A Recombinase-Aided Amplification Assay for the Detection of Chlamydia felis.

Chlamydia felis is an important zoonotic agent for humans and various animals. A recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) assay was developed for detecting C. felis. RAA can be performed in a closed tube at 39°C within 30 min. The detection limit was 10.6 copies of the C. felis plasmid DNA per reaction. No positive signals for other pathogens were detected. The coincidence rate of RAA and conventional PCR was 95.24% (20/21) and 100% (96/96) for positive and negative samples, respectively. The established RAA assay is a simple, rapid, highly sensitive, and specific method for detecting C. felis.

CT-guided iodine-125 brachytherapy as salvage therapy for local-regional recurrent breast cancer.

Background: The treatment of local-regional recurrent breast cancer (BC) after external beam radiotherapy is challenging. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous iodine-125 brachytherapy for local recurrent BC. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 15 patients with local recurrent BC treated with CT-guided interstitial implantation of iodine-125 seeds. Regular contrast-enhanced CT was conducted to evaluate the tumor response. Follow-up survival, quality of life, and adverse events were analyzed. Results: Among the 15 patients, five were elderly patients (older than 80 years) and six were complicated with chronic underlying diseases. The median number of 125I seeds implantation was 33 (range: 20-130) with median dose 90 (D90, the minimum dose covering 90% of the target volume) of 108 Gy (range: 60-120 Gy). There was no significant difference in D90, V100 (the volume of the target receiving 100% of the prescription dose), and V150 (the volume of the target receiving 150% of the prescription dose) before and after operation (p > 0.05). The median follow-up was 14 months (range: 6-18 months). Six months after operation, the ORR was 66.7% (10/15) and the LCR was 93.3% (14/15). The 6- and 12-month survival rates were 100 and 41.6%, respectively, and the median survival time was 12.5 months. PS score decreased from 1.53 ± 0.81 to 0.53 ± 0.49. The pain score decreased from 2.87 ± 1.67 before operation to 1.07 ± 1.18 after operation, and the differences were statistically significant (p< 0.05). No severe complications occurred. Conclusions: CT-guided iodine-125 brachytherapy provided a safe and effective choice for recurrent BC with significant local therapeutic effects and minor complications, especially for elderly patients with chronic underlying disease and those who were not eligible for surgical resection and had failed to benefit from systemic therapy.

Effect of possible risk factors for pharyngocutaneous fistula after total laryngectomy of laryngeal carcinomas and surgical wound infection: A meta-analysis.

A meta-analysis study to assess the effect of possible risk factors for pharyngocutaneous fistula (PCF) after total laryngectomy of laryngeal carcinoma. A comprehensive literature examination till January 2023 was implemented and 1794 linked studies were appraised. The picked studies contained 3140 subjects with total laryngectomy of laryngeal carcinomas in the picked studies' baseline, 760 of them were PCF, and 2380 were no PCF. Odds ratio (OR) in addition to 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to calculate the consequence of possible risk factors for PCF after total laryngectomy of laryngeal carcinomas and surgical wound infection after total laryngectomy of laryngeal carcinoma by the dichotomous and continuous styles and a fixed or random model. The PCF had a significantly higher surgical wound infection (OR, 6.34; 95% CI, 1.89-21.27, P = .003) compared with the no PCF in total laryngectomy of laryngeal carcinomas. The smoking (OR, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.15-2.61, P = .008), and preoperative radiation (OR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.37-2.65, P < .001) had significantly higher PCF as a risk factor in total laryngectomy of laryngeal carcinomas. The preoperative radiation had a significantly lower spontaneous PCF closure (OR, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.14-0.79, P = .01) compared with the no preoperative radiation in total laryngectomy of laryngeal carcinomas. However, the neck dissection (OR, 1.34; 95% CI, 0.75-2.38, P = .32), and alcohol intake (OR, 1.95; 95% CI, 0.76-5.05, P = .17), had no significant effect on PCF in total laryngectomy of the PCF had a significantly higher surgical wound infection, and preoperative radiation had a significantly lower spontaneous PCF closure in total laryngectomy of laryngeal carcinomas. Smoking and preoperative radiation were shown to be risk factors for PCF, however, neck dissection and alcohol intake were not shown to be risk factors for PCF in total laryngectomy of laryngeal carcinomas. Although precautions should be taken when commerce with the consequences because some of the picked studies for this meta-analysis was with low sample sizes.

