Transcription factor ETV1-induced lncRNA MAFG-AS1 promotes migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of pancreatic cancer cells by recruiting IGF2BP2 to stabilize ETV1 expression.

We investigated the mechanism of ETS-translocation variant 1 (ETV1)/lncRNA-MAFG-AS1 in pancreatic cancer (PC). MAFG-AS1 and ETV1 levels in PC cell lines and HPNE cells were determined using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting (WB). After transfection with sh-MAFG-AS1, PC cell invasion, migration, proliferation, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins were measured by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU), Transwell assay, and WB. The binding between ETV1 and MAFG-AS1 was studied using dual-luciferase assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation. The interactions between MAFG-AS1, IGF2BP2, and ETV1 were tested. Combined experiments were further performed using sh-MAFG-AS1 and pcDNA-ETV1 simultaneously. ETV1/MAFG-AS1 was highly expressed in PC cells. Blocking MAFG-AS1 inhibited the malignant behaviors of PC cells. ETV1 induced MAFG-AS1 transcription in PC cells. MAFG-AS1 stabilized ETV1 mRNA by recruiting IGF2BP2. ETV1 overexpression partially antagonized the suppression of silencing MAFG-AS1 on PC cells. ETV1-induced MAFG-AS1 stabilized the ETV1 expression by recruiting IGF2BP2 and promoted PC cell migration, invasion, proliferation, and EMT.

Recovery of platinum group metal resources from high-level radioactive liquid wastes by non-contact photoreduction.

Recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) including palladium (Pd), rhodium (Rh), and ruthenium (Ru) from high-level radioactive liquid waste (HLLW) possesses enormous environmental and economic benefits. A non-contact photoreduction method was herein developed to selectively recover each PGM from HLLW. Soluble Pd(II), Rh(III), and Ru(III) ions were reduced to insoluble zero-valent metals and separated from simulated HLLW containing neodymium (Nd) as a representative for lanthanides, another main component in HLLW. Detailed investigation on the photoreduction of different PGMs revealed that Pd(II) could be reduced under 254- or 300-nm UV exposure using either ethanol or isopropanol as reductants. Only 300-nm UV light enabled the reduction of Rh(III) in the presence of ethanol or isopropanol. Ru(III) was the most difficult to reduce, which was only realized by 300-nm UV illumination in isopropanol solution. The effects of pH was also studied, suggesting that lower pH favored the separation of Rh(III) but hindered the reduction of Pd(II) and Ru(III). A delicate three-step process was accordingly designed to achieve the selective recovery of each PGM from simulated HLLW. Pd(II) was reduced by 254-nm UV light with the help of ethanol in the first step. Then Rh(III) was reduced by 300-UV light in the second step after the pH was adjusted to 0.5 to suppress the Ru(III) reduction. In the third step, Ru(III) was reduced by 300-nm UV light after isopropanol was added and the pH was adjusted to 3.2. The separation ratios of Pd, Rh, and Ru exceeded 99.8%, 99.9%, and 90.0%, respectively. Meanwhile, all Nd(III) still remained in the simulated HLLW. The separation coefficients between Pd/Rh and Rh/Ru exceeded 56,000 and 75,000, respectively. This work may provide an alternative method to recover PGMs from HLLW, which minimize the secondary radioactive wastes compared with other approaches.

Efficient and Ultrafast Adsorption of Rhenium by Functionalized Hierarchically Mesoporous Silica: A Combined Strategy of Topological Construction and Chemical Modification.

