CircDDX17 acts as a competing endogenous RNA for miR-605 in breast cancer progression.

OBJECTIVE: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of noncoding RNAs, are reported to be involved in the progression of various cancers. CircDDX17 was reported as a tumour suppressor in colorectal cancer. However, the expression and role of circDDX17 in breast cancer remain unclear. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used qPCR analysis to reveal the expression levels of circRNAs and miRNAs in breast cancer tissues and cell lines. The target relationship between circRNA and miRNAs was predicted using miRanda and then detected using a Luciferase reporter assay. The effects of circDDX17 and miR-605 on the growth of breast cancer were detected using MTT, colony formation assay and apoptosis analysis. RESULTS: In this study, low circDDX17 expression was observed in breast cancer tissues and cell lines. Moreover, circDDX17 expression was inversely associated with the clinicopathological parameters of tumour grade and advanced TNM stage (p<0.05). Functionally, overexpressed circDDX17 inhibited cell proliferation and colony formation and promoted cell apoptosis in breast cancer. Mechanistically, circDDX17 directly bound to miR-605, which functions as an oncogene in breast cancer, and its expression was associated with low overall survival of breast cancer patients. Finally, we found that circDDX17 suppressed cell proliferation by regulating cell cycle-related factors (CDK1 and p21), and the effect was reversed by miR-605 mimics. CONCLUSIONS: We identified the downregulation of circDDX17 in breast cancer, and circDDX17 acted as a tumour suppressor by inhibiting proliferation and promoting apoptosis through its function as a sponge of miR-605 in breast cancer, indicating that it serves as a potential biomarker and a therapeutic target for breast cancer.

Elevated PT, APPT and PT/INR possibly associated with doxycycline and cefoperazone co-administration: A case report.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: Little is known regarding changes in blood coagulation parameters associated with tetracycline antibiotics. We report a possible case of elevated PT, APPT and PT/INR associated with doxycycline and cefoperazone co-administration. CASE SUMMARY: An 83-year-old Chinese male inpatient with severe pneumonia, chronic renal insufficiency and malnutrition experienced elevated PT, APPT and PT/INR which occurred within a few days of doxycycline added to his cefoperazone treatment and returned to normal after removal of it. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Very close monitoring of coagulation parameters might be advisable in those subjects when administering doxycycline and cefoperazone concomitantly.

The gall wasp Leptocybe invasa (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) stimulates different chemical and phytohormone responses in two Eucalyptus varieties that vary in susceptibility to galling.

Gall-inducing insects produce various types of galls on plants, but little is known about the gall-induction mechanism of these galling insects. The gall wasp Leptocybe invasa Fisher & LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) forms galls of different sizes on several Eucalyptus species. To clarify the physiological responses of Eucalyptus to L. invasa infestation, we measured the dynamics of nitrogen (N), carbon (C), total phenolics, total tannins and four types of phytohormones (zeatin [Z] + zeatin riboside [ZR], gibberellins [GA], indole-3-acetic acid [IAA] and abscisic acid [ABA]) in galled and ungalled leaf tissues of two Eucalyptus horticultural varieties (DH201-2 [Eucalyptus grandis × Eucalyptus camaldulensis] and EA [Eucalyptus exserta]) with different susceptibility to galling throughout the larval developmental stages. Nitrogen, total phenolics, tannins and four kinds of phytohormones strongly accumulated in tissues galled by L. invasa (especially during early larval feeding stages). While N, Z + ZR and GA levels were higher, tannins and ABA levels were lower in the galled tissues on the highly susceptible variety. Nitrogen, total phenolics, GA, Z + ZR and IAA levels in the galled tissues gradually decreased during gall development, but ABA and tannins conversely increased in the galled tissues of the less susceptible variety. Our results suggest that the effects of gall-inducing insects on plants depend not only on the susceptibility of the plant infested but also on the developmental stage of galled tissues. Gall formation process is thus synergistically influenced by both gall-inducing insect and plant genotypes.

