Postnatal differentiation and regional histological variations in the ductus epididymidis of the Congjiang Xiang pig.

The Congjiang Xiang pig is a rare Chinese miniature breed whose epididymal histologic features through the postnatal development are poorly understood. To clarify the histomorphological differences between each region of epididymis during postnatal development, 24 male Congjiang Xiang pigs aged from neonatal (15 d), peri-puberty (30 d), puberty (60 d) to adult (180 d) stages, were examined. Postnatal differentiation of the different regions (I-V) of the epididymis started from birth and continued until maturity that showed regional variations. Developmental progression was disto-proximal. At the neonatal stage, Wolffian duct differentiation starts in the distal region, then ascends to the middle region which forms regions V, IV and III, respectively. A simple lined cuboidal in the epidydimal epithelial, which gradually differentiated into a pseudostratified columnar with stereocilia from neonatal to post-pubertal. After puberty cell rearrangement occurred in the epithelium, differentiation accelerated, and spermatozoon seen in the lumen, especially the lumen of region II. In region III, both halo and apical cells were frequently observed. At the post-pubertal stage, clear cells were frequently observed in Region IV-V, and the epididymal duct was markedly increased in size and fully packed with spermatozoa. The information presented in this study will be helpful for future evaluations of Congjiang Xiang pig fertility. After puberty cell rearrangement occurred in the epithelium, differentiation accelerated, and spermatozoon seen in the lumen, especially the lumen of region II. In region III, both halo and apical cells were frequently observed. At the post-pubertal stage, clear cells were frequently observed in Region IV-V, and the epididymal duct was markedly increased in size and fully packed with spermatozoa. The information presented in this study will be helpful for future evaluations of Congjiang Xiang pig fertility.

Effects of 4% paraformaldehyde and modified Davidson's fluid on the morphology and immunohistochemistry of Xiang pig testes.

Modified Davidson's fluid (mDF) is a good fixative for morphological and antigen preservation. However, recent studies have shown that 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA) can better preserve the actin structure in rodent testes. It remains controversial which of these fixatives is best for testicular tissue. This study investigated the effects of both mDF and 4% PFA on the morphology and antigen preservation of Xiang pig testes using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and immunohistochemistry (IHC). The stronger testis penetration of mDF compared with that of 4% PFA was primarily manifested as testicular color change and decrease in tissue weight loss. Testes fixed with 4% PFA displayed a severe shrinkage of both the tubular and interstitial compartments and the seminiferous tubule area decreased by 12.02% compared with that in mDF-fixed tissues. In contrast, IHC results showed that 4% PFA fixation achieved better IHC-positive performance than mDF fixation for antigens specifically expressed in germ cells, Leydig cells and Sertoli cells. Due to this improved antigen preservation by 4% PFA fixation, the relative immunoreactions intensity significantly increased by 39.8%, 27.8%, and 76.4%, respectively, compared with that in mDF fixation. In summary, fixation of Xiang pig testes with mDF was suitable for HE staining, while fixation with 4% PFA was more suitable for IHC.

Comparison of ovarian torsion between pregnant and non-pregnant women at reproductive ages: sonographic and pathological findings.

BACKGROUND: Differences in the ultrasonographic features and histological diagnosis of ovarian torsion in pregnant and non-pregnant women have not been defined. A better characterization of these features may help improve the accuracy of preoperative diagnosis. The present study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics, sonographic findings, operative procedures, and histological spectrum of ovarian torsion in pregnant and non-pregnant women. METHODS: This was a retrospective investigation of female patients at reproductive age with ovarian torsion between January 2010 and May 2017. Each patient received a detailed preoperative ultrasound, and the diagnosis was confirmed by surgery. The clinical characteristics, ultrasonic features, operative procedures, and histological diagnosis of ovarian torsion were retrieved from medical records and were compared in non-pregnant and pregnant patients according to the method of conception. RESULTS: The overall preoperative ultrasonic detection rate of ovarian torsion was 0.84, which was significantly different between pregnant and non-pregnant women. The presence of ovarian edema and abnormal adnexal positions also differed between pregnant and non-pregnant women. The ultrasonic features were not significantly different between the two pregnant sub-groups. The most common histologic diagnoses in the pregnant group and the non-pregnant group were a normal ovary and teratoma, respectively. The incidence of ovarian neoplasm was significantly lower in pregnant women. There were significant differences in the surgical procedures between the groups based on neoplastic or non-neoplastic lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Ovarian edema, absence/decreased blood flow in the ovary, and the whirlpool sign were reliable ultrasonic markers for ovarian torsion at reproductive ages. The preoperative ultrasonic detection rate of ovarian torsion was higher in pregnant women, and ovarian edema was more common. The clinical features of ovarian torsion in pregnant women were similar, independent of the method of conception. In women with ovarian torsion, the incidence of non-neoplastic lesions was more frequent in pregnant women, whereas neoplastic lesions were more common in non-pregnant women. Ultrasonography provides useful parameters for the preclinical diagnosis of ovarian torsion to improve patient management.

