ERK/MAPK Signalling Pathway Regulates MMP2 Through ETS1 in Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The c-ETS-1 (ETS1) expression is high in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) tissues; however, how it impacts ccRCC is currently unknown. METHOD: The online STRING web source was used to construct a protein network interacting with ETS1. The Cell Counting Kit-8 was used to detect the cell viability. A clonogenic assay, a wound-healing assay, and a Transwell assay were used to detect cell proliferation, invasion and migration abilities. Western blot was used to detect the expression of proteins. RESULT: The data showed the expression of ETS1 in ccRCC tissues to be significantly increased compared to adjacent tissues (p<0.05). The positive expression of ETS1 in ccRCC patients aged 20-100 was statistically significant compared to adjacent normal tissues (p<0.05). The grade of ETS1 positive expression (1-4) and lymph node metastasis (N1) in ccRCC were significantly higher than those in adjacent normal tissues (p<0.05). The tumour stage (stages 1-4) in ccRCC patients with positive ETS1 expression was significantly higher than that in adjacent normal tissues (p<0.05). Knockdown of ETS1 and PERK inhibitors significantly inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of ccRCC cells. Knockdown of ETS1 inhibited MMP-2 expression, and an extracellular signal-related kinase (ERK) inhibitor inhibited both ETS1 and MMP-2 expression. CONCLUSION: A high expression of ETS1 is associated with the progression of ccRCC. This study suggests that ETS1 promotes proliferation by increasing MMP2 expression in ccRCC, and combined knockdown of ETS1 and inhibition of ERK can significantly inhibit the proliferation, migration and invasion of ccRCC. ETS1 may be a therapeutic and prognostic target for renal cell carcinoma.

Comparison of volatile metabolic profiles in fermented milk of Streptococcus thermophilus during the postripening period at different incubation temperatures.

Streptococcus thermophilus has been extensively applied in fermented milk. This study used gas chromatography-ion mobility spectroscopy to determine and evaluate the volatile metabolites in raw milk, milk fermented at 37°C, and milk fermented at 42°C. Ten discriminatory volatile metabolites were identified at different incubation temperatures: acetone, 2-heptanone, 2-pentanone, 2-hexanone, butanal, hexanal, ethyl acetate, 3-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanoic acid, and 2-methylpropanoic acid, indicating that fermentation temperature affected the spectrum of volatiles in milk fermented by different strains of S. thermophilus. Specifically, fermentation at 37°C led to accumulation of short-chain fatty acids, whereas fermentation at 42°C enriched ketones and other flavor substances in the fermented milk, enhancing the flavor of the product. This work examined the differences between the volatile metabolites produced by different S. thermophilus strains fermented at different temperatures to evaluate the effect of temperature on the metabolic pathways.

Probiotic Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Probio-M8 improves the properties and organic acid metabolism of fermented goat milk.

The addition of Bifidobacterium to goat milk has dual effects on health, for which various inherent nutrients of goat milk are retained and live probiotics are provided. We explored the effect of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Probio-M8 (Probio-M8) on fermentation characteristics, formation of organic acid, sensory properties, and storage characteristics of fermented goat milk (with added 4.0% sucrose). Addition of Probio-M8 decreased the fermentation time and significantly increased the content of functional organic acids, such as acetic acid, and functional long-chain unsaturated fatty acids, including linoleic acid, α-linolenic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. Furthermore, the contents of medium-chain and short-chain fatty acids, which are related to "goaty" flavor, were significantly lower in the Probio-M8 treatment compared with the control. The number of living Probio-M8 decreased from 8.27 log cfu/mL (1.80 × 108 cfu/mL) to 7.94 log cfu/mL (0.79 × 108 cfu/mL) after 28 d of storage. Titratable acidity and pH value did not differ between the control group and experimental group (containing Probio-M8). Sensory evaluation indicated a lower goaty flavor and odor in the Probio-M8 fermented milk. Our results suggest that the addition of the probiotic Probio-M8 could improve the sensory, physicochemical, and functional properties of fermented goat milk.

Protective effects of whey protein hydrolysate on Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Probio-M8 during freeze-drying and storage.