Radioactive Tc-99 released by nuclear accidents threatens the environment and human health due to its long half-life and strong transportability. A combined strategy synergizing topological construction and chemical modification was proposed for the synthesis of high-performance adsorbents for Re as an analogue to Tc. On the one hand, hierarchically mesoporous SiO2 with a fibrous structure (F-SiO2), a peculiar topology integrating wrinkled open mesopores around 12 nm and on-wall mesopores around 3 nm, was adopted as the substrate of adsorbents. The larger mesopores can act as the superhighway for mass transfer, while the abundant smaller mesopores provide numerous adsorption sites. On the other hand, a series of dicationic pyridine (DCP) derivative groups (-Py+CnH2nN+Me3) were designed to functionalize F-SiO2 for improving the adsorption performance toward ReO4- anions, the dominating form of Re in aqueous solution. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation combined with batch adsorption experiments revealed that the ReO4- adsorption on -Py+C5H10N+Me3 was the most favorable when the length of the spacer between the two positively charged N atoms ranged from 2 to 7 carbons (n = 2-7). However, -Py+C5H10N+Me3 exhibited a much slower adsorption rate than -Py+C2H4N+Me3. The stronger interaction between ReO4- and -Py+C5H10N+Me3 suppresses the adsorbate diffusion. The two positive charges of -Py+C5H10N+Me3 may be perpendicularly distributed, sterically hindering ReO4- transport in smaller mesopores. The longer and flexible carbon chains may be aggregated to form the hydrophobic region, repulsing the hydrated ReO4- anions. Therefore, the efficient and ultrafast Re adsorption was achieved by synergizing the unique topology of F-SiO2 and functionalization by -Py+C2H4N+Me3 with a shorter spacer and weaker affinity ReO4-. The detailed investigation demonstrated that -Py+C2H4N+Me3 possessed exothermic adsorption nature, adequate radiation-resistance, and excellent reusability. Meanwhile, -Py+C5H10N+Me3 exhibited stronger salinity tolerance and higher selectivity. The DCP groups are promising in decontamination of radioactive Tc, as they can meet specific requirements by manipulating the length of spacers.

circFOXM1 contributes to sorafenib resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by regulating MECP2 via miR-1324.

As one of the most common malignant tumors, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths around the world. Emerging studies have indicated that circular RNAs (circRNAs), which play a crucial role in HCC pathogenesis and metastasis, are differentially expressed in HCC. However, the regulatory mechanisms of circRNA on sorafenib resistance of HCC are still unknown. In our study, we identified a novel circRNA, circFOXM1, using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) that was increased in sorafenib-resistant HCC tissues. Functionally, circFOXM1 significantly inhibited HCC growth and enhanced sorafenib toxicity in vitro. Mechanistically, circFOXM1 acted as a sponge of microRNA (miR)-1324, which is a negative regulator of MECP2, indicating that circFOXM1 downregulation would regulate sorafenib resistance of HCC via releasing more free miR-1324 and suppressing MECP2 expression. Furthermore, miR-1324 overexpression was capable of reversing the circFOXM1-induced malignant phenotypes and elevated expression of MECP2 in HCC cells. circFOXM1 partially contributed to sorafenib resistance of HCC cells through upregulating MECP2 expression by sponging miR-1324.

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomal microRNA-451a represses epithelial-mesenchymal transition of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by inhibiting ADAM10.

Exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) expressing microRNAs (miRNAs) have been highlighted in human cancers. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of hucMSCs-derived exosomal miR-451a on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains further investigation. Our study aims to explore the impact of exosomal miR-451a on the progression of HCC. Expression of miR-451a and a disintegrin and metalloprotease 10 (ADAM10) in HCC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were determined. The exosomes were extracted from hucMSCs and co-cultured with Hep3B and SMMC-7721 cell lines. After the treatment of relative exosomes or exosome inhibitor GW4869 in Hep3B and SMMC-7721 cells, the paclitaxel resistance and malignant phenotypes of HCC cells were measured. Moreover, the effect of hucMSCs-derived exosomes on the expression of miR-451a and ADAM10 in HCC cells was assessed. The targeting relationship between miR-451a and ADAM10 was verified to detect the impact of ADAM10-wild type and ADAM10-mutant type (MUT) on HCC cell processes. Low expression of miR-451a and high expression of ADAM10 indicated a poor prognosis of HCC patients. MiR-451a was up-regulated while ADAM10 was down-regulated in HCC cells after co-culture with HucMSC-derived exosomes. The exosomes elevated miR-451a and inhibited ADAM10 to suppress the paclitaxel resistance, cell cycle transition, proliferation, migration and invasion, and promote apoptosis of HCC cells. ADAM10 was verified to be a target gene of miR-451a. ADAM10-MUT promoted HCC process independent of miR-451a mimic. HucMSC-derived exosomal miR-451a could restrict the epithelial-mesenchymal transition of HCC cells by targeting ADAM10, which might provide new targets for HCC treatment.