Nested polymerase chain reaction technique for the detection of Gpc3 and Afp mRNA in liver cancer micrometastases.

The incidence of liver cancer has gradually risen to a high level in China, and tumor metastasis occurs via multiple pathways. Alpha fetal protein (AFP) is the main biomarker of liver cancer micrometastases. A recent study showed that glypican-3 (GPC3), which is abundant in hepatoma cells, has promising specificity and could be used to determine the presence of malignant cells. The nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique is superior in experimental sensitivity. Using rat models of liver cancer in the current study, we utilized nested PCR to detect Gpc3 and Afp mRNA to determine their relationship with liver cancer micrometastases. The aim was to provide an experimental basis for clinical examination. We randomly assigned male Sprague-Dawley rats to sham and experimental groups. The experimental group constituted a liver cancer model induced by diethylnitrosamine, whereas the sham group was administered with an equivalent volume of normal saline. Gpc3 and Afp mRNA was detected using nested PCR. Analysis was performed to determine statistical significance. Compared with the sham group, the rates of occurrence of Gpc3 and Afp mRNA were significantly higher in the experimental group (P < 0.05). Compared with the total positive ratio of hepatoma cells examined by joint detection, the rates of occurrence of Gpc3 and Afp mRNA increased significantly in the four subgroups of the experimental group (P < 0.05). The use of nested PCR significantly improved sensitivity for the detection of Gpc3 and Afp mRNA in liver cancer micrometastases.

Pharmacokinetics of 5-fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide in depression rats.

OBJECTIVES: Efficacy and toxicity of the drug are mainly determined by physicochemical properties and pharmacological effects of its own. In addition, they are also affected by other factors, such as gender, age, genetic character, pathophysiological status, mood states and so on. The paper aims to study whether mood disorder alters drug metabolism process through the pharmacokinetic research on some clinically important anticancer drugs in depression model rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The depression model rats were built by exposing to chronic unpredicted mild stresses (CUMS) for 8 weeks. 36 female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomized into model group and control group. In each group, 18 rats were randomized into 2 subgroups: 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) subgroup and cyclophosphamide (CP) subgroup which were given a certain doses of 5-FU and CP. The blood samples were collected at different time points and plasma drug concentration were respectively assayed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for 5-FU and high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) for CP. Pharmacokinetic parameters were processed with DAS software. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the pharmacokinetic parameters of 5-FU and CP between in depression model rats group and in the normal control group (p < 0.05), except t1/2alpha (p > 0.05) for CP pharmacokinetics in depression model rats group and in the normal control rats group, with the value of those was 0.07 and 0.09 h. CONCLUSIONS: Depression mood disorder might alter drug metabolism process.

Ubiquitin D is correlated with colon cancer progression and predicts recurrence for stage II-III disease after curative surgery.

BACKGROUND: Our recent study observed that the expression of ubiquitin D (UBD), a member of ubiquitin-like modifier family, was upregulated in colon cancer parenchymal cells. The present study further investigated the clinical signicance of UBD in colon cancer. METHODS: Using quantitative PCR, tissue microarray (TMA), western blot analysis and immunohistochemical stain, we evaluated UBD mRNA and protein levels in tumour tissues from patients with colon cancer at different stages and in paired adjacent normal epithelium. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical detection of UBD on a TMA containing 203 paired specimens showed that increased cytoplasmic UBD was signicantly associated with depth of cancer invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, tumour histologic grade, advanced clinical stage and Ki-67 proliferative index. Patients with UBD-positive tumours had a significantly higher disease recurrence rate and poorer survival than patients with UBD-negative tumours after the radical surgery. Stratification analysis according to tumour stage revealed UBD as an independent predictor for tumour recurrence in patients with stage II and III tumours. CONCLUSION: UBD may contribute to the progression of colon carcinogenesis and function as a novel prognostic indicator of forecasting recurrence of stage II and III patients after curative operations.