We evaluated the potential of whey protein hydrolysate as a lyoprotectant for maintaining the cell viability of Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis Probio-M8 during freeze-drying and subsequent storage. The moisture content and water activity of the lyophilized samples treated by different concentrations of whey protein hydrolysate were ≤5.23 ± 0.33 g/100 g and ≤0.102 ± 0.003, respectively. During storage at 25°C and 30°C, whey protein hydrolysate had a stronger protective effect on B. lactis Probio-M8 than the same concentration of whey protein. Using the Excel tool GinaFit, we estimated the microbial inactivation kinetics during storage. Whey protein hydrolysate reduced cell damage caused by an increase in temperature. Whey protein hydrolysate could protect cells by increasing the osmotic pressure as a compatible solute. Whey protein hydrolysate improved cell membrane integrity and reduced the amounts of reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde produced. The findings indicated that whey protein hydrolysate was a novel antioxidant lyoprotectant that could protect probiotics during freeze-drying and storage.

Clinical effect of intravascular interventional therapy in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke and its influence on cognitive function, cerebral hemodynamics and inflammatory factors.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical effect of intravascular interventional therapy in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke and its influence on cognitive function, cerebral hemodynamics and inflammatory factors as well as its clinical significance. Methods: Eighty patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to Tangxian people's Hospital from January 2018 to January 2020 were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in the control group were treated with conventional thrombolytic therapy on the basis of basic treatment, while patients in the experimental group were given intravascular interventional treatment on the basis of conventional treatment. Clinical effect, recovery of cognitive function and activities of daily living, improvement of cerebral hemodynamics indexes, and changes of inflammatory factors before and after treatment were analyzed by combining NIHSS score and symptom improvement before and two months after treatment, respectively. Results: The effective rate of the experimental group was 82.5% after treatment, and that of the control group was 60%, with a statistically significant difference (P =0.02). Mini-mental State Examination (MMSE) and Barthel scores of the experimental group were significantly improved compared with those of the control group after treatment, with statistically significant differences between the two groups (P=0.00). The mean cerebral vascular blood flow (Qm) of the experimental group increased significantly after treatment compared with that of the control group, while vascular characteristic impedance (ZCV) and peripheral resistance (Rv) decreased significantly in the experimental, with a statistically significant difference (ZCV, P=0.01; Rv, P=0.05); After treatment, TNF- A, CRP, IL-6 and other indicators in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group, with statistically significant differences (P=0.00). Conclusions: Intravascular interventional therapy is an effective treatment regimen for acute ischemic stroke boasting a variety of advantages over conventional thrombolysis, such as significant symptom improvement, high efficacy, favourable recovery of cognitive function and activities of daily living, improvement of cerebral hsemodynamic indicators, and significant reduction of inflammatory cytokine levels.

E2F6/KDM5C promotes SF3A3 expression and bladder cancer progression through a specific hypomethylated DNA promoter.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal expression of splicing factor 3A subunit 3 (SF3A3), a component of the spliceosome, has been confirmed to be related to the occurrence and development of various cancers. However, the expression and function of SF3A3 in bladder cancer (BC) remains unclear. METHODS: The SF3A3 mRNA and protein level were measured in clinical samples and cell lines by quantitative real-time PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence staining. Evaluate the clinical correlation between SF3A3 expression and clinicopathological characteristics through statistical analysis in BC patients. The function of SF3A3 in BC cells was determined in vitro using MTT and colony analysis. Co-immunoprecipitation (CoIP) assay was used to detected E2F6 and KDM5C interaction. Luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) were used to examine the relationship between E2F6/KDM5C and SF3A3 expression. RESULTS: In the present study, we demonstrated that expression of SF3A3 was elevated in BC tissue compared to the normal bladder tissue. Importantly, the upregulation of SF3A3 in patients was correlated with poor prognosis. Additionally, overexpression of SF3A3 promoted while depletion of SF3A3 reduced the growth of BC cells in vivo and in vitro. Data from the TCGA database and clinical samples revealed that hypomethylation of the DNA promoter leads to high expression of SF3A3 in BC tissue. We found that upregulation of lysine-specific demethylase 5C (KDM5C) promotes SF3A3 expression via hypomethylation of the DNA promoter. The transcription factor E2F6 interacts with KDM5C, recruits KDM5C to the SF3A3 promoter, and demethylates the GpC island of H3K4me2, leading to high SF3A3 expression and BC progression. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that depletion of the KDM5C/SF3A3 prevents the growth of BC in vivo and in vitro. The E2F6/KDM5C/SF3A3 pathway may be a potential therapeutic target for BC treatment.