Retraction Note: Hsa-miR-623 suppresses tumor progression in human lung adenocarcinoma.

The authors have retracted the article [Hsa-miR-623 suppresses tumor progression in human lung adenocarcinoma, Cell Death & Disease volume 7, page e2388 (2016), doi 10.1038/cddis.2016.260] because it has recently come to their attention that the A549 cells used in this research were contaminated with Hela cells, which may have altered the outcome of their experiment. The conclusions of this article are therefore unreliable. All authors agree to this retraction.

Effect of Soothing Gan (Liver) and Invigorating Pi (Spleen) Recipes on TLR4-p38 MAPK Pathway in Kupffer Cells of Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis Rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the mechanism of inflflammatory-mediated toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) pathway in Kupffer cells (KCs) of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) rats and the intervention effect of soothing Gan (Liver) and invigorating Pi (Spleen) recipes on this pathway. METHODS: After 1 week of acclimatization, 120 Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided into 8 groups using a random number table (n=15 per group): normal group, model group, low-dose Chaihu Shugan Powder (, CHSG) group (3.2 g/kg), high-dose CHSG group (9.6 g/kg), low-dose Shenling Baizhu Powder (, SLBZ) group (10 g/kg), high-dose SLBZ (30 g/kg) group, and low- and highdose integrated recipe (L-IR, H-IR) groups. All rats in the model and treatment groups were fed with a high-fat diet (HFD). The treatments were administrated by gastrogavage once daily and lasted for 26 weeks. The liver tissues were detected with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) and oil red O staining. Levels of liver lipids, serum lipids and transaminases were measured. KCs were isolated from the livers of rats to evaluate the mRNA expressions of TLR4 and p38 MAPK by real-time flfluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction, and proteins expressions of TLR4, p-p38 MAPK and p38 MAPK by Western blot. Levels of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-6 in KCs were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: After 26 weeks of HFD feeding, HE and oil red O staining showed that the NASH model rats successfully reproduced typical pathogenesis and histopathological features. Compared with the normal group, the model group exhibited significant increases in body weight, liver weight, liver index, serum levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and aspartate aminotransferase as well as TC and TG levels in liver tissues, and significant decrease in serum level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (Plt;0.05 or Plt;0.01), while those indices were significantly ameliorated in the H-IR group (Plt;0.05 or Plt;0.01). Higher levels of TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6 in KCs were observed in the model group compared with the normal group (Plt;0.01). Significant decreases in TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6 were observed in the H-SLBZ, H-IR and L-IR groups compared with the model group (Plt;0.05 or Plt;0.01). The mRNA expressions of TLR4 and p38 MAPK and protein expressions of TLR4, p38 MAPK and p-p38 MAPK in KCs in the model group were significantly higher than the normal group (Plt;0.01), while those expression levels in the L-IR and H-IR groups were significantly lower than the model group (Plt;0.05 or Plt;0.01). CONCLUSION: Inflflammation in KCs might play an important role in the pathogenesis of NASH in rats. The data demonstrated the importance of TLR4-p38MAPK signaling pathway in KCs for the anti-inflflammatory effect of soothing Gan and invigorating Pi recipes.

Correction to: Hsa-miR-623 suppresses tumor progression in human lung adenocarcinoma.

Following publication of their article, the authors noticed that there were minor errors in Figs. 3, 7 and S5. The errors had no effect on the scientific content or conclusions. The rectified figures are given below.

Hsa-miR-623 suppresses tumor progression in human lung adenocarcinoma.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/cddis.2016.260.

Comparative study of two models of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema in mice.

Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is an "umbrella term" encompassing emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis, but its pathogenesis is not known. We established two models of CPFE in mice using tracheal instillation with bleomycin (BLM) or murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68). Experimental mice were divided randomly into four groups: A (normal control, n=6), B (emphysema, n=6), C (emphysema+MHV-68, n=24), D (emphysema+BLM, n=6). Group C was subdivided into four groups: C1 (sacrificed on day 367, 7 days after tracheal instillation of MHV-68); C2 (day 374; 14days); C3 (day 381; 21days); C4 (day 388; 28days). Conspicuous emphysema and interstitial fibrosis were observed in BLM and MHV-68 CPFE mouse models. However, BLM induced diffuse pulmonary interstitial fibrosis with severely diffuse pulmonary inflammation; MHV-68 induced relatively modest inflammation and fibrosis, and the inflammation and fibrosis were not diffuse, but instead around bronchioles. Inflammation and fibrosis were detectable in the day-7 subgroup and reached a peak in the day-28 subgroup in the emphysema + MHV-68 group. Levels of macrophage chemoattractant protein-1, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, interleukin-13, and transforming growth factor-ß1 in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid were increased significantly in both models. Percentage of apoptotic type-2 lung epithelial cells was significantly higher; however, all four types of cytokine and number of macrophages were significantly lower in the emphysema+MHV-68 group compared with the emphysema +BLM group. The different changes in pathology between BLM and MHV-68 mice models demonstrated different pathology subtypes of CPFE: macrophage infiltration and apoptosis of type-II lung epithelial cells increased with increasing pathology score for pulmonary fibrosis.

Hsa-miR-623 suppresses tumor progression in human lung adenocarcinoma.

Our previous study revealed that Ku80 was overexpressed in lung cancer tissues and hsa-miR-623 regulated the Ku80 expression; however, the detailed function of hsa-miR-623 in lung cancer was unclear. We identified that hsa-miR-623 bound to the 3'-UTR of Ku80 mRNA, thus significantly decreasing Ku80 expression in lung adenocarcinoma cells. Hsa-miR-623 was downregulated in lung adenocarcinoma tissues compared with corresponding non-tumorous tissues, and its expression was inversely correlated with Ku80 upregulation. Downregulation of hsa-miR-623 was associated with poor clinical outcomes of lung adenocarcinoma patients. Hsa-miR-623 suppressed lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation, clonogenicity, migration and invasion in vitro. Hsa-miR-623 inhibited xenografts growth and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma in vivo. Ku80 knockdown in lung adenocarcinoma cells suppressed tumor properties in vitro and in vivo similar to hsa-miR-623 overexpression. Further, hsa-miR-623 overexpression decreased matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 expression levels, with decreased ERK/JNK phosphorylation. Inhibition of hsa-miR-623 or overexpression of Ku80 promoted lung adenocarcinoma cell invasion, activated ERK/JNK phosphorylation and increased MMP-2/9 expressions, which could be reversed by ERK kinase inhibitor or JNK kinase inhibitor. In summary, our results showed that hsa-miR-623 was downregulated in lung adenocarcinoma and suppressed the invasion and metastasis targeting Ku80 through ERK/JNK inactivation mediated downregulation of MMP-2/9. These findings reveal that hsa-miR-623 may serve as an important therapeutic target in lung cancer therapy.

Selective Conversion of 5-Hydroxymethylfuraldehyde Using Cp*Ir Catalysts in Aqueous Formate Buffer Solution.

The highly selective hydrogenation/hydrolytic ring-opening reaction of 5-hydroxymethylfuraldehyde (5-HMF) was catalyzed by homogeneous Cp*Ir(III) half-sandwich complexes to produce 1-hydroxy-2,5-hexanedione (HHD). Adjustment of pH was found to regulate the distribution of products and reaction selectivity, and full conversion of 5-HMF to HHD with 99 % selectivity was achieved at pH 2.5. A mechanistic study revealed that the hydrolysis/ring-opening reaction of 2,5-bis-(hydroxymethyl)furan is the important intermediate reaction step. In addition, an isolated yield of 85 % for HHD was obtained in a 10 g-scale experiment, and the reaction with fructose as the starting material also led to a 98 % GC yield (71.9 % to fructose) of HHD owing to the excellent tolerance of the catalyst under acidic conditions.

Impact of village-based health education of tobacco control on the current smoking rate in Chinese rural areas.

The number of smokers in Chinese rural areas is more than 200 million, which is twice that in cities. It is very significant to carry out tobacco control interventions in rural areas. We performed this community intervention study to evaluate the efficacy of village-based health education of tobacco control on the male current smoking rate in rural areas. The population of this study was the males above 15 years old from 6 villages in rural areas. The villages were randomly assigned to intervention group or control group (3 villages in each group). Self-designed smoking questionnaire was applied. The intervention group received the village-based health education of tobacco control for one year. The primary outcome measurement was the male current smoking rate. In the baseline investigation, completed surveys were returned by 814 male residents from the control group and 831 male residents from the intervention group. The male current smoking rate in the control group and the intervention group was 61.2% and 58.5%, respectively, before intervention. There was no significant difference between these two groups (P>0.05). After one-year intervention, the current smoking rate in the intervention group (51.2%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (62.8%) (P<0.001). Our study suggested that the village-based health education of tobacco control was effective in lowering the male current smoking rate in rural areas, which could be a suitable and feasible way for tobacco control in the Chinese rural areas.

