Facile synthesis of chitosan-based acid-resistant composite films for efficient selective adsorption properties towards anionic dyes.

To effectively and selectively remove toxic anionic dyes which are heavily discharged and to promote them recovery, a sustainable cellulose nanofiber/chitosan (CNF/CS) composite film was elaborately designed through a facile procedure. Based on the strong supporting effect of CNF and excellent compatibility between CNF and CS, the composite film presents low swelling and acid-proof properties, which can prevent the adsorption process from the disintegration of adsorbent. Moreover, the positive electrical property of CNF/CS film increases the discrepancy in adsorption capacities for anionic and cationic dyes. The maximum adsorption capacity of anionic methyl orange (MO) on CNF/CS film reaches 655.23 mg/g with a desirable recyclability. The adsorption behavior attributed to a physico-chemical and monolayer adsorption process. This work opens a new route for the development of eco-friendly and highly efficient adsorbents on selective removal and recycling of anionic dyes from wastewater.

Facile preparation of 3D regenerated cellulose/graphene oxide composite aerogel with high-efficiency adsorption towards methylene blue.

Composite aerogels consisting of graphene oxide (GO) and regenerated cellulose (RCE) were prepared via a solution mixing-regeneration and freeze-drying process. The prepared RCE/GO composites aerogel exhibited 3D network thin-walled pore structure with large specific surface area, also favorable compression recovery capability, outstanding dye elimination efficiency and reusability after the addition of GO. With addition of only 0.5 wt% GO, the methylene blue (MB) elimination efficiency of RCE/GO aerogel reached 99.0% and still remained at 90.5% after five-time reused under oscillation adsorption. In addition, our research indicates that the excellent MB adsorption of RCE/GO composite aerogel was driven by electrostatic interactions and followed a pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic and monolayer Langmuir adsorption isotherm. This investigation provides the guidance for the development of green environmental adsorbents to remove organic dye from sewage water.

Gene and microRNA expression reveals sensitivity to paclitaxel in laryngeal cancer cell line.

Paclitaxel is a widely used chemotherapy drug for advanced laryngeal cancer patients. However, the fact that there are 20-40% of advanced laryngeal cancer patients do not response to paclitaxel makes it necessary to figure out potential biomarkers for paclitaxel sensitivity prediction. In this work, Hep2, a laryngeal cancer cell line, untreated or treated with lower dose of paclitaxel for 24 h, was applied to DNA microarray chips for gene and miR expression profile analysis. Expression of eight genes altered significantly following paclitaxel treatment, which was further validated by quantitative real-time PCR. Four up-regulated genes were ID2, BMP4, CCL4 and ACTG2, in which ID2 and BMP4 were implicated to be involved in several drugs sensitivity. While the down-regulated four genes, MAPK4, FASN, INSIG1 and SCD, were mainly linked to the endoplasmic reticulum and fatty acid biosynthesis, these two cell processes that are associated with drug sensitivity by increasing evidences. After paclitaxel treatment, expression of 49 miRs was significantly altered. Within these miRs, the most markedly expression-changed were miR-31-star, miR-1264, miR-3150b-5p and miR-210. While the miRs putatively modulated the mRNA expression of the most significantly expression-altered genes were miR-1264, miR-130a, miR-27b, miR-195, miR-1291, miR-214, miR-1277 and miR-1265, which were obtained by miR target prediction and miRNA target correlation. Collectively, our study might provide potential biomarkers for paclitaxel sensitivity prediction and drug resistance targets in laryngeal cancer patients.

miRNA expression pattern associated with prognosis in elderly patients with advanced OPSC and OCC.