Recovering large-scale battery aging dataset with machine learning.

Batteries are crucial for building a clean and sustainable society, and their performance is highly affected by aging status. Reliable battery health assessment, however, is currently restrained by limited access to sufficient aging data, resulting from not only complicated battery operations but also long aging experimental time (several months or even years). Refining industrial datasets (e.g., the field data from electric vehicle batteries) unlocks opportunities to acquire large-volume aging data with low experimental efforts. We introduce the potential of combining industrial data with accelerated aging tests to recover high-quality battery aging datasets, through a migration-based machine learning. A comprehensive dataset containing 8,947 aging cycles with 15 operational modes is collected for evaluation. While saving up to 90% experimental time, aging data can be recovered with ultra-low error within 1%. It provides an alternative solution to significantly improve data shortage issues for assessment of battery and energy storage aging.

The reasons and countermeasures of Bladder Rupture caused by Transurethral Clot Evacuation.

OBJECTIVE: Bladder rupture caused by transurethral clot evacuation is rare in clinic, but an emergency operation is indeed needed in the patient with bladder rupture. We analyzed the reasons of bladder rupture caused by transurethral clot evacuation and provided the countermeasures to guide clinical surgeon to prevent the iatrogenic damage of bladder. METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 287 patients in our hospital, who had bladder tamponade resulting from clots of blood for various reasons and underwent transurethral clot evacuation from January 2007 to January 2019. Six male cases, aged from 28 to 76 years (mean 56.67±17.76) had bladder rupture. Four patients whose bladder ruptured intraperitoneally were changed to open surgery to repair bladder and clear the remanent blood clots. Two patients with extraperitoneal bladder rupture and a small bladder crevasse underwent a conservative therapy. RESULTS: We observed that the incidence rate of bladder rupture was not associated with bladder tamponade and the age, but may be associated with gender, bladder paracentesis preoperative and urinary retention preoperative. All six cases were male.. They had different period of urinary retention before operation. No supra-pubis bladder paracentesis was made before operation. The bladder crevasses located in the triangle zone and posterior wall of bladder entirely, and the length of the bladder crevasses ranged from 3 to 7cm (mean 4.83cm). The bladder crevasses were all lengthways, and four cases were of' bladders ruptured intraperitoneally while another two presented an extraperitoneal bladder rupture. CONCLUSIONS: The reasons of bladder rupture caused by transurethral clot evacuation may be related to gender, bladder paracentesis preoperative and urinary retention preoperative. We should decide to use expectant treatment or open surgery immediately according to the extent of the rupture when bladder rupture occurs.

RBM24 exacerbates bladder cancer progression by forming a Runx1t1/TCF4/miR-625-5p feedback loop.

RNA-binding motif protein 24 (RBM24) acts as a multifunctional determinant of cell fate, proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation during development by regulating premRNA splicing and mRNA stability. It is also implicated in carcinogenesis, but the functions of RBM24 in bladder cancer (BC) remain unclear. In the present study, we revealed that RBM24 was upregulated in BC tissues. Importantly, we found that a higher level of RBM24 was correlated with poor prognosis in BC patients. Overexpression of RBM24 promoted BC cell proliferation, while depletion of RBM24 inhibited BC cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, RBM24 positively regulated Runx1t1 expression in BC cells by binding to and enhancing Runx1t1 mRNA stability. Furthermore, Runx1t1 in turn promoted RBM24 expression by interacting with the transcription factor TCF4 and suppressing the transcription of miR-625-5p, which directly targets RBM24 and suppresses RBM24 expression. RBM24-regulated BC cell proliferation was moderated via the Runx1t1/TCF4/miR-625-5p feedback loop. These results indicate that the RBM24/Runx1t1/TCF4/miR-625-5p positive feedback loop participates in BC progression. Disruption of this pathway may be a potential therapeutic strategy for BC treatment.