Development of a core snubber for the neutral beam injector on EAST.

A 4-MW ion source was developed for the neutral beam injector (NBI) on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). Breakdown nevertheless can happen during ion source conditioning and routine operations and is deleterious to the high-power ion source. To protect this ion source, a core snubber was designed to absorb the breakdown energy of the EAST-NBI ion source. A prototype core snubber was developed and tested using the ion-source test bed. The results show that with a core snubber, short-circuit currents at different high-power voltages were about one-tenth of the current without the snubber. The residual energy of the distributed capacitors had been absorbed successfully and the core snubber does protect the source from damage during breakdown. The results verified the successful development of a core snubber for the EAST-NBI.

Effects of Soothing Liver and Invigorating Spleen Recipes on the IKKß-NF-κB Signaling Pathway in Kupffer Cells of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis Rats.

This study investigates the effect of soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes on steatohepatitis examining the IKKß-NF-κB signaling pathway in KCs of NASH rats. SD male rats were randomly divided into 8 groups, and the NASH model was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). After 26 weeks, liver tissue was examined in H&E stained sections and liver function was monitored biochemically. KCs were isolated by Seglen's method, with some modifications. The mRNA and protein expression of the IKKß-NF-κB signaling pathway components was examined by quantitative PCR and Western blotting. The results show that the high-fat diet induced NASH in the rats, and the soothing liver recipe and invigorating spleen recipe decreased the levels of TNF-α, IL-1, and IL-6 in KCs, as well as inhibiting the mRNA and protein expression of the IKKß-NF-κB signaling pathway components. In conclusion, the experiment indicated the importance of the IKKß-NF-κB signaling pathway in KCs for the anti-inflammatory effects of the soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes.

CXCL12 G801A polymorphism and cancer risk: An updated meta-analysis.

Many studies have reported the relationship between CXCL12 G801A polymorphism and cancer risk, with conflicting results. In this study, we tried to clarify the possibility that this polymorphism may increase cancer risk by conducting an updated meta-analysis. PubMed and EMbase were searched for case-control studies regarding the association of the gene polymorphism and cancer risk. Data were extracted and odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association. Heterogeneity among articles and publication bias was also assessed. Significantly increased risk for cancer was found (A vs. G: OR=1.26, 95% CI=1.13-1.40, P<0.01; AA+AG vs. GG: OR=1.33, 95% CI=1.16-1.52, P<0.01). In subgroup analysis, statistically elevated cancer risk was found in both Asian and Caucasian populations (for Asian, AA+AG vs. GG: OR=1.74, 95% CI=1.22-2.47, P<0.01; for Caucasian, AA+AG vs. GG: OR=1.24, 95% CI=1.09-1.42, P<0.01). Our result indicated that CXCL12 G801A polymorphism is a risk factor for cancer. To validate the finding, further large-size case-control studies are warranted.

Expression of Nitric Oxide Synthase Isoenzyme in Lung Tissue of Smokers with and without Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

BACKGROUND: It has been demonstrated that only 10%-20% cigarette smokers finally suffer chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The underlying mechanism of development remains uncertain so far. Nitric oxide (NO) has been found to be closely associated with the pathogenesis of COPD, the alteration of NO synthase (NOS) expression need to be revealed. The study aimed to investigate the alterations of NOS isoforms expressions between smokers with and without COPD, which might be helpful for identifying the susceptibility of smokers developing into COPD. METHODS: Peripheral lung tissues were obtained from 10 nonsmoker control subjects, 15 non-COPD smokers, and 15 smokers with COPD. Neuronal NOS (nNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS), and endothelial NOS (eNOS) mRNA and protein levels were measured in each sample by using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. RESULTS: INOS mRNA was significantly increased in patients with COPD compared with nonsmokers and smokers with normal lung function (P < 0.001, P = 0.001, respectively). iNOS protein was also higher in COPD patients than nonsmokers and smokers with normal lung function (P < 0.01 and P = 0.01, respectively). However, expressions of nNOS and eNOS did not differ among nonsmokers, smokers with and without COPD. Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between iNOS protein level and lung function parameters forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (% predicted) (r = -0.549, P = 0.001) and FEV1/forced vital capacity (%, r = -0.535, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of iNOS significantly increased in smokers with COPD compared with that in nonsmokers or smokers without COPD. The results suggest that iNOS might be involved in the pathogenesis of COPD, and may be a potential marker to identify the smokers who have more liability to suffer COPD.

