MicroRNA-138 is a potential biomarker and tumor suppressor in human cervical carcinoma by reversely correlated with TCF3 gene.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our work is to identify the functional mechanism of microRNA-138 (miR-138) in human cervical cancer. METHODS: MiR-138 expression was investigated by qRT-PCR in cervical cancer cell lines and human tumors. Correlations of patients' clinicopathological factors and overall survival with miR-138 expression were analyzed. In SiHa and HeLa cells, miR-138 was either upregulated or downregulated to evaluate its regulations on cervical cancer in vitro proliferation, invasion and in vivo xenograft growth. Downstream target gene of miR-138, TCF3, was analyzed by dual-luciferase reporter assay, and by qRT-PCR to evaluate its expression in cervical tumors and cervical cancer cell lines. TCF3 was either upregulated or downregulated in SiHa and HeLa cells to further evaluate its role in regulating cervical cancer proliferation and invasion. RESULTS: MiR-138 is downregulated in both cervical tumors and cervical cancer cell lines. Low expression of miR-138 in cervical tumors is closely correlated with patients' clinicopathological factors and poor survival. In SiHa and HeLa cells, lentivirus-induced miR-138 upregulation inhibited cancer proliferation and invasion in vitro, and xenograft growth in vivo, whereas miR-138 downregulation had little effect. TCF3 was confirmed to be regulated by miR-138, and upregulated in cervical cancer tumors and cell lines. In vitro cervical cancer proliferation and invasion were significantly inhibited by SiRNA-mediated TCF3 downregulation, but unaffected by TCF3 overexpression. CONCLUSION: MiR-138 may be a tumor suppressor and potential prognostic biomarker in cervical cancer. Its downstream target, TCF3, may also regulate cancer development in a reverse manner as miR-138.

Abdominal radical trachelectomy guided by sentinel lymph node biopsy for stage IB1 cervical cancer with tumors >2 cm.

Accuracy of prediction of pelvic lymph node status using sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), and outcomes of SLNB-guided abdominal radical trachelectomy (ART) were assessed. Patients with stage IB1 (Figure 2009) cervical cancer and with tumors >2 cm were enrolled. Prior to fertility-sparing surgery 99mTc-labeled phytate was administered. SLNs were intraoperatively identified, excised, and assessed using fast-frozen sections. Systematic bilateral pelvic lymphadenectomy with or without para-aortic lymphadenectomy was subsequently undertaken. The SLN detection rate was 91.8% (45/49 patients); 8.2% (4/49) had radical hysterectomies because of metastatic primary SLNs. All SLNs received routine immunopathological examination to detect micrometastasis. Sensitivity, accuracy, and false negative rates were 100%, 100%, and 0%, respectively. ART was successfully completed in 45 patients (median follow-up, 61 [range, 4-149] months). Three of the 45 (6.7%) were lost to follow-up; two relapsed and one died of tumor progression. Overall 3-year survival and progression-free survival rates were 97.6% and 95.2%, respectively. Of the 19 patients who attempted to conceive after surgery, five achieved pregnancy, and one had a live birth in the third trimester. We concluded that SLNB using 99mTc-labeled phytate can accurately assess pelvic node status. SLNB-guided ART is safe and feasible in patients selected for fertility-sparing procedures.

Prognostic factors and genes associated with endometrial cancer based on gene expression profiling by bioinformatics analysis.

BACKGROUND: Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most prevalent malignancy worldwide. Although several efforts had been made to explore the molecular mechanism responsible for EC progression, it is still not fully understood. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with EC, and further to search for novel genes associated with EC progression. METHODS: We recruited 328 patients with EC and analyzed prognostic factors using Cox proportional hazard regression model. Further, a gene expression profile of EC was used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between normal samples and tumor samples. Subsequently, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis ( http://www.genome.jp/kegg/ ) for DEGs were performed, and then protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of DEGs as well as the subnetwork of PPI were constructed with plug-in, MCODE by mapping DEGs into the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes database. RESULTS: Our results showed that body mass index (BMI), hypertension, myometrial invasion, pathological type, and Glut4 positive expression were prognostic factors in EC (P < 0.05). Bioinformatics analysis showed that upregulated DEGs were associated with cell cycle, and downregulated DEGs were related to MAPK pathway. Meanwhile, PPI network analysis revealed that upregulated CDK1 and CCNA2 as well as downregulated JUN and FOS were listed in top two nodes with high degrees. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with EC should be given more focused attentions in respect of pathological type, BMI, hypertension, and Glut4-positive expression. In addition, CDK1, CCNA2, JUN, and FOS might play important roles in EC development.

Hydrothermal synthesis of tetragonal BaTiO3 nanotube arrays with high dielectric performance.