CDK13 upregulation-induced formation of the positive feedback loop among circCDK13, miR-212-5p/miR-449a and E2F5 contributes to prostate carcinogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Both E2F transcription factor and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), which increase or decrease E2F activity by phosphorylating E2F or its partner, are involved in the control of cell proliferation, and some circRNAs and miRNAs regulate the expression of E2F and CDKs. However, little is known about whether dysregulation among E2Fs, CDKs, circRNAs and miRNAs occurs in human PCa. METHODS: The expression levels of CDK13 in PCa tissues and different cell lines were determined by quantitative real-time PCR and Western blot analysis. In vitro and in vivo assays were preformed to explore the biological effects of CDK13 in PCa cells. Co-immunoprecipitation anlysis coupled with mass spectrometry was used to identify E2F5 interaction with CDK13. A CRISPR-Cas9 complex was used to activate endogenous CDK13 and circCDK13 expression. Furthermore, the mechanism of circCDK13 was investigated by using loss-of-function and gain-of-function assays in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS: Here we show that CDK13 is significantly upregulated in human PCa tissues. CDK13 depletion and overexpression in PCa cells decrease and increase, respectively, cell proliferation, and the pro-proliferation effect of CDK13 is strengthened by its interaction with E2F5. Mechanistically, transcriptional activation of endogenous CDK13, but not the forced expression of CDK13 by its expression vector, remarkably promotes E2F5 protein expression by facilitating circCDK13 formation. Further, the upregulation of E2F5 enhances CDK13 transcription and promotes circCDK13 biogenesis, which in turn sponges miR-212-5p/449a and thus relieves their repression of the E2F5 expression, subsequently leading to the upregulation of E2F5 expression and PCa cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that CDK13 upregulation-induced formation of the positive feedback loop among circCDK13, miR-212-5p/miR-449a and E2F5 is responsible for PCa development. Targeting this newly identified regulatory axis may provide therapeutic benefit against PCa progression and drug resistance.

Cholinergic α5 nicotinic receptor is involved in the proliferation and invasion of human prostate cancer cells.

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subunit α5 (α5­nAChR) is involved in tumor cell proliferation, inhibition of apoptosis, progression of metastasis, and induction of angiogenesis in certain solid tumors. However, the role of α5­nAChR in prostate cancer cell growth and metastasis is unclear. In the present study, the role of α5­nAChR in cell proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis was investigated by silencing the expression levels of α5­nAChR in the prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and PC3. A siRNA oligonucleotide targeting α5­nAChR was designed. The cell proliferation of DU145 and PC3 cell lines was analyzed by the Cell Counting Kit­8 (CCK­8) assay. Cell migratory and invasive activities were determined using wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. Western blot analysis was used to quantify α5­nAChR, p­AKT and p­ERK1/2 levels in DU145 and PC3 cells. Knockdown of α5­nAChR was associated with decreased cell proliferation, migration, invasion and increased apoptosis. In addition, decreased phosphorylation levels of AKT and ERK1/2 were revealed following α5­nAChR knockdown in DU145 and PC3 cells compared with those observed in the scramble control samples. The expression levels of the apoptosis­related proteins were altered following silencing of α5­nAChR. In summary, the data indicated that α5­nAChR was involved in the proliferation and invasion of human prostate cancer cells.

