[Impact of water body environments on the microbial community of Oncomelania hupensis snails in marshlands around the eastern Dongting Lake].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of water body environments on the microbial community of Oncomelania hupensis snails in marshlands of the eastern Dongting Lake where natural extinction of O. hupensis snails are found, so as to explore the correlation between the natural extinction of O. hupensis snails and the microbial community in snails. METHODS: Snails were caged water bodies in the Qianliang Lake marshland (Qianliang Lake regions) where natural extinction of snails was found and in the Junshan Park marshland (Junshan Park regions) in the eastern Dongting Lake for 30 days, and then all snails were collected and identified for survival or death. DNA sequencing of the fungi and bacteria was performed in snails before and after immersion in waters, and the biodiversity and abundance were analyzed. RESULTS: The survival rates of O. hupensis snails were 28.0% (70/250) and 64.8% (162/250) in Qianliang Lake regions and Junshan Park regions 30 days after immersion in waters, respectively (χ2 = 81.365, P < 0.01). The number of the fungal community and the biodiversity of the bacterial community were both greater in snails caged in Qianliang Lake regions post-immersion than pre-immersion, and there was a significant difference in the structure of the fungal and bacterial communities. The microbial community with a significant difference included Flavobacteriaceae,which was harmful to O. hupensis snails. CONCLUSIONS: The water body environment affects the composition of the microbial community in O. hupensis snails in marshlands with natural snail distinction around the eastern Dongting Lake; however, further studies are required to investigate whether the natural distinction of snails is caused by water body environments-induced changes of the microbial spectrum in O. hupensis snails.

STAT5A reprograms fatty acid metabolism and promotes tumorigenesis of gastric cancer cells.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the underlying effect of STAT5A-mediated fatty acid metabolism on the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression patterns of STAT5A and FASN in gastric cancer were investigated based on the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and compared between 40 pairs of cancer samples and adjacent tissues. The pathological significance of STAT5A in gastric cancer was explored by GESA assay, and the molecular mechanism of STAT5A-mediated FASN expression was investigated by Luciferase assay and ChIP-qPCR. Fatty acid metabolic change was explored by detecting the content of neutral lipid, triglycerides, and phospholipids in STAT5A silenced MKN28 and AGS cells. Furthermore, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, colony formation, and Mouse xenograft were used to detect the function of STAT5A-mediated fatty acid metabolism on tumorigenic ability of gastric cancer cells. RESULTS: Upregulated STAT5A in gastric cancer was found to be not only an unconventional risk for over survival of gastric cancer patients, but also associated with fatty acid metabolism signaling. Furthermore, STAT5A can regulate the expression of the fatty acid binding protein 5 (FABP5) by binding to the promoter of FABP5 in MKN28 and AGS cells. Functional studies have shown that STAT5A-dependent FABP5 expression promoted the proliferation and tumorigenesis of gastric cancer cells by reprogramming intracellular fatty acid metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that STAT5A-dependent FABP5 expression plays a carcinogenic role in the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer cells via reprogramming intracellular fatty acid metabolism, which establishes a new mechanism for the tumorigenesis of gastric cancer cells.

Association between IL-10-G1082A polymorphisms and the development of coronary artery disease in a Chinese population.

We conducted a case-control study to investigate the association between IL-10-G1082A (rs1800896) polymorphism and the development of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the Chinese population. We recruited 295 CAD patients and 355 healthy controls from the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University between April 2012 and December 2014. Subjects were genotyped for IL-10-G1082A polymorphisms by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. We observed significant differences in the genotype frequencies of GG, AG, and AA between CAD patients and controls (χ(2) = 17.38, P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that individuals with the AA genotype at IL-10-1082A/G was associated with increased risk for CAD as compared to those with the GG genotype (OR = 2.96, 95%CI = 1.70-5.23, P < 0.001). Our results indicated that IL-10 -1082A/G polymorphism was associated with susceptibility to CAD in both dominant (OR = 1.59, 95%CI = 1.15-2.20, P = 0.004) and recessive (OR = 2.58, 95%CI = 1.53- 4.45, P < 0.001) models. In conclusion, our study suggests that IL-10- 1082A/G polymorphism is associated with an increased risk for CAD.

Serum levels and clinical significance of IFN-γ and IL-10 in patients with coronary heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to investigate the relationship of IFN-γ and IL-10 with the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease (CHD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 128 patients with angiographically confirmed CHD were included in CHD group, while 106 patients with no angiographically confirmed coronary artery stenosis were included in the control group. The age and body mass index of patients were documented. Concentrations of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were measured. Moreover, serum levels of IFN-γ and IL-10 were determined by ELISA and mRNA levels of these two factors were measured by quantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS: Compared to those of controls, concentrations of TG and LDL-C were significantly higher (p < 0.01) whereas HDL-C concentrations were significantly lower in CHD patients (p < 0.001). Correlation analysis revealed that serum IFN-γ level was significantly positively correlated with TG concentration in CHD patients (r = 0.560, p < 0.05), while the IL-10 level was negatively correlated with TG concentration (r = -0.411, p < 0.05). Both protein level and mRNA level of IFN-γ were higher in the serum of CHD patients than in controls. However, the protein level and mRNA level of IL-10 were significantly lower in CHD patients than in controls (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: IFN-γ and IL-10 are involved in the development of atherosclerosis of coronary artery and IL-10 may inhibit atherogenesis.

Laparoscopic esophageal myotomy and anterior partial fundoplication for the treatment of achalasia.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the initial results of laparoscopic esophageal myotomy and anterior fundoplication in the treatment of 26 patients with achalasia. METHODS: Operative time, complications, and length of hospitalization were recorded for each patient. Postoperative outcomes were assessed by a standardized patient questionnaire, 24-hour esophageal pH studies, and esophageal transit studies. RESULTS: Twenty-six consecutive patients with class IV dysphagia underwent a laparoscopic esophageal myotomy and anterior partial fundoplication, with a single incidence of intraoperative esophageal perforation. The mean operative time was 3.5 hours. The median length of hospitalization was 5 days. Of the 21 patients for whom follow-up was available (median follow-up, 4 months), 19 (90%) were satisfied and 2 (10%) were somewhat satisfied with their surgery. After operation, 14 of the 21 patients (67%) reported no dysphagia (class I), whereas 6 (28%) had class II dysphagia (less than once per week) and only 1 (5%) had class III dysphagia (greater than once per week). Liquid-phase esophageal transit studies (n = 14) revealed a significant improvement in esophageal clearance in the supine position from 18% before operation to 44% after operation (p = 0.006). Distal esophageal acid exposure was normal in 6 of 7 patients. CONCLUSIONS: These early results suggest that laparoscopic esophageal myotomy and anterior partial fundoplication provides efficacious treatment of achalasia.