Tetragonal Barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanotube arrays have been prepared using the template-assisted hydrothermal method combined with an annealing process. The in-situ chemical conversion of TiO2 nanotube array templates ensured that BaTiO3 maintained the morphology of the nanotube architectures. Moreover, X-ray diffraction and Raman spectrum characterization were used to confirm that the BaTiO3 nanotube arrays had a tetragonal phase after the use of a simple annealing technique. Typical hysteresis loops showed their ferroelectricity, with the remanent polarization and coercive fields being 2.57 microC/cm2 and 2.52 kV/cm, respectively. The relative dielectric constant of the tetragonal BaTiO3 nanotube arrays reached up to 1000 and the dielectric loss was as low as 0.02 at 1 kHz at room temperature.

Hierarchical cobalt-based hydroxide microspheres for water oxidation.

3D hierarchical cobalt hydroxide carbonate hydrate (Co(CO3)0.5(OH)·0.11H2O) has been synthesized featuring a hollow urchin-like structure by a one-step hydrothermal method at modest temperature on FTO glass substrates. The functionalities of precursor surfactants were isolated and analyzed. A plausible formation mechanism of the spherical urchin-like microclusters has been furnished through time-dependent investigations. Introduction of other transitional metal doping (Cu, Ni) would give rise to a substantial morphological change associated with a surface area drop. The directly grown cobalt-based hydroxide composite electrodes were found to be capable of catalyzing oxygen evolution reaction (OER) under both neutral pH and alkaline conditions. The favorable 3D dendritic morphology and porous structure provide large surface areas and possible defect sites that are likely responsible for their robust electrochemical activity.

NH2+ implantations induced superior hemocompatibility of carbon nanotubes.

NH2+ implantation was performed on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) prepared by chemical vapor deposition. The hemocompatibility of MWCNTs and NH2+-implanted MWCNTs was evaluated based on in vitro hemolysis, platelet adhesion, and kinetic-clotting tests. Compared with MWCNTs, NH2+-implanted MWCNTs displayed more perfect platelets and red blood cells in morphology, lower platelet adhesion rate, lower hemolytic rate, and longer kinetic blood-clotting time. NH2+-implanted MWCNTs with higher fluency of 1 × 1016 ions/cm2 led to the best thromboresistance, hence desired hemocompatibility. Fourier transfer infrared and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses showed that NH2+ implantation caused the cleavage of some pendants and the formation of some new N-containing functional groups. These results were responsible for the enhanced hemocompatibility of NH2+-implanted MWCNTs.

In vitro comparison of the hemocompatibility of diamond-like carbon and carbon nitride coatings with different atomic percentages of N.

Carbon nitride (CN( x )) and diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings were prepared by dc magnetron sputtering at room temperature. Different partial pressures of N(2) were used to synthesize CN( x ) to evaluate the relationship between the atomic percentage of nitrogen and hemocompatibility. Auger electron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy indicated atomic percentages of N of 0.12 and 0.22 and that the CN( x ) coatings were smooth. An in vitro study of the hemocompatibility of the coatings revealed that both CN( x ) coatings had better anticoagulant properties and lower platelet adhesion than DLC. Compared with CN(0.12), the CN(0.22) coating showed longer dynamic clotting time (about 42 min), static clotting time (23.6 min) and recalcification time (45.6 s), as well as lower platelet adhesion (102 cells µm(-2)), aggregation, and activation. The presence of nitrogen in the CN( x ) coatings induced their enhanced hemocompatibility compared with DLC.

Adsorption and adhesion of blood proteins and fibroblasts on multi-wall carbon nanotubes.

This article concerns the investigation of blood protein adsorption on carbon paper and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Mouse fibroblast cell adhesion and growth on MWCNTs was also studied. The results showed that fibrinogen adsorption on carbon paper was much lower than that on MWCNTs, which means that platelets readily aggregate on the surface of MWCNTs. Mouse fibroblast cells implanted on MWCNTs tended to grow more prolifically than those implanted on carbon paper. The cell concentration observed on MWCNTs increased from 1.2x10(5)/mL for a single day culture to 2x10(5)/mL for a 7-day culture. No toxicity reaction was observed during the culturing period. These results indicated that MWCNTs possessed excellent tissue compatibility.

Superlattice induced by electron-beam irradiation in magnetic ferroelectric BiMnO(3).

Single-phased polycrystalline BiMnO(3) (hereinafter abbreviated as BMO) ceramic was fabricated via high-pressure solid-state reaction. Microstructure modification of selective grains, signalled by emergence of superlattice diffraction, was scrutinized by means of electron diffraction (ED) combined with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). It was clearly evidenced that the well established C 2 monoclinic substructure (a = 9.53 Å, b = 5.61 Å, c = 9.85 Å and ß = 110.67°) of BMO (Atou et al 1999 J. Solid State Chem. 145 639) is metastable and prone to be transformed to a new pseudocubic superstructure (a≈b≈c≈15.8 Å and α≈ß≈γ≈90°) (Yang et al 2006 Phys. Rev. B 73 024114) when irradiated continuously by an electron beam. Magnetization measurement unveiled a unique ferromagnetic phase transition at 103 K, which corroborated our speculation that as-prepared BMO ceramic is free of polymorphism at ambient conditions.