The involvement of FBP1 in prostate cancer cell epithelial mesenchymal transition, invasion and metastasis by regulating the MAPK signaling pathway.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is a frequently occurring malignancy in males, and epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a critical role in PCa metastasis. Thus, developing biomarkers inhibiting EMT may provide significance for treatment of PCa. Hence, the aim of the current study was to investigate the mechanism by which FBP1 gene silencing influences PCa cell EMT, invasion and metastasis by mediating the MAPK pathway. PCa cell lines exhibiting the highest FBP1 expression were selected and treated with plasmids of siRNA-FBP1 sequence 1 and 2, pcDNA3.1-Flag-FBP1 (over-expression plasmid of FBP1), U0126 (an inhibitor of the ERK signaling pathway) and PD98059 (an inhibitor of the MEK signaling pathway). Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were detected by MTT assay, wound healing assay and Transwell assay, respectively. The mRNA and protein expression of related factors of EMT and MAPK signaling were determined by RT-qPCR and western blot analysis, respectively. Xenograft tumor growth after inoculation of DU145 cells was regularly analyzed in the nude mice. The positive expression of EMT markers was determined by immunohistochemistry. DU-145 and PC-3 cells displaying the highest FBP1 expression were selected for further analysis. The PCa cells treated with siRNA-FBP1 exhibited increased proliferation, migration rate and invasion, in addition to facilitated xenograft tumor growth. Notably, siRNA-FBP1 was identified to accelerate PCa cell EMT by elevating the expression of Vimentin and N-cadherin while diminishing E-cadherin expression via activation of the MAPK signaling pathway. The aforementioned results were reversed in PCa cells treated by pcDNA3.1-Flag-FBP1. Evidence has been provided in this study that FBP1 gene silencing activates the MAPK pathway, which ultimately promotes cell EMT, invasion and metastasis in PCa.

Down-regulated RBM5 inhibits bladder cancer cell apoptosis by initiating an miR-432-5p/ß-catenin feedback loop.

RNA-binding motif protein 5 (RBM5) acts as a tumor suppressor in various human cancers and presents with several important characteristics, such as the potentiation of apoptosis, inhibition of the cell cycle, and alternative splicing of Fas and caspase-2 precursor mRNA. However, its role in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BUC) remains unknown. In this study, we found that RBM5 expression was significantly down-regulated in BUC tissues when compared with the adjacent nontumor tissues. The down-regulation of RBM5 activates ß-catenin, which binds to the T-cell factor/lymphocyte enhancer factor element of the miR-432-5p promoter and elevates the expression of miR-432-5p in bladder cancer cells. The up-regulated miR-432-5p directly targets 3'-UTR and depresses RBM5 expression. Thus, RBM5-miR-432-5p-ß-catenin forms a feedback loop in regulating bladder cancer cell apoptosis. Our findings provide evidence that the regulatory feedback loop among RBM5, miR-432-5p, and Wnt-ß-catenin is responsible for the progress of bladder cancer cells.-Zhang, Y.-P., Liu, K.-L., Wang, Y.-X., Yang, Z., Han, Z.-W., Lu, B.-S., Qi, J.-C., Yin, Y.-W., Teng, Z.-H., Chang, X.-L., Li, J.-D., Xin, H., Li, W. Down-regulated RBM5 inhibits bladder cancer cell apoptosis by initiating an miR-432-5p/ß-catenin feedback loop.

Upregulation of NPL4 promotes bladder cancer cell proliferation by inhibiting DXO destabilization of cyclin D1 mRNA.

BACKGROUND: NPL4 is an important cofactor of the valosin-containing protein (VCP)-NPL4-UFD1 complex. The VCP-NPL4-UFD1 has been considered as a ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) regulator and response to protein degradation. While NPL4 plays important roles in various diseases, little is known about its functions in bladder cancer (BC). METHODS: MTT assays and colony forming test were performed to evaluate cell proliferation ability and Western blotting was used to detect protein expression. Cyclin D1 mRNA expression was detected using qRT-PCR, and coimmunoprecipitation (CoIP) was used to detect protein-protein interactions. RESULTS: NPL4 was upregulated in BC tissue and correlated with poor prognosis. Upregulation of NPL4 promoted cell proliferation while suppression of NPL4 reduced BC cell proliferation. Upregulation of NPL4 led to overexpression of cyclin D1 by enhancing its mRNA stability. Moreover, NPL4 was found to bind directly to DXO and induce its degradation. DXO was downregulated in BC tissue and regulated BC cell proliferation by destabilizing cyclin D1 mRNA. DXO-mediated NPL4 regulated BC cell proliferation by stabilizing cyclin D1 expression. CONCLUSIONS: The NPL4/DXO/cyclin D1 axis exert crucial role in BC cell growth and is associated with prognosis and may represent a potential therapeutic target for BC.

miR-20b-5p, TGFBR2, and E2F1 Form a Regulatory Loop to Participate in Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Prostate Cancer.