A novel abdominal aortic aneurysm model produced by periarterial application of hydrochloric acid.

Previous abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) animal modeling methodologies were either expensive or complicated. Here, we developed a novel AAA model which was simple to set up and generated minimal calcification. Twenty-four rats were divided randomly into four groups. Groups 1, 2 and 3 underwent surgery in which 15% hydrochloric acid (HCl) was applied periarterially to the abdominal aorta for 5 min, followed by sacrifice 1 week (group 1), 2 weeks (group 2), and 4 weeks (group 3) after surgery. The maximum aortic diameter (MAD) was measured at surgery and before animal sacrifice. Rats in group 4 were sham-treated. The MADs in group 1, 2 and 3 showed significant dilation compared with group 4, with a mean dilation rate of 33.8% in the first week after surgery. Histopathological examination revealed infiltration of macrophages into the adventitia, obvious apoptosis of smooth muscle cells, and rupture and collapse of the elastic fibers. Furthermore, no calcification was observed in the dilated aorta. The mRNA expression levels of inflammatory factors were at least two-fold higher in group 1 than in group 4, indicating significant inflammatory response in the progression of AAA information. In conclusion, periarterial application of 15% HCl is a convenient and reliable model to create an abdominal aortic aneurysm in rats, and the potential development mechanism may be related to the proinflammatory effects of HCl.

DDOST Correlated with Malignancies and Immune Microenvironment in Gliomas.

Among the most common types of brain tumor, gliomas are the most aggressive and have the poorest prognosis. Dolichyl-diphosphooligosaccharide protein glycosyltransferase non-catalytic subunit (DDOST) encodes a component of the oligosaccharide transferase complex and is related to the N-glycosylation of proteins. The role of DDOST in gliomas, however, is not yet known. First, we performed a pan cancer analysis of DDOST in the TCGA cohort. The expression of DDOST was compared between glioma and normal brain tissues in the GEO and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) databases. In order to explore the role of DDOST in glioma, we analyze the impact of DDOST on the prognosis of glioma patients, with the CGGA 325 dataset as a test set and the CGGA 693 dataset as a validation set. Immunohistochemistry was performed on tissue microarrays to examine whether DDOST has an impact on glioma patient survival. Next, using single-cell sequencing analysis, GSEA, immune infiltration analysis, and mutation analysis, we explored how DDOST affected the glioma tumor microenvironment. Finally, we evaluated the clinical significance of DDOST for glioma treatment by constructing nomograms and decision curve analysis (DCA) curves. We found that DDOST was overexpressed in patients with high grade, IDH wild type, 1p19q non-codel and MGMT un-methylated, which was associated with poor prognosis. Patients with high levels of DDOST, regardless of their clinical characteristics, had a worse prognosis. Immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the results of the above bioinformatics analysis. Mechanistic analysis revealed that DDOST was closely associated with the glioma microenvironment and negatively related to tumor-infiltrating B cells and CD4+ T cells and positively related to CAFs and tumor-associated macrophages. In conclusion, these findings suggested that DDOST mediated the immunosuppressive microenvironment of gliomas and could be an important biomarker in diagnosing and treating gliomas.

The current management and biomarkers of immunotherapy in advanced gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gastric carcinoma (GC) is the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Most patients are diagnosed at later stage, because of few treatment options, the prognosis is poor. In recent years, however, Immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs), such as anti- programmed death-1 (PD-1), anti-PD-L1, and anti-cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4, have emerged as promising therapeutic agents in GC. Here, we summary the current treatment and advances of immune checkpoint inhibitors in the advanced stage of GC. METHODS: WANFANG MED ONLINE, CNKI, NCBI PUBMED and clinicaltrials.gov were used to search literature spanning from 2000 to 2021, and all literatures about "advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction cancer, Immune checkpoint inhibitors, PD-1, PD-L1, Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4, immune therapy" with detailed data were included. RESULTS: Nivolumab and pembrolizumab have been recommended for the third line or subsequent therapy in advanced GC. Nivolumab plus chemotherapy has been recommended for the first line treatment in advanced GC in China. Many other ICIs have been demonstrating encouraging efficacy. PD-L1, MSI-H, Epstein Barr virus, and tumor mutational burden (TMB) status maybe potential biomarkers for response to clinical outcomes for ICIs in GC. CONCLUSION: ICIs have shown encouraging treatment efficacy and manageable safety profile in GC. Some biomarkers including PD-L1, MSI-H, EBV, and TMB status could evaluate the efficacy of ICIs in GC.

LncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 drives the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma via modulating the downstream miR-3612/DTL signaling.

LncRNA ZFPM2-AS1 has been illuminated to function as a carcinogenic driver in various human cancers. Whereas, the role of ZFPM2-AS1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains puzzled. To further understand NPC pathogenesis, we investigated the regulatory effects of ZFPM2-AS1 in NPC. Expression analysis for ZFPM2-AS1, miR-3612 and denticleless E3 ubiquitin protein ligase homolog (DTL) mRNA was carried out using real-time quantitative PCR. For the expression analysis of DTL protein, a western blot assay was applied. Cell proliferation was ascertained using the cell counting kit-8 assay and colony formation assay. Cell apoptosis was estimated based on the expression levels of BCL2-Associated X and B-cell lymphoma-2 using western blot assay. To verify the role of ZFPM2-AS1, a Xenograft model was prepared in vivo. The underlying binding between miR-3612 and ZFPM2-AS1 or DTL was validated through dual-luciferase-reporter assay or protein immunoprecipitation assay. ZFPM2-AS1 showed upregulated expression in NPC samples and cells. Meanwhile, ZFPM2-AS1 was mainly located in the cytoplasm. Knockdown of ZFPM2-AS1 restrained NPC cell proliferation and induced apoptosis, as well as suppressed tumorigenesis in animal models. ZFPM2-AS1 targeted miR-3612 whose expression was decreased in NPC samples and cells. Repression of miR-3612 aggravated NPC cell development and largely reversed the functional role of ZFPM2-AS1 silencing on NPC cell growth. MiR-3612 directly interacted with DTL, and DTL expression was upregulated in NPC. Downregulation of DTL blocked NPC cell growth, while miR-3612 inhibition partly abrogated the effects of DTL knockdown. ZFPM2-AS1 knockdown considerably restrained NPC development via targeting the miR-3612/DTL signaling. The study provided new insights to understand NPC pathogenesis.

DNMT family induces down-regulation of NDRG1 via DNA methylation and clinicopathological significance in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Aberrant DNA methylation of tumor suppressor genes is a common event in the development and progression of gastric cancer (GC). Our previous study showed NDRG1, which could suppress cell invasion and migration, was frequently down-regulated by DNA methylation of its promoter in GC. PURPOSE AND METHODS: To analyze the relationship between the expression and DNA methylation of NDRG1 and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) family. We performed a comprehensive comparison analysis using 407 patients including sequencing analysis data of GC from TCGA. RESULTS: NDRG1 was down-regulated in GC, and was negatively correlative to DNMT1 (r = -0.11, p = 0.03), DNMT3A (r = -0.10, p = 0.01), DNMT3B (r = -0.01, p = 0.88), respectively, whereas the DNA methylation of NDRG1 was positively correlative to DNMT family (DNMT1 r = 0.20, p < 0.01; DNMT3A r = 0.26, p < 0.001; DNMT3B r = 0.03, p = 0.57, respectively). NDRG1 expression was significantly inverse correlated with invasion depth (p = 0.023), but DNMT1 was significantly positive correlated with invasion depth (p = 0.049). DNMT3B was significantly correlated with the degree of tumor cell differentiation (p = 0.030). However, there was no association between the expression of DNMT3A and clinicopathological features. The KM plotter showed that NDRG1 (HR = 0.95, 95% CI [0.8-1.12], p = 0.53) and DNMT1 (HR = 1.04, 95% CI [0.88-1.23], p = 0.67) had no association with prognosis of GC patients, while, DNMT3A (p = 0.0064) and DNMT3B (p = 0.00025) displayed significantly association. But the overall survival of high expression of NDRG1 tended to be prolonged. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that down-regulation of NDRG1expression in GC may be due to its promoter DNA methylation via DNMT family. The demethylating agent maybe a potential target drug for GC patients.