MAFG-AS1 aggravates the progression of pancreatic cancer by sponging miR-3196 to boost NFIX.

BACKGROUND: A host of researches have demonstrated the regulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the progression of pancreatic cancers (PC). In this study, our main task was to analyze the function of MAF bZIP transcription factor G antisense RNA 1 (MAFG-AS1) in PC. METHODS: RT-qPCR measured gene expression. Functional experiments, including EdU assay, flow cytometry analysis, TUNEL assay and transwell assay, assessed the biological changes of PC cells. RNA pull down assay, luciferase reporter assay and RIP assay verified the interaction between RNAs. RESULTS: MAFG-AS1 was lowly expressed in normal pancreatic samples but up-regulated in PC tissues and cell lines. Besides, MAFG-AS1 silence suppressed cell proliferation and migration whereas promoted cell apoptosis in PC. Mechanism assays verified that miR-3196 could bind with MAFG-AS1. Moreover, miR-3196 was discovered to be lowly expressed in PC cell lines, and its overexpression inhibited PC cell growth and migration. Importantly, nuclear factor I X (NFIX), overexpressed in PC cell lines, was validated to be positively modulated by MAFG-AS1 through absorbing miR-3196. Moreover, overexpression of NFIX could countervail the restraining effects of MAFG-AS1 knockdown on the growth and migration of PC cells. CONCLUSION: MAFG-AS1 had an oncogenic function in the progression of PC via regulating miR-3196/NFIX pathway, and decreasing MAFG-AS1 expression could attenuate PC progression.

Selective Separation of Pd(II) on Pyridine-Functionalized Graphene Oxide Prepared by Radiation-Induced Simultaneous Grafting Polymerization and Reduction.

The recovery of precious metals like palladium (Pd) from secondary resources has enormous economic benefits and is in favor of resource reuse. In this work, we prepared a high efficiency pyridine-functionalized reduced graphene oxide (rGO) adsorbent for selective separation of Pd(II) from simulated electronic waste leachate, by one-pot γ-ray radiation-induced simultaneous grafting polymerization (RIGP) of 4-vinylpyridine (4VP) from graphene oxide (GO) and reduction of GO. The poly(4-vinylpyridine)-grafted reduced graphene oxide (rGO-g-P4VP) exhibits fast adsorption kinetics and high maximum adsorption capacity. The adsorption capacity is 105 mg g-1 in the first minute and reaches equilibrium within 120 min. The adsorption process follows the Langmuir model, from which the maximum adsorption capacity of Pd(II) is estimated to be 177 mg g-1. We also proved that the adsorption mechanism of Pd(II) on rGO-g-P4VP involves both ion exchange and coordination adsorption by XPS analysis. Most importantly, the loss of oxygen-containing groups due to reduction of GO not only facilitates the separation of adsorbent from aqueous solution but also reduces the electrostatic repulsion toward Pd(II)Cl42- in hydrochloric acid solution, leading to a higher adsorption selectivity of Pd(II) over some common metal cations in electronic waste including Fe(III), Cu(II), and Al(III) compared with poly(4-vinylpyridine)-grafted graphene oxide (GO-g-P4VP) prepared by atom transfer radical polymerization. Other precious metals like Pt(IV) and Au(III) can also be recovered easily and selectively by rGO-g-P4VP. This work demonstrates that rGO-g-P4VP prepared by the facile RIGP is a promising adsorbent for recovery of precious metals from secondary resources like electronic waste leachate.

MiR-124 sensitizes cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity against CD133+ hepatocellular carcinoma cells by targeting SIRT1/ROS/JNK pathway.

Drug resistance is still a major obstacle for efficient treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during the cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Recent studies have demonstrated that CD133 positive population of cancer cells are responsible for multiple drug resistance. We are supposed to take strategies to sensitize CD133+ HCC cells to cisplatin treatment. In the present study, CD133+ HCC cells showed significant cisplatin-resistance compared to the CD133- HCC cells. Downregulation of miR-124 was observed in CD133+ HCC cells. However, enforced expression of miR-124 can increase the sensitivity of CD133+ HCC cells to cisplatin treatment in vitro and in vivo. Mechanically, overexpression of miR-124 was found to inhibit the expression of SIRT1 and thus promoted the generation of ROS and phosphorylation of JNK. As the results, overexpression of miR-124 expanded the apoptosis in cisplatin-treated CD133+ HCC cells. We then demonstrated that overexpression of miR-124 sensitized cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity against CD133+ hepatocellular carcinoma cells by targeting SIRT1/ROS/JNK pathway.