The transcription factor E2F1 regulates the expression of the miR-20b-5p precursor and is involved in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) induces EMT in prostate cancer (PCa) by binding to TGF-beta receptor 2 (TGFBR2) to activate TGF-ß signaling. However, the relationship between TGFBR2, E2F1, and miR-20b-5p in the modulation of EMT in PCa cells remains unknown. In this study, we found that the level of miR-20b-5p expression was significantly lower in PC3 and DU145 cells than that in prostate epithelial (RWPE-1) cells, and TGF-ß1 treatment further down-regulated miR-20b-5p expression in these two cell lines. Functional studies showed that miR-20b-5p suppressed TGF-ß1-induced migration and invasion of PC3 and DU145 cells by up-regulating E-cadherin and down-regulating vimentin, leading to TGF-ß1-induced inhibition of EMT. Using gain and loss of function experiments, it was shown that E2F1 mediated TGF-ß1 regulation of miR-20b-5p expression. Further, a luciferase activity assay showed that TGFBR2 was a direct target of miR-20b-5p in PCa cells. These results suggest that miR-20b-5p, TGFBR2, and E2F1 form a regulatory loop to modulate EMT induced by TGF-ß1. A novel regulatory mechanism underlying the miR-20b-5p/TGFBR2/E2F1 axis is involved in TGF-ß1-induced EMT of PCa cells, and miR-20b-5p may be a potential therapeutic target for PCa.

Dysregulation of p53-RBM25-mediated circAMOTL1L biogenesis contributes to prostate cancer progression through the circAMOTL1L-miR-193a-5p-Pcdha pathway.

p53, circRNAs and miRNAs are important components of the regulatory network that activates the EMT program in cancer metastasis. In prostate cancer (PCa), however, it has not been investigated whether and how p53 regulates EMT by circRNAs and miRNAs. Here we show that a Amotl1-derived circRNA, termed circAMOTL1L, is downregulated in human PCa, and that decreased circAMOTL1L facilitates PCa cell migration and invasion through downregulating E-cadherin and upregulating vimentin, thus leading to EMT and PCa progression. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that circAMOTL1L serves as a sponge for binding miR-193a-5p in PCa cells, relieving miR-193a-5p repression of Pcdha gene cluster (a subset of the cadherin superfamily members). Accordingly, dysregulation of the circAMOTL1L-miR-193a-5p-Pcdha8 regulatory pathway mediated by circAMOTL1L downregulation contributes to PCa growth in vivo. Further, we show that RBM25 binds directly to circAMOTL1L and induces its biogenesis, whereas p53 regulates EMT via direct activation of RBM25 gene. These findings have linked p53/RBM25-mediated circAMOTL1L-miR-193a-5p-Pcdha regulatory axis to EMT in metastatic progression of PCa. Targeting this newly identified regulatory axis provides a potential therapeutic strategy for aggressive PCa.

Silencing of miR-193a-5p increases the chemosensitivity of prostate cancer cells to docetaxel.

BACKGROUND: Docetaxel-based chemotherapy failure in advanced prostate carcinoma has partly been attributed to the resistance of prostate cancer (PC) cells to docetaxel-induced apoptosis. Hence, there is an urgent need to identify mechanisms of docetaxel chemoresistance and to develop new combination therapies. METHODS: miR-193a-5p level was evaluated by qPCR in prostate tissues and cell lines, and its expression in the tissues was also examined by in situ hybridization. PC cell line (PC3 cell) was transfected with miR-193a-5p mimic or its inhibitor, and then cell apoptosis and the expression of its downstream genes Bach2 and HO-1 were detected by TUNEL staining and Western blotting. Luciferase reporter assay was used to detect the effect of miR-193a-5p and Bach2 on HO-1 expression. Xenograft animal model was used to test the effect of miR-193a-5p and docetaxel on PC3 xenograft growth. RESULTS: miR-193a-5p was upregulated in PC tissues and PC cell lines, with significant suppression of PC3 cell apoptosis induced by oxidative stress. Mechanistically, miR-193a-5p suppressed the expression of Bach2, a repressor of the HO-1 gene, by directly targeting the Bach2 mRNA 3'-UTR. Docetaxel treatment modestly decreased Bach2 expression and increased HO-1 level in PC3 cells, whereas a modest increase of HO-1 facilitated docetaxel-induced apoptosis. Notably, docetaxel-induced miR-193a-5p upregulation, which in turn inhibits Bach2 expression and thus relieves Bach2 repression of HO-1 expression, partly counteracted docetaxel-induced apoptosis, as evidenced by the increased Bcl-2 and decreased Bax expression. Accordingly, silencing of miR-193a-5p enhanced sensitization of PC3 cells to docetaxel-induced apoptosis. Finally, depletion of miR-193a-5p significantly reduced PC xenograft growth in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Silencing of miR-193a-5p or blockade of the miR-193a-5p-Bach2-HO-1 pathway may be a novel therapeutic approach for castration-resistant PC.