By downregulating Ku80, hsa-miR-526b suppresses non-small cell lung cancer.

Ku80 is involved in DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) repair. Ku80 is overexpressed in lung cancer tissues, yet, molecular mechanisms have not been examined. We identified that miRNA, hsa-miR-526b, is bound to the 3'-UTR of Ku80 mRNA, thus decreasing Ku80 expression in NSCLC cells. Hsa-miR-526b was downregulated in NSCLC tissues compared with corresponding non-tumorous tissues, and its expression was inversely correlated with Ku80 upregulation. Overexpression of Ku80 and downregulation of hsa-miR-526b were associated with poor clinical outcomes of NSCLC patients. Hsa-miR-526b suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation, clonogenicity, and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Hsa-miR-526b inhibited xenografts and orthotopic lung tumor growth. Further, Ku80 knockdown in NSCLC cells suppressed tumor properties in vitro and in vivo similar to hsa-miR-526b overexpression. In agreement, Ku80 restoration partially reversed cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induced by hsa-miR-526b in NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo. In addition, hsa-miR-526b overexpression or Ku80 knockdown increased p53 and p21CIP1/WAF1 expression. These findings reveal that hsa-miR-526b is a potential target in cancer therapy.

[Effects of soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes on SREBP-1c, SCD-1 mRNA and proteins expression in hepatocytes of NAFLD rats].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes on the expression levels of SREBP-1c, SCD-1 mRNA and proteins in hepatocytes of NAFLD rats,and to explore its possible mechanisms of prevention and treatment of NAFLD. METHODS: 75 SD male rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: normal group, model group, oothing liver group (administrated with 9.6 g/kg), invigorating spleen group (administrated with 30 g/kg)and integrated group (administrated with 39.6 g/kg). The rats of NASH model were induced by feeding a high-fat diet. After treatment for 8 weeks,9 rats were randomly taken to detect liver function, TC, TG and pathological changes in liver tissue. The other 6 rats of each group were taken respectively and collagenase (Type IV) was perfused to digest liver tissue with the circulation in vitro to separate hepatocytes. Real-time Q-PCR and Western Blot were used to detect the expression levels of SREBP-1c, SCD-1 mRNA and proteins. RESULTS: Compared with the model group,the different decrease levels of SREBP-1c, SCD-1 genes and proteins were found in all drug therapy groups (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), as well different degrees that liver lipid and pathological changes became better, especially that of in soothing liver group. Comparison between the all drug therapy groups,the hepatocytes expression levels of SREBP-1c and SCD-1 mRNA in soothing liver group were lower than that of in invigorating spleen group (P < 0.05), but expression levels of the proteins had no statistical significances. CONCLUSION: Soothing liver and invigorating spleen recipes prevent and treat NAFLD,its mechanism may be related to inhibiting the activation of SREBP-1c/SCD-1 signal pathway in hepatocytes to down-regulate TC and TG synthesis and reduce hepatic lipid deposition. SREBP-1c, SCD-1 mRNA and proteins may be the effective targets.

Establishment of surfactant-associated protein A suicide gene system and analysis of its activity.

Alveolar epithelial type II (AT II) cells are essential for lung development and remodeling, as they are precursors for type I cells and also produce other non-repair cells (fibroblasts). Progenitor cells are believed to possess capability of multi-potent transdifferentiation, which is closely related to the niche, suggesting the importance of establishment of a lung progenitor cell niche model. We hypothesized that pulmonary surfactant-associated protein A (SPA) suicide gene system would cause AT II cell to kill itself through apoptosis and leave its niche. In vitro, the recombinant adeno-associated virus vectors-SPA-thymidine kinase (rAAV-SPA-TK) system was established to get targeted apoptotic AT II cells. The apoptosis of AT II cells was detected by using MTT. The results showed that cloned SPA gene promoter had specific transcriptional activity in SPA high expression cells, and SPA high expression cells (H441) transfected with TK gene had higher sensitivity to ganciclovir (GCV) than SPA low expression cells (A549). In vivo, increased apoptosis of AT II cells induced by GCV in rAAV-SPA-TK system was observed by TUNEL. Finally, the successful packaging and application of rAAV-SPA-TK system provide experimental basis to get specific lung progenitor cell (AT II) niche in vitro and in vivo.

Expert consensus on acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the People's Republic of China.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common disease that severely threatens human health. Acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) is a major cause of disease progression and death, and causes huge medical expenditures. This consensus statement represents a description of clinical features of AECOPD in the People's Republic of China and a set of recommendations. It is intended to provide clinical guidelines for community physicians, pulmonologists and other health care providers for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of AECOPD.