MicroRNA­34a attenuates the proliferation, invasion and metastasis of gastric cancer cells via downregulation of MET.

Proliferation, invasion and metastasis are key features of gastric cancer, contributing to high mortality rates in patients with gastric cancer worldwide. As a direct target of p53, the functions of microRNA (miR)­34a are important, but controversial, in the progression of gastric cancer. In the present study, the clinical importance of miR­34a in GC specimens (n=40) were investigated and were confirmed in an independent cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA; n=352). The prognostic value of miR­34a was analyzed using a Kaplan­Meier survival curve in the TCGA cohort, in combination with complete follow­up data (n=157). The level of miR­34a was detected in the human gastric cancer cell line and normal gastric epithelial cell line. The effect of miR­34a on proliferation and invasion were evaluated using Cell Counting Kit 8, colony formation and cell invasion assays. The molecular basis of miR­34a was determined by bioinformatics prediction. The correlation between miR­34a and MET was assessed using reverse transcription­quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. The results indicated that miR­34a was downregulated in the gastric cancer tissues, compared with the normal gastric tissues (P<0.01). miR­34a was negatively correlated with the depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis of gastric cancer (P<0.01). In the TCGA cohort, the levels of miR­34a were lower in T3 and T4 tumor stages, compared with the level in the T1 stage, and low levels of miR­34a predicted significantly longer survival rates in patients with GC (P<0.05). miR­34a also attenuated the proliferation ability, and inhibited the colony formation and cell invasion abilities of the cells (P<0.01). A negative correlation was observed between miR­34a and MET in gastric cancer (P<0.01; r=­0.9526), and >60% of cases exhibited consistent expression of miR­34a and MET in gastric cancer (P<0.01). In conclusion, miR­34a was associated with the clinicopathological features of gastric cancer and was a valuable predictor of patient prognosis. miR­34a acted as a tumor suppressor to inhibit gastric cancer proliferation and invasion via the downregulation of MET.

Laparoscopic vs open extended right hemicolectomy for colon cancer.

AIM: To evaluate the feasibility, safety, and oncologic outcomes of laparoscopic extended right hemicolectomy (LERH) for colon cancer. METHODS: Since its establishment in 2009, the Southern Chinese Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgical Study (SCLCSS) group has been dedicated to promoting patients' quality of life through minimally invasive surgery. The multicenter database was launched by combining existing datasets from members of the SCLCSS group. The study enrolled 220 consecutive patients who were recorded in the multicenter retrospective database and underwent either LERH (n = 119) or open extended right hemicolectomy (OERH) (n = 101) for colon cancer. Clinical characteristics, surgical outcomes, and oncologic outcomes were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in terms of age, gender, body mass index (BMI), history of previous abdominal surgery, tumor location, and tumor stage between the two groups. The blood loss was lower in the LERH group than in the OERH group [100 (100-200) mL vs 150 (100-200) mL, P < 0.0001]. The LERH group was associated with earlier first flatus (2.7 ± 1.0 d vs 3.2 ± 0.9 d, P < 0.0001) and resumption of liquid diet (3.6 ± 1.0 d vs 4.2 ± 1.0 d, P < 0.0001) compared to the OERH group. The postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the LERH group (11.4 ± 4.7 d vs 12.8 ± 5.6 d, P = 0.009) than in the OERH group. The complication rate was 11.8% and 17.6% in the LERH and OERH groups, respectively (P = 0.215). Both 3-year overall survival [LERH (92.0%) vs OERH (84.4%), P = 0.209] and 3-year disease-free survival [LERH (84.6%) vs OERH (76.6%), P = 0.191] were comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: LERH with D3 lymphadenectomy for colon cancer is a technically feasible and safe procedure, yielding comparable short-term oncologic outcomes to those of open surgery.

Crucial role of group IIA phospholipase A2 in pancreatitis-associated adrenal injury in acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

This study investigated the mechanistic role of group IIA phospholipase A2 (sPLA2-IIA) in the process of pancreatitis-associated adrenal injury in acute necrotizing pancreatitis. One hundred and sixty male Wistar rats were subdivided into a sham-operated group, a sodium taurocholate-induced pancreatitis group, and a pancreatitis group pretreated with sPLA2 inhibitor (pku-mdl-101). The sPLA2 inhibitor was administered by intravenous injection 30 min before induction of pancreatitis. The severity of pancreatitis was evaluated by serum amylase and pancreatic histological score. The serum corticosterone level was measured. Adrenal injury was evaluated by histological evaluation, as well as by sPLA2 activity and sPLA2-IIA protein analysis. Pancreatitis resulted in a time-related increase in serum amylase and in the pancreatic histological score. At first, serum corticosterone increased after 3h and decreased rapidly after 6h in pancreatitis. Adrenal injury aggravated during the observation period. The sPLA2 activity in the serum and adrenal glands, as well as the expression of sPLA2-IIA protein in adrenal glands increased and peaked 6h after the induction of pancreatitis. Pretreatment of sPLA2 inhibitor significantly reduced the severity of pancreatitis and adrenal histological injury, improved the 24-h serum corticosterone levels, and effectively inhibited sPLA2 activity and sPLA2-IIA expression in adrenal glands. The sPLA2 inhibitor attenuated the severity of pancreatitis and pancreatitis-associated adrenal injury. The observations indicate that sPLA2-IIA plays a crucial role in pancreatitis-associated adrenal injury in acute necrotizing pancreatitis.

Synthesis of (R)-2-trimethylsilyl-2-hydroxyl-ethylcyanide catalyzed with (R)-oxynitrilase from loquat seed meal.

The synthesis of optically active (R)-2-trimethylsilyl-2-hydroxyl-ethylcyanide by asymmetric trans-cyanation of acetyltrimethylsilane with acetone cyanohydrin in a biphasic system was achieved using (R)-oxynitrilase from loquat seed meal. Diisopropyl ether was the most suitable organic phase among the organic solvents examined. The optimal concentration of acetyltrimethylsilane, concentration of crude enzyme, volume ratio of the aqueous to the organic phase, temperature and the buffer pH value were 14 mM: , 61.4 U ml-1, 13% (v/v), 30 degrees C and 4, respectively. The substrate conversion and the product enantiomeric excess were 95% and 98% under the optimized conditions. Acetyltrimethylsilane was a better substrate of the enzyme than its carbon counterpart.