Application of shaft method assisted biological mesh in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair.

To compare the feasibility and advantage of traditional tiling method and shaft method to place biological mesh following laparoscopic repair of inguinal hernia.Sixty cases from January 2013 to January 2014 treated with laparoscopic inguinal hernia neoplasty with biological patches were included. All the cases were randomly divided into control group and observation group. Observation group was treated with shaft method to place biological mesh, while control group was treated with traditional tiling method. The length of the operation, hospital fees, and rate of occurrence of surgical complications were compared.All 60 cases were successfully treated with laparoscope inguinal hernia repair. None were converted to open operations. Total operation times for the observation group and control group were 54 ±â€Š4.5 and 71 ±â€Š7.2 minutes, respectively (P < .05). The hospital fees of the observation group and control group were 21,280 ±â€Š365 RenMinBi Yuan (RMB) and 24,280 ±â€Š428 RMB, respectively (P < .05). The rates of occurrence of surgical complications were 3.33% (1/30) and 16.7% (5/30), respectively (P < .05).The shaft method can be applied in laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair with biological mesh. Compared with the traditional method, the shaft method has apparent advantages, fewer complications during and after the operation.

Formation of cagelike sulfonated polystyrene microspheres via swelling-osmosis process and loading of CdS nanoparticles.

In this report, we studied the formation mechanism of cagelike polymer microspheres fabricated conveniently and efficiently through a swelling-osmosis process of sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) microspheres in a ternary mixed solvent (water/ethanol/heptane). The scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations indicated that the morphology of the final cagelike SPS microspheres is mainly controlled by the composition of the mixed solvent and the swelling temperature. Considering the solubility parameters of related reagents and the low interface tension of heptane and the aqueous solution of ethanol (only 6.9 mN/m), we confirm that the porogen procedure starts from the swelling of SPS microspheres by heptane, followed by the osmosis process of water molecules into the swollen SPS microspheres forced by the strong hydrophilicity of -SO3H group. The water molecules permeated into SPS microspheres will aggregate into water pools, which form the pores after the microspheres are dried. These prepared cagelike SPS microspheres are further served as the scaffold for the in situ generated CdS nanoparticles under γ-ray radiation. The CdS/SPS composite microspheres show good fluorescence performance. This work shows that the cagelike SPS microspheres have a wide industrial application prospect due to their economical and efficient preparation and loading nanoparticles.

[Enteral versus parenteral nutrition after gastrointestinal surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the different prognosis between enteral nutrition (EN) and parenteral nutrition (PN) in patients after gastrointestinal surgery (GIS), and to investigate a reasonable regimen of enteral nutrition (EN) after GIS. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on EN/PN after GIS from 1970 to 2008 retrieved from the data bank of Pubmed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library were analyzed. Evaluation endpoints were anastomotic dehiscence, infection (catheter sepsis, wound infection, pneumonia, intra-abdominal abscess and urinary tract infection), vomiting and abdominal distention, other complications, length of hospital stay and mortality rate. RESULTS: Twenty-three RCTs including 2784 patients met the entering criteria. Compared with PN, EN was beneficial in the reduction of anastomotic dehiscence (RR = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.50 - 0.91; P = 0.010), infections (RR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.64 - 0.81; P < 0.001), other complication (RR = 0.82, 95%CI: 0.73 - 0.92; P < 0.001) and duration of hospital stay (weighted mean difference: -3.60; 95%CI: -3.88 - -3.32; P < 0.001). But the risk of vomiting was increased among patients with EN (RR = 1.39, 95%CI: 1.21 - 1.59; P < 0.001), and there was no significant differences in mortalities between the two groups (P = 0.400). CONCLUSIONS: There is no advantage in treating patients 'nil by mouth' after gastrointestinal surgery. It indicated that early commencement of enteral feeding is beneficial.