ABL-N may induce apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells through suppression of KLF5, ICAM-1 and Stat5b, and upregulation of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio: An in vitro and in vivo study.

Identification of novel botanicals that can selectively induce apoptosis and arrest growth of cancer cells without producing cytotoxic effects is highly appreciable for cancer therapy. The present study aimed to investigate the possibility of acetylbritannilactone (ABL) derivative 5-(5-(ethylperoxy)pentan-2-yl)-6-methyl-3-methylene-2-oxo-2,3,3a,4,7,7a­hexahydroben-zofuran-4-yl2-(6-methoxynaphthalen-2-yl) propanoate (ABL-N) as a therapeutic agent in human prostate cancer and potential mechanisms. Human prostate cancer cells were treated with ABL-N of different concentrations (0, 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 µmol/l). Cell viability, migration and apoptosis were determined. Activities of caspases were assayed, as well as protein expression of cancer­related proteins KLF5, Stat5b and ICAM-1 in PC3 cells. The therapeutic effect of ABL-N was further evaluated in our tumor xenografts. ABL-N inhibited growth of prostate cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, without obvious effect on normal human prostate epithelial PrEC cells. ABL-N administration induced apoptosis of PC3 cells in a dose-dependent manner, along with the enhanced activity of caspases and increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Expression of KLF5, Stat5b and ICAM-1 was significantly downregulated in PC3 cells. Our in vivo study further confirmed that ABL-N significantly inhibited the tumor growth of PC3 cells in the xenograft mouse model. ABL-N induces apoptosis of prostate cancer cells through activation of caspases, increasing the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2, as well as suppression of KLF5, Stat5b and ICAM-1 expressions. The present study indicated that ABL-N may be a potential therapeutic drug for human prostate cancer, and our data supported further studies to explore the therapeutic potential of ABL-N in other types of human cancer.

Radical gastrectomy with hepatoarterial catheter implantation for late-stage gastric cancer.

AIM: To determine the optimal type of surgery for late-stage gastric cancer with hepatic metastases. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 49 gastrectomies for late-stage gastric cancer conducted in the First Hospital Affiliated to Henan University of Science and Technology between September 2003 and September 2010. All gastrectomy operations were divided into two groups: radical resection (gastrectomy and simultaneous resection of hepatic metastases, n = 31), and palliative resection (gastrectomy without hepatic resection, n = 18). All 49 patients had chemotherapy catheter implantation in the hepatic artery via the gastroduodenal artery. Postoperative complications and cumulative survival rates of the two groups were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the number of perioperative complications between the radical and palliative resection groups (6 and 3 cases, respectively, P > 0.05). The incidence of long-term complications including ileus (3 in the radical resection and 2 in the palliative resection groups) and anastomosis (2 cases in each group) was not significantly different (P > 0.05). The cumulative survival rate was significantly lower in the palliative resection group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Radical gastrectomy with resection of hepatic metastases and hepatoarterial catheter implantation is the recommended surgery for late-stage gastric cancer patients with hepatic metastases.

Convenient detection of HPV virus in a clinical sample using concurrent rolling circle and junction probe amplifications.

Herein we show that two isothermal amplification strategies, rolling circle amplification and junction probe strategy, can be used in tandem in the same tube under isothermal conditions to detect HPV16 in clinical cervical swabs. It was discovered that the prior treatment of the clinical sample with a cocktail of restriction endonucleases (REAses) to digest the genomic DNA facilitated the isothermal detection assay.