THAP9-AS1 promotes nasopharyngeal carcinoma progression through targeted regulation of the miR-185-5p/SOX13 axis.

Background: It has been reported that long non-coding RNA THAP9-AS1 exerts carcinogenic role by mediating miRNAs and target genes in various human cancers. However, whether THAP9-AS1 influences the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains unknown. Methods: The transcriptional levels of THAP9-AS1 and miR-185-5p were estimated via quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) assay. The protein level of SOX13 was detected with western blotting assay. Additionally, methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay as well as colony formation assay were utilized to measure cell growth. The apoptotic cells were observed by employing Terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl Transferase Mediated Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) staining analysis, and transwell assay was introduced to test cell migration in addition to invasion. Moreover, the relationship between miR-185-5p and THAP9-AS1 or SOX13 was estimated through dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Results: THAP9-AS1 was overexpressed in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) tissues and NPC cells. Besides, silencing of THAP9-AS1 depressed the life processes of NPC cells including cell growth, migration as well as invasion but facilitated cell apoptosis. Further investigation proved that miR-185-5p was the direct target of THAP9-AS1. Besides, the knockdown of THAP9-AS1 notably reduced the transcriptional level of miR-185-5p. Furthermore, THAP9-AS1 served as a sponge of miR-185-5p to modulate the expression of SOX13, which regulated the development of NPC cells. Conclusion: This work verified that THAP9-AS1 promoted NPC cell progression at least partly by mediating the miR-185-5p/SOX13 axis.

Identification of Critical miRNAs as Novel Diagnostic Markers for Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

The prognosis of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) patients remains poor, and early diagnosis can distinctly improve the long-term survival of LSCC patients. MicroRNAs (miRs) are a group of endogenous, noncoding, 18-24 nucleotide length single-strand RNAs and have been demonstrated to regulate the expression of many genes, thus modulating various cellular biological processes. In this study, we aimed to identify critical diagnostic miRNAs based on two machine learning algorithms. The GSE133632 dataset was acquired from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets, comprising LSCC tissular samples (57 specimens) and matched neighboring healthy mucosa tissular samples (57 specimens). Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were screened between 57 LSCC specimens and 57 normal specimens. The LASSO regression model and SVM-RFE analysis were carried out for the identification of critical miRNAs. ROC assays were applied to evaluate discriminatory ability. We identified 32 DEMs between LSCC specimens and normal specimens. Two machine learning algorithms confirmed that hsa-miR-615-3p, hsa-miR-4652-5p, hsa-miR-450a-5p, hsa-miR-196a-5p, hsa-miR-21-3p, hsa-miR-139-5p, and hsa-miR-424-5p were critical diagnostic factors. According to the ROC assays, seven miRNAs had an AUC value of >0.85 for LSCC. Taken together, our findings identified seven critical miRNAs in LSCC patients which can be used to diagnose LSCC patients with high sensitivity and specificity. These results must be verified by large-scale prospective studies.

Puberty exposure to cigarette smoke extract impairs adult spermatogenesis in the mouse.

Epidemiological studies suggested that exposure to cigarette smoke early in life is associated with long-term health risks. Using a nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) knockout (KO) mouse model, we found the sperm concentration and sperm motility were significantly lower in mice exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) beginning at 4 weeks of age compared to 8 week-old mice. Additionally, CSE exposure significantly decreased in vitro fertilization (IVF) and blastocyst rates in the Nrf2 KO mice compared to the wild-type (WT) mice. Exposure to CSE resulted in the highest expression of the antioxidant genes in the CSE-treated WT mice at 8 weeks of age, and it was the lowest in the CSE-treated KO mice at 4 weeks. The study concluded that puberty exposure to CSE significantly affects adult spermatogenesis in agreement with the antioxidant Nrf2 genotype.

