CircRNA-CIRH1A Promotes the Development of Osteosarcoma by Regulating PI3K/AKT and JAK2/STAT3 Signaling Pathways.

Osteogenic sarcoma (OS), one of the mesenchymal tumors with a high degree of malignancy, mainly occurs in the metaphysis of the long bones and around the knee joints in children and adolescents. The poor diagnosis in patients with OS can be attributed to the lack of early clinical symptoms, although the growth of tumor mass gradually results in severe pain and systemic symptoms. The mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of OS are not fully understood. Thus, identifying early diagnostic biomarkers and novel targets involved in the progression of OS is of critical significance in the management of OS. CircRNA is a class of non-coding RNAs characterized by the close-loop structure and increased stability, which are implicated in the regulation of cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and apoptosis. Moreover, circRNAs also play significant roles in aging and chronic disorders, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Accordingly, we reported the upregulation of circRNA-CIRH1A in OS tissues and cell lines. Silencing circRNA-CIRH1A in OS cell lines (U2OS, HOS, Saos-2, and MG-63) could inhibit the cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and apoptosis, which was also validated in xenograft tumorigenesis mouse model. We further demonstrated that circRNA-CIRH1A sponged miR-1276, which subsequently disrupted the effect of miR-1276 on PI3K/AKT and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways. Together, our study revealed the oncogenic role of circRNA-CIRH1A in OS, and identified miR-1276/ PI3K-AKT and JAK2-STAT3 signaling axis as the key downstream mediators of circRNA-CIRH1A.

Etiological spectrum and treatment outcome of wound infection in patients with open tibia and fibula fractures.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the etiology of wound infections in patients with open tibia and fibula fractures and the treatment effects. METHODS: In this retrospective study, a total of 76 patients with open tibia and fibula fractures were included in this research. These patients were divided into the control group (n=38) and the observation group (n=38) according to the treatment methods for wound infection. The distribution and drug resistance of pathogenic bacteria in wound infections were analyzed. Clinical effects, time for body temperature returning to normal, time for disappearance of exudates, time for clearance of pathogenic bacteria, recovery effects and patients' satisfaction rate were also compared between two groups. RESULTS: A total of 152 strains of pathogenic bacteria were separated. The main pathogenic bacterium was Acinetobacter baumannii, accounting for 30.92% (47/152). Pathogenic bacteria were demonstrated to be highly sensitive to vancomycin and imipenem. The proportion of wound healing by first intention and the Johner-Wruhs scores in observation group were significantly higher than those in control group, while recurrent infection rate, the time to restore normal body temperature, the time for exudates to disappear, the time to remove pathogenic bacteria, hospital stays and VAS scores in observation group were obviously shorter or lower than those in control group (all P<0.05). Moreover, the satisfaction rate of patients in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Understanding pathogenic characteristics and drug resistance of wound infection in patients with open tibia and fibula fractures is helpful to subsequent treatment. Comprehensive control measures should be taken to decrease incidence of wound infection.

SNHG9/miR-199a-5p/Wnt2 Axis Regulates Cell Growth and Aerobic Glycolysis in Glioblastoma.

Aerobic glycolysis is a characteristic in cancers that is important for cancer cell proliferation. Emerging evidence shows that long non-coding RNA (LncRNA) participates in glucose metabolism and cell proliferation in cancer. This study explored the effect of LncRNA: SNHG9 in glioblastoma. The mRNA expression of SNHG9 in human glioma tissues and glioblastoma cell lines was measured by qRT-PCR. Glioblastoma cell lines (U87 and U251) were transfected with miR-199a-5p or SNHG9-expressing plasmid and cell viability as well as concentrations of glucose and lactate were measured. The extracellular acidification was evaluated by glycolysis stress test. The Wnt2 levels were determined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. Results showed that the mRNA expression of SNHG9 was elevated in glioblastoma tissues. The elevated SNHG9 expression was related to lower survival rate in patients with glioma. SNHG9 could downregulate miR-199a-5p and upregulate Wnt2 in glioblastoma cells. Overexpression of SNHG9 in glioblastoma cells promoted aerobic glycolysis and cell proliferation, which could be attenuated by miR-199a-5p. Results of this study indicated an effect of SNHG9/miR-199a-5p/Wnt2 axis in regulating cell growth and aerobic glycolysis in glioblastoma.

Histamine H4 receptor gene polymorphisms: a potential contributor to Meniere disease.

BACKGROUND: The immune system is likely involved in the pathophysiology of Meniere's disease (MD). However, its role of patients with MD has not been well studied. Given that histamine H4 receptors are highly expressed in immune system, we tested the hypothesis that histamine H4 receptor gene polymorphisms are a potential contributor to the risk of MD. METHODS: A group of patients was enrolled with a diagnosis of definite MD based on the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Committee on Hearing and Equilibrium guidelines and a control group of patients without any vestibular disease. We selected one SNP, rs77485247 in HRH4 and conducted an exploratory investigation of its correlations with the symptoms of vertigo and proinflammatory cytokines levels in MD patients. RESULTS: HRH4 rs77485247 polymorphism may be associated with the risk of MD. Furthermore, basal levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1ß and TNF-α, in PBMCs are increased in patients with MD compared to control patients. This increased basal level of proinflammatory cytokines is prominent in MD patients with the A allele. CONCLUSIONS: These suggested that HRH4 rs77485247 polymorphism may be an important mediator in regulating proinflammatory cytokines, which are involved in the pathogenesis of MD.

Temporal changes in the expression of some neurotrophins in spinal cord transected adult rats.

Functional recovery of neurons in the spinal cord after physical injury is essentially abortive in clinical cases. As neurotrophins had been reported to be responsible, at least partially, for the lesion-induced recovery of spinal cord, it is not surprising that they have become the focus of numerous studies. Studies on endogenous neurotrophins, especially the three more important ones, nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) in injured spinal cord might provide some important clues in clinical treatment. Here we investigate the immunohistological expression of the above three factors at lower thoracic levels of the spinal cord as well as changes in the motor functions of the adult rat hindlimbs after cord transection. The injured rats were allowed to survive 3, 7, 14 and 21 days post operation (dpo). Flaccid paralysis was seen at 3 dpo following cord transection, however, hindlimb function showed partial recovery from 7 dpo to 21 dpo. The numbers of NGF, BDNF and NT-3 immunopositive neurons and their optical densities all increased in the lesion-induced cord. The immuno-expression of NGF and BDNF peaked at 7 dpo, while that of NT-3 peaked at 7 dpo and remained so at least up to 14 dpo. These results suggested that neurotrophins might play essential roles in functional recovery of after spinal cord injury, but the time points for the expression of the three factors differed somewhat.