Glaesserella parasuis serotype 4 HPS4-YC disrupts the integrity of the swine tracheal epithelial barrier and facilitates bacterial translocation.

Glaesserella parasuis (G. parasuis) is a commensal bacterium in the upper respiratory tract of pigs that can also cause the swine Glässer disease, which induces an intensive inflammatory response and results in significant economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. G. parasuis can cause disease through infection of the respiratory tract, resulting in systemic infection, but the mechanism is largely unknown. Recently we showed that Glaesserella parasuis serotype 4 (GPS4) increased swine tracheal epithelial barrier permeability, resulting in easier bacterial translocation. Tight junction proteins (TJ) play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity and impermeability of the epithelial barrier. GPS4 decreased the expression of the TJ ZO-1 and occludin in swine tracheal epithelial cells (STEC). Furthermore, the proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α were significantly upregulated in GPS4-infected STEC, and both the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways were activated and contributed to the expression of TNF-α. We demonstrate that the production of proinflammatory cytokines, especially TNF-α, during GPS4 infection was involved in barrier dysfunction. Additionally, animal challenge experiments confirmed that GPS4 infection downregulated TJ in the lungs of piglets and induced a severe inflammatory response. In general, G. parasuis infection downregulated the expression of TJ and induced massive secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, resulting in epithelial barrier disruption and favoring bacterial infection. This study allowed us to better understand the mechanism by which G. parasuis crosses the respiratory tract of pigs.

The current management of alveolar soft part sarcomas.

OBJECTIVE: Alveolar soft part sarcomas (ASPS) which has high potential ability of metastasis, is a rare and slowly growing malignant tumor, and mainly primary localized in limbs. To date, little is known about the best treatment of ASPS. This study aims to review the current management and advance of ASPS. METHODS: WANFANG MED ONLINE, CNKI, and NCBI PUBMED were used to search literature spanning from 1963 to 2020, and all cases of ASPS about "ASPS, diagnosis, treatment, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, target therapy or immune therapy" with detailed data were included. RESULTS: Complete surgical resection remained the standard management strategy, radiotherapy was reported to be used for the patients of micro- or macroscopical incomplete residue or the surgical margin was questionable. Chemotherapy was controversial. Some target drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors had produced antitumor activity. CONCLUSION: Complete surgical resection is the cure treatment for ASPS, and adjuvant chemotherapy is not recommended excepted clinical trials. For the patients with micro- or macroscopical incomplete residue, radiotherapy should be appreciated. Furthermore, for recurrence, distant metastasis, and refractory of ASPS, combination therapy, especially combination with multiple target agents and/or immune checkpoint inhibitors may prolong survival time.

Glaesserella parasuis induces inflammatory response in 3D4/21 cells through activation of NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway via ROS.

Glaesserella parasuis (G. parasuis) is an important pathogenic bacterium that can cause Glässer's disease, and it has resulted in tremendous economic losses to the global swine industry. The intensive pulmonary inflammatory response caused by G. parasuis infection is the main cause of lung injury and death in pigs. However, the exact mechanism by which it causes severe pulmonary inflammation is not fully understood yet. In this study, severe pneumonia was observed in piglets infected with G. parasuis; and an infection cell model was established using porcine alveolar macrophages cell line 3D4/21, which was determined to be susceptible to G. parasuis infection in vitro. G. parasuis infection of 3D4/21 cells induced upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-18 and production of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). The expression of IL-1ß related to activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling pathway, which had not been shown before in G. parasuis infection. Furthermore, it was first found that release of intracellular ROS, which was mediated by NADPH oxidase in 3D4/21 cells, was found crucial for the activation of the NLRP3 signaling pathway and promoted the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-α and IL-1. In general, this study explored the specific mechanism of severe pulmonary inflammation caused by G. parasuis infection, and provides a foundation for further elucidating the pathogenic mechanism of G. parasuis.