[Moxibustion combined with highly active antiretroviral therapy for CD4+ and γ chain cytokines of HIV infected patients].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of moxibustion combined with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and simple HAART for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. METHODS: A total of 100 patients with HIV receiving HAART were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 50 cases in each one. In the observation group, moxibustion was used at Zusanli (ST 36), Guanyuan (CV 4) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6), etc. combined with HAART of zidovudine, lamivudine, nevirapine and efavirenzone, etc. Simple HAART was used in the control group. The patients were observed for 18 months. The indexes were CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, interleukin 2 (IL-2), interleukin 7 (IL-7), the incidence of side effects and the score of quality of life. RESULTS: After treatment, CD4+, CD4+/CD8+, serum IL-2 and the scores of quality of life (physiological, psychological, social relation fields and comprehensive score) increased and serum IL-7 decreased compared with those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.01, P<0.05), with better results except CD4+ in the observation group (P<0.01, P<0.05). The incidences of gastrointestinal side effects and total side effects in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (14% (7/50) vs 32% (16/50), 58% (29/50) vs 80% (40/50), both P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Moxibustion combined with HAART for HIV infected patients could reduce the incidence of side effects, improve medication compliance, CD4+/CD8+, IL-2, IL-7 and the quality of life.

Stabilized ß-Catenin Ameliorates ALPS-Like Symptoms of B6/lpr Mice.

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is an incurable disease mainly caused by the defect of Fas-mediated apoptosis and characterized by nonmalignant autoimmune lymphoproliferation. Stabilized ß-catenin could not only potentiate Fas-mediated T cell apoptosis via upregulating the expression of Fas on activated T cells, but also potentiate T cell apoptosis via intrinsic apoptotic pathway. In the present study, we introduced ß-catTg into lpr/lpr mice and aimed to explore the potential role of stabilized ß-catenin (ß-catTg) in the development of ALPS-like phenotypes of lpr/lpr mice. We found that the total splenocyte cells and some compositions were slightly downregulated in ß-catTglpr/lpr mice, especially the CD4 and CD8 TEM cells were significantly reduced. Meanwhile, stabilized ß-catenin obviously decreased the numbers of spleen TCRß+CD4-CD8- T (DNT) cells, and the levels of some serum proinflammatory factors also were lowered in ß-catTglpr/lpr mice. Beyond that, stabilized ß-catenin slightly lowered the levels of the serum autoantibodies and the scores of kidney histopathology of ß-catTglpr/lpr mice compared with lpr/lpr mice. Our study suggested that stabilized ß-catenin ameliorated some ALPS-like symptoms of lpr/lpr mice by potentiating Fas-independent signal-mediated T cell apoptosis, which might uncover a potential novel therapeutic direction for ALPS.

Application of the amniotic fluid metabolome to the study of fetal malformations, using Down syndrome as a specific model.

Although monitoring and diagnosis of fetal diseases in utero remains a challenge, metabolomics may provide an additional tool to study the etiology and pathophysiology of fetal diseases at a functional level. In order to explore specific markers of fetal disease, metabolites were analyzed in two separate sets of experiments using amniotic fluid from fetuses with Down syndrome (DS) as a model. Both sets included 10­15 pairs of controls and cases, and amniotic fluid samples were processed separately; metabolomic fingerprinting was then conducted using UPLC­MS. Significantly altered metabolites involved in respective metabolic pathways were compared in the two experimental sets. In addition, significantly altered metabolic pathways were further compared with the genomic characters of the DS fetuses. The data suggested that metabolic profiles varied across different experiments, however alterations in the 4 metabolic pathways of the porphyrin metabolism, bile acid metabolism, hormone metabolism and amino acid metabolism, were validated for the two experimental sets. Significant changes in metabolites of coproporphyrin III, glycocholic acid, taurochenodeoxycholate, taurocholate, hydrocortisone, pregnenolone sulfate, L­histidine, L­arginine, L­glutamate and L­glutamine were further confirmed. Analysis of these metabolic alterations was linked to aberrant gene expression at chromosome 21 of the DS fetus. The decrease in coproporphyrin III in the DS fetus may portend abnormal erythropoiesis, and unbalanced glutamine­glutamate concentration was observed to be closely associated with abnormal brain development in the DS fetus. Therefore, alterations in amniotic fluid metabolites may provide important clues to understanding the etiology of fetal disease and help to develop diagnostic testing for clinical applications.