The long-term survival for elderly patients with advanced ovarian papillary serous carcinoma (OPSC) does not exceed 30%, and the incidence and prognosis rise continuously after menopause. The aim of this study was to identify the differences in key miRNAs and their potential regulators through miRNA microarray analysis, functional target prediction, and clinical outcome between the elderly patients with advanced OPSC and ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCC) who all suffered poor prognosis, to identify the pathogenetic basis, and to improve the understanding of the molecular basis of advanced OPCS in elderly patients. Through microarray analysis, we found 52 unique miRNAs with significant fold­change in expression levels, of which 9 were upregulated, whereas 43 were downregulated in OCC patients compared to elderly OPSC patients with advanced stage. Among these prediction miRNAs, miR-30a, miR-30e and miR-505 were found to have some common cancer-related targets. Lower expression of these three miRNAs of advanced OPSC in elderly patients, all associated with significantly poorer survival rate, strongly suggesting that they could be critical oncogenes and take important roles in OPSC etiology in elderly patients with advantaged stage. Functional analyses support the above hypothesis. Their targets, ATF3, STMN1 and MYC suggest that OPSC also has aggressive biological behavior when presented with advanced stage, and support the epidemiology results that incidence and mortality of advanced OPSC increases continuously. miR-30a, miR-30e and miR-505 may be important pathogenetic factors for OPSC in elderly patients with advanced stage. Age could be regarded as a continuous covariate in this process. This may improve the understanding of molecular underpinnings of advanced OPSC in elderly patients, and provide improved diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic approaches.

Lack of association between glutathione S-transferase T1 gene polymorphism and laryngeal cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis based on 2,124 cases and 2,059 controls.

Studies investigating the association between glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) gene polymorphism and laryngeal cancer susceptibility have reported conflicting results. The aim of the present study was to conduct a meta-analysis assessing the possible association of GSTT1 gene polymorphism with laryngeal cancer risk. The relevant studies were identified through a search of PubMed, Embase, ISI Web of Knowledge and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure until May 2011. Twelve studies were included in the present meta-analysis, which described a total of 2124 laryngeal cancer cases and 2059 controls. The overall odds ratio (OR) for GSTT1 null genotype was 1.40 (95% CI=0.90-2.16). When stratifying for race, the pooled ORs for GSTT1 null genotype were 1.07 (95% CI=0.81-1.41) in Caucasians and 5.63 (95% CI=1.00-31.83) in Asians. The pooled ORs for GSTT1 null genotype were 1.03 (95% CI=0.71-1.49) in population-based studies and 2.39 (95% CI=0.73-7.86) in hospital-based studies, stratifying for study design. This meta-analysis suggested that there was lack of association between GSTT1 gene polymorphism and laryngeal cancer risk. However, larger scale primary studies are still required to further evaluate the interaction of GSTT1 gene polymorphism with laryngeal cancer risk.

Association between GSTM1 polymorphism and nasopharyngeal cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) is a multifunctional enzyme that plays a critical role in the detoxification of varieties of carcinogenic metabolites. Many studies have been conducted to investigate the association between GSTM1 polymorphism and nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) risk, but the findings among those studies are inconsistent. To assess this relationship more precisely, we performed a meta-analysis of all available studies on the subject. METHODS: Case-control studies were identified by searching Pubmed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, and Wanfang databases through September 6, 2012. We used the pooled odds ratio (OR) with its corresponding 95% confidence interval (95%CI) to evaluate the association of GSTM1 polymorphism with NPC susceptibility. Subgroup analyses by pathological types, sex and smoking status were performed to further identify the association. RESULTS: Overall, 11 published studies with 1,513 cases and 2,802 controls were finally included into this meta-analysis according to the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis of total studies showed that the null genotype of GSTM1 was significantly associated with increased risk of NPC, when comparing with the non-null genotype (OR=1.51, 95%CI=1.33-1.72, POR<0.001). The association was still statistically significant in subgroup analysis of patients with nasopharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OR=1.73, 95%CI=1.24-2.42, POR=0.001). Males with the null genotype of GSTM1 were more likely to subject to NPC than females. In addition, the association between the null genotype of GSTM1 and NPC risk was strongest in individuals with exposure to smoking. Sensitivity analysis by sequential omission of any individual studies one at a time further demonstrated the significant association. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that the null genotype of GSTM1 is a risk factor for NPC, and there is a gene- smoking interaction in this association.