SAMD14 promoter methylation is strongly associated with gene expression and poor prognosis in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common malignancy worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality. In recent years, SAMD14 has been studied in various malignant cancers; however, little is known about the exact mechanisms of SAMD14 involvement in carcinogenesis and malignant progression. METHODS: 60 paired GC-normal gastric tissues were evaluated for their SAMD14 mRNA expression in relation to SAMD14 gene promoter methylation. GC patient survival was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analyses and a Cox's proportional hazard model was employed for multivariate analyses. RESULTS: SAMD14 expression was significantly inversely correlated with the Borrmann type (P = 0.017), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.006) and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (P = 0.033). Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) revealed hyper-methylation of the SAMD14 promoter in 56.7% (34/60) of the primary GC tissues tested and in 10% (6/60) of matched non-malignant tissues. The SAMD14 promoter methylation status was also related to pathological differentiation, Borrmann type, TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. The results showed SAMD14 expression was significantly downregulated in Borrmann type, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage, which showed significantly higher methylation. SAMD14 promoter hyper-methylation was significantly associated with a poor prognosis and could serve as an independent marker for survival using multivariate Cox regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that promoter methylation was a key mechanism contributing to the downregulation of SAMD14 in GC. SAMD14 may be an epigenetically silenced tumor suppressor gene, and hyper-methylation of the SAMD14 promoter may serve as a biomarker to predict the clinical outcome of GC.

Exosomes in esophageal cancer: A review on tumorigenesis, diagnosis and therapeutic potential.

Exosomes are nanovesicles secreted from various types of cells and can be isolated from various bodily fluids, such as blood and urine. The number and molecular contents, including proteins and RNA of exosomes, have been shown to reflect their parental cell origins, characteristics and biological behaviors. An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that exosomes play a role in the course of tumorigenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis, although its precise functions in tumors are still unclear. Moreover, owing to a lack of a standard approach, exosomes and its contents have not yet been put into clinical practice successfully. This review aims to summarize the current knowledge on exosomes and its contents in esophageal cancer as well as the current limitations/challenges in its clinical application, which may provide a basis for an all-around understanding of the implementation of exosomes and exosomal contents in the surveillance and therapy of esophageal cancer.

Diffuse cavernous hemangioma of the skull misdiagnosed as skull metastasis in breast cancer patient: one case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Primary intraosseous cavernous hemangiomas (PICHs) of the skull are extremely rare. To date, diffuse cranial hemangioma of skull has not been reported. In cancer patients, it is often misdiagnosed as metastasis. CASE PRESENTATION: Here, we presented a case of a 50-year-old female patient suffering from slightly headache who received breast cancer modified radical mastectomy in 2004, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings revealed abnormal lesions of diffuse skull which were misdiagnosed as skull metastasis, and the relevant literatures were also reviewed. CONCLUSIONS: Diffuse cavernous hemangioma of the skull is exceedingly rare, and imaging data are not typical. The condition is often misdiagnosed, and pathological evaluation is necessary and important. In cases where the mass cannot be completely removed by surgery, radiotherapy could be beneficial.

Treatment of high-grade gliomas using escalating doses of hypofractionated simultaneous integrated boost-intensity-modulated radiation therapy in combination with temozolomide: A modified Phase I clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that hypofractionated simultaneous integrated boost-intensity-modulated radiation therapy (SIB-IMRT) provided certain survival benefits over other fractionation methods for high-grade gliomas. However, the best hypofractionation mode and its efficacy have not been confirmed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of hypofractionated SIB-IMRT with stepwise escalating doses combined with temozolomide (TMZ) for treating malignant gliomas. METHODS: The patients received concurrent postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy. SIB-IMRT was adopted to increase the dose both in the surgical cavity and residual tumor (planning target volume 1). The dose at each fraction was gradually increased from 2.8 Gy/f (total of 20 times), with an escalating dose interval of 0.4 Gy. The planning target volume 2 involved the 2 cm region around surgical cavity, and residual tumor remained unchanged, with 2.5 Gy each time and a total of 50 Gy/20f. TMZ was administered with a dose of 75 mg/m2/day during radiotherapy. Adjuvant TMZ was given at 150-200 mg/m2/day for 5 days every 28 days. A total of 16 patients were enrolled. RESULTS: Three patients exhibited dose-limiting toxicity (DLT), two cases reported Grade 3 headache in the 3.6 Gy/f and 4 Gy/f dose groups, and one patient developed persistent seizures attacks in the 4 Gy/f dose group. Therefore, 4 Gy/f was considered the DLT and the lower dose level of 3.6 Gy/f was regarded as the MTD in the study, with tolerable adverse reactions. The median overall survival (OS) and median progression-free survival (PFS) in this study were 19 and 16 months, respectively. The 1- and 2-year OS and PFS were 86.7%, 31.0% and 73.7%, 26.7%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: It showed that the treatment of high-grade gliomas with hypofractionated SIB-IMRT combined with TMZ had an MTD of 3.6 Gy/f (72 Gy/20f). In addition, the results preliminarily showed improved survival.