Association of semen cytokines with reactive oxygen species and histone transition abnormalities.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships among reactive oxygen species (ROS) elevation, histone transition, and seminal cytokine concentrations. METHODS: Total levels of ROS in semen samples from 6560 men were measured. From this sample, 118 cases with high ROS and 106 controls were recruited. Basic semen parameters and histone-to-protamine ratios were analyzed, 400 semen cytokine and receptor alterations were assayed by protein chip, and finally 18 cytokines were validated in each sample using a Bio-Plex Cytokine assay. RESULTS: The results showed that the seminal ROS concentration was associated with abnormalities in the sperm histone transition. Compared with controls, 93 cytokines had significant alterations in the high ROS cases, with 14 of them further verified in individual samples. The concentrations of CXCL5, CXCL16, CXCL8, IL-1b, IL-10, CSF3, CCL3, and TNF-α were significantly correlated with the histone transition ratio. In addition, IL-16 showed significantly different concentrations in controls, normal semen with high ROS levels, and abnormal semen with high ROS levels. CONCLUSIONS: Semen ROS are associated with abnormalities in sperm histone transition. CXCL5, CXCL8, IL-16, CCL8, CCL22, CCL20, CXCL16, IL-1B, IL-6, IL-7, IL-10, CSF3, CCL3, CCL4, and TNF-α all have elevated concentrations in semen with high ROS levels. These data might help to explain the mechanisms behind the increase in the levels of ROS and seminal cytokines and their relationship with defective spermatogenesis.

[Pathogeneses of erectile dysfunction after rectal cancer treatment].

Rectal cancer is a common malignancy in the alimentary tract with an increasing incidence, the current treatments of which include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and integrated comprehensive options. Sexual dysfunction, especially erectile dysfunction (ED), is one of the commonest complications in men after rectal cancer treatment and is generally attributed to the damage to the pelvic autonomic nerves. However, recent studies show that ED after rectal cancer treatment is a complex pathophysiological process associated with neurogenic, vasculogenic, and psychological factors. This article reviews the pathogeneses of ED after rectal cancer treatment in order to provide some theoretical evidence for its prevention and treatment.

[Thread-moxa in Zhuang folk medicine combined with acupuncture and external application drugs on AIDS patients with herpes zoster: a clinical observation].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy of thread-moxa in Zhuang folk medicine (TM) combined with acupuncture and external application drugs for AIDS patients with herpes zoster (AHZ). METHODS: A randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted in 60 patients with AHZ. They were randomly assigned to the treatment group (treated with TM combined with acupuncture and Jingwanhong Scald Ointment) and the control group (treated with Famciclovir Tablet, nimesulide dispersible tablet, vitamin B1, ribavirin ointment). The treatment course was 14 days for both groups.The clinical efficacy, significant efficiency visual analog scale score (VAS), sleep quality score (QS), the postherpetic neuralgia rate in 1 year after treatment were observed. RESULTS: The markedly effective rate was significantly higher in the treatment group than in the control group (86.7% vs. 53.3%, P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in the total effective rate between the two groups (96.7% vs. 80.0%, P > 0.05). The post-treatment VAS, QS, the time for pain disappearance, skin repair, crusting, and 1-year postherpetic neuralgia incidence rate were significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0. 05, P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: TM combined with acupuncture and Jingwanhong Scald Ointment was effective for treating AHZ patients. It relieved pain quickly, shortened their course of disease, and improved their quality of sleep.