miR-137 Modulates Human Gastric Cancer Cell Proliferation, Apoptosis, and Migration by Targeting EZH2.

Gastric cancer (GC) is a malignancy of the digestive tract with rapid progress, poor prognosis, and low survival rate. The aberrant expression of microRNA (miRNA) is closely related to the tumorigenesis and progression of GC. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of miR-137 on the proliferation, apoptosis, and migration of GC cells. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that EZH2 expression in GC based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset was dramatically increased, miR-137 expression was down-regulated, and miR-137 was remarkably negatively correlated with EZH2 in GC. Next, it was found that EZH2 expression was significantly increasing and miR-137 was significantly decreasing by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in GC clinical specimens. In addition, miR-137 expression in GC cell lines was significantly lower than that in normal gastric parietal cells. TargetScan and star-Base were employed to predict that EZH2 was a potential target of miR-137, and subsequent luciferase reports confirmed this prediction. Western blot assay demonstrated that up-regulation of miR-137 decreased EZH2 expression in BGC-823 cells, whereas silenced miR-137 enhanced EZH2 expression in SGC-7901 cells. The gain/loss-of-function indicates that miR-137 regulates the proliferation, apoptosis, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of GC cells. In conclusion, our findings indicate that miR-137 restrains migration and proliferation and induces apoptosis partially through negatively regulating the expression of EZH2 in GC cells.

De Garengeot hernia with avascular necrosis of the appendix: A case report.

BACKGROUND: An incarcerated hernia is a common cause of acute abdominal pain. There are various types of incarcerated hernias, including incarcerated hernias of the appendix. These hernias are often complicated by appendiceal inflammation, necrosis, and suppuration, which affect the outcome of surgical repair. A De Garengeot hernia is a femoral hernia that contains the appendix. This type of hernia has a low incidence. When a De Garengeot hernia is clinically suspected, emergency surgical treatment should be performed as soon as possible. CASE SUMMARY: A 59-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with a painful right inguinal mass that had suddenly developed 6 hours earlier. Physical examination revealed a 4 cm × 2 cm palpable mass in the right groin. The mass was hard and could not be reduced due to tenderness. It did not descend into the scrotum. B-ultrasound revealed an incarcerated hernia. During surgery, the hernia was found to contain the appendix, which exhibited distal avascular necrosis. A De Garengeot hernia was diagnosed according to the classification criteria of this type of inguinal hernia. Laparoscopic reduction of the incarcerated hernia, appendectomy, and small-incision femoral hernia repair were performed in the emergency department, and cefuroxime was administered as anti-infection therapy for 2 d postoperatively. After treatment, the patient had no abdominal pain or infection and was discharged on postoperative day 4. He had no recurrence of the inguinal hernia after 16 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: De Garengeot hernias have a low incidence and are difficult to diagnose. Laparoscopy is useful for their diagnosis and treatment.