Streptococcus Suis Serotype 2 Stimulates Neutrophil Extracellular Traps Formation via Activation of p38 MAPK and ERK1/2.

Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is a major pathogen of swine streptococcicosis, which result in serious economic loss worldwide. SS2 is an important zoonosis causing meningitis and even death in humans. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) constitute a significant bactericidal strategy of innate immune. The battle between SS2 and NETs may account for the pathogenicity of SS2. However, the molecular mechanism underlying release of SS2-induced NETs remains unclear. In this study, SS2 was found to induce NETs within 2-4 h, and was dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS) from NADPH oxidase. Moreover, SS2 could activate neutrophil p38 MAPK and ERK1/2. Blockage of p38 MAPK or ERK1/2 activation decreased SS2-induced NETs formation by 65 and 85%, respectively. In addition, NADPH oxidase derived ROS inhibition negatively affected phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 in SS2 induced neutrophils. Both TLR2 and TLR4 were significantly up-regulated by SS2 infection in blood cells in vivo and neutrophils in vitro, which indicates these two receptors are involved in SS2 recognition. Blocking TLR4 signaling could further inhibit the activation of ERK1/2, but not p38 MAPK; however, TLR4 signaling inhibition reduced NETs formation induced by SS2. In conclusion, SS2 could be recognized by TLR2 and/or TLR4, initiating NETs formation signaling pathways in a NADPH oxidase derived ROS dependent manner. ROS will activate p38 MAPK and ERK1/2, which ultimately induces NETs formation.

Downregulation and DNA methylation of ECRG4 in gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer-related gene 4 (ECRG4) is a novel candidate tumor suppressor gene. Our study investigated the expression and function of ECRG4 in gastric cancer and highlighted the role of DNA hypermethylation at the promoter in silencing the ECRG4 expression. METHODS: The GSE63089 data set was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus and analyzed for differentially expressed genes. Carcinoma and para-carcinoma tissues of 102 patients with gastric cancer were collected from January 2010 to July 2011. Immunohistochemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and western blot analyses were performed to evaluate the expression of ECRG4. After measuring the change in the level of ECRG4 expression, CCK-8, Transwell, and flow cytometric cell cycle assays were performed. In addition, methylation-specific PCR was performed to detect the methylation state of ECRG4, and 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine was used for demethylation of ECRG4. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 17.0 software. RESULTS: We found that ECRG4 expression was downregulated in gastric cancer, and this was closely related to lymph node metastasis. After ECRG4 was silenced using a specific small interfering RNA, the BGC-823 cell line became highly aggressive and proliferative. In addition, we verified whether downregulation of ECRG4 was highly correlated with DNA methylation of the ECRG4 promoter and found that the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine could effectively enhance ECRG4 expression. CONCLUSION: The aberrant expression of ECRG4 is associated with hypermethylation in the promoter region and plays an important role in the malignancy of gastric cancer. Therefore, ECRG4 may be a potential biomarker for molecular diagnosis of gastric cancer, and the use of 5-Aza-dC to reverse the hypermethylation of ECRG4 may be a new approach to the treatment of gastric cancer.

Downregulation of STARD8 in gastric cancer and its involvement in gastric cancer progression.

