Retracted: Overexpression of Neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) Gene Contributes to Surgical Repair of Brachial Plexus Injury After Contralateral C7 Nerve Root Transfer in Rats.

Retracted on the author's request: "We would like to withdraw our manuscript. We restarted the project for further study last year, we found that the results in this study are not solid enough and need to be further explored." Reference: Zong-Qiang Wang, Dian-Hui Xiu, Gui-Feng Liu, Jin-Lan Jiang. Overexpression of Neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) Gene Contributes to Surgical Repair of Brachial Plexus Injury After Contralateral C7 Nerve Root Transfer in Rats. Med Sci Monit 2018; 24: 5779-5787; DOI: 10.12659/MSM.908144.

Long non-coding RNA XIST binding to let-7c-5p contributes to rheumatoid arthritis through its effects on proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts via regulation of STAT3.

BACKGROUND: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic autoimmune disease, affects around 1% population worldwide, with the life quality of patients severely reduced. In this study, it is intended to explore the role of long non-coding RNA X-inactive specific transcript (lncRNA XIST) in RA and the underlying mechanisms associated with let-7c-5p and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3). METHODS: LncRNA XIST, let-7c-5p, and STAT3 expressions were determined in RA and normal cartilage tissues, and their relationship was analyzed in osteoblasts. The regulatory effects of lncRNA XIST in RA were investigated when XIST expression was upregulated or downregulated in osteoblasts. TNF-α, IL-2, IL-6, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), osteocalcin, TGF-ß1, and IGF1 were measured in vivo in RA rats. RESULTS: LncRNA XIST and STAT3 were expressed at high levels and let-7c-5p expressed at a low level in RA cartilage tissues. LncRNA XIST silencing or let-7c-5p enhancement led to decreased levels of TNF-α, IL-2, and IL-6, suggestive of suppressed inflammatory response, and increased levels of ALP, osteocalcin, TGF-ß1, and IGF-1 as well as reduced damage in cartilage tissues. CONCLUSION: LncRNA XIST downregulation could promote proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts in RA, serving as a future therapeutic target for RA.

[Retracted] Diagnostic and prognostic value of contrast­enhanced ultrasound combined with diffusion­weighted magnetic resonance imaging in different subtypes of breast cancer.

Int J Mol