers and identify whether prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a useful tool for the detection of PCa prior to surgery. METHODS: From January 2002 to January 2007, 264 male patients with bladder cancer underwent RCP at our center. All patients underwent digital rectal examination (DRE) and B ultrasound. Serum PSA levels were tested in 168 patients. None of the patients had any evidence of PCa before RCP. Entire prostates were embedded and sectioned at 5 mm intervals. RESULTS: Incidental PCa was observed in 37 of 264 (14.0%) RCP specimens. Of these, 12 (32.4%) were clinically significant according to an accepted definition. The PSA levels were not significantly different between patients with PCa and those without PCa, nor between patients with significant PCa and those with insignificant PCa. Thirty-four patients with incidental PCa were followed up. During a mean follow-up period of 26 months, two patients with PSA > 4 ng/mL underwent castration. None of the patients died of PCa. CONCLUSION: The incidence of PCa in RCP specimens in mainland China is lower than that in most developed countries. PSA cannot identify asymptomatic PCa prior to RCP. In line with published reports, incidental PCa does not impact the prognosis of bladder cancer patients undergoing RCP.

Characterization of aroma active compounds in fruit juice and peel oil of Jinchen sweet orange fruit (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck) by GC-MS and GC-O.

Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-olfactometry (GC-O) were used to determine the aromatic composition and aroma active compounds of fruit juice and peel oil of Jinchen sweet orange fruit. Totals of 49 and 32 compounds were identified in fruit juice and peel oil, respectively. GC-O was performed to study the aromatic profile of Jinchen fruit juice and peel oil. A total of 41 components appeared to contribute to the aroma of fruit juice and peel oil. Twelve components were the odorants perceived in both samples. The aromatic compositions of fruit juice were more complex than that of peel oil. Ethyl butanoate, beta-myrcene, octanal, linalool, alpha-pinene, and decanal were found to be responsible for the aromatic notes in fruit juice and peel oil. Nineteen components have been perceived only in the juice and ten compounds were described as aromatic components of only the peel oil by the panelists. These differences lead to the different overall aroma between fruit juice and peel oil.

[Seasonal dynamics and spatial distribution patterns of herbs diversity in broadleaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forest in Changbai Mountains].

In this paper, the species composition, seasonal dynamics, and spatial distribution patterns of herbs were examined in a 25 hm2 broadleaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forest plot in Changbai Mountains. The results showed that the plot had a relatively high herbaceous richness, with 102 species belonging to 40 families and 84 genera, and the Shannon index, Simpson index, and Pielou index was 3.52, 0.96 and 0.75, respectively. The three indices varied dramatically with growth season, whereas the species abundance decreased linearly from early spring to autumn. The species richness and abundance showed irregular distribution, indicating that herbaceous species were microenvironment-dependent. Slope aspect had significant effects on herbaceous species richness and abundance. Northern and eastern slopes had higher species richness and abundance in early spring than southern and western slopes, whereas it was in adverse in late summer and autumn.

[Spatial distribution patterns and associations of Pinus koraiensis and Tilia amurensis in broad-leaved Korean pine mixed forest in Changbai Mountains].

Based on the investigation data from a 25 hm2 broadleaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forest plot in Changbai Mountains of China, the dominant species Korean pine and Tilia amurensis were chosen as research objects. One point pattern analysis method, O-ring statistics, was used to analyze the spatial patterns of the species in three vertical layers, i. e., overstory, midstory and understory layers, and the spatial associations of intra- and inter-species between different vertical layers were studied. The results showed that P. koraiensis and T. amurensis were clumped at smaller scales. Higher layers tended to be randomly or regularly distributed, while lower layers tended to be aggregated at smaller scales. The aggregation degree decreased with canopy height. P. koraiensis stems in overstory layer were significantly positively associated to the stems in midstory layer at scales < 11 m, and T. amurensis in overstory layer showed negatively correlation with that in midstory and understory layers. There was generally a positive correlation between the two species, but the association varied among different layers. No significant correlation was observed between P. koraiensis stems in overstory layer and T. amurensis in three layers. P. koraiensis stems in midstory layer showed slightly negative correlation with T. amurensis in the same layer at scales > 4 m, but no significant association to T. amurensis in understroy layer. T. amurensis in overstory layer was significantly positively associated to P. koraiensis in midstory layer at scales < 100 m.