OBJECTIVE: Rho-GTPases play a pivotal role in a wide variety of signal transduction pathways and are associated with a great number of human carcinomas. STARD8, which is a Rho-GTPase-activating protein, has been proposed as a tumor suppressor gene, but its role in gastric cancer remains elusive. In this study, we investigate the expression of STARD8 in gastric cancer and its association with gastric cancer progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One normal gastric mucosa cell line for example GES1 and six human gastric cancer cell lines such as AGS, MGC803, MKN45, SGC7901, HGC27 and BGC823 were utilized to analyze STARD8 mRNA and protein levels by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. A total of 70 paired gastric tissues including corresponding nonmalignant gastric tissues and cancer tissues were utilized to analyze the protein expression of STARD8 using immunohistochemistry, and the correlation between STARD8 level and clinicopathological features was also evaluated. RESULTS: STARD8 was found to be downregulated in primary gastric cancer cells and tissues compared with the normal gastric mucosa cell line, GES1, and corresponding nonmalignant gastric tissues, while its decreased expression was significantly associated with TNM stage, lymph node metastasis and differentiation (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: There is significantly decreased expression of STARD8 in gastric cancer cells and tissues, and its expression may contribute to gastric tumorigenesis.

The role of NRAGE subcellular location and epithelial-mesenchymal transition on radiation resistance of esophageal carcinoma cell.

BACKGROUND: Neurotrophin receptor-interacting MAGE homolog (NRAGE) has been considered as a tumor suppressor. In the previous study, we established human esophageal carcinoma resistance cell line TE13R120 and found the difference of NRAGE expression between TE13 and TE13R120 cells by gene microarray. Herein, we further discuss the possible molecular mechanism of NRAGE on participating the radiation sensitivity of esophageal carcinoma cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used colony formation assay to measure the surviving fraction and relevant radiobiological parameters. NRAGE expression was estimated by immunofluorescence and Western blot. Tumor growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) was used for inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in TE13 cells to detect the relationship between NRAGE and EMT; the capacity of cell migration was also assessed by wound healing assay. RESULTS: TE13R120 cells were showed significantly radioresistance compared with TE13. The D0, Dq, and N value of TE13R120 were all higher than those of TE13 (2.499, 1.991, and 2.219 vs. 2.242, 0.854, and 1.645), as well as SF2 (0.734 vs. 0.538). Results of immunofluorescences showed that NRAGE was mainly expressed in the nucleus of TE13R120 cells, but in TE13 cells, it was mainly in cytoplasm. In addition, EMT phenotype was observed in TE13R120 cells and TGF-ß-induced EMT in TE13 cells, E-cadherin expression was decreased, but vimentin was upregulated. Furthermore, TE13 cells have a rising tendency in NRAGE nucleus expression after treatment with TGF-ß. Results of wound healing assay showed that the cell migration of TE13R120 and TGF-ß-induced EMT in TE13 cells were remarkably enhanced. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that NRAGE subcellular localization is related to radiation resistance of esophageal carcinoma cell and EMT may be involved in NRAGE subcellular location.

4,4'-diaponeurosporene, a C30 carotenoid, effectively activates dendritic cells via CD36 and NF-κB signaling in a ROS independent manner.

Carotenoids could be divided into C30 carotenoids and C40 carotenoids. The immune functions of C40 carotenoids had been extensively researched, while those of C30 carotenoids still remain unclear. In this study, the immune functions of a biosynthetic C30 carotenoid, 4,4'-diaponeurosporene (Dia), were identified on dendritic cells (DCs). DCs treated with 1 µM Dia for 24 h showed morphologic and phenotypic characteristics of mature state and had an increased production of IL-6, IL-10, IL-12p70 and TNFα, while ß-carotene had a suppressive effect on DCs maturation. Moreover, Dia promoted antigen uptake of DCs in vitro and increased the quantity of antigen loaded DCs in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN). Dia-treated DCs also had an enhanced ability to stimulate T cell proliferation and Th1 polarization. Further researches showed that Dia activated DCs via CD36 as well as ERK, JNK, and NF-κB signals in a reactive oxygen species (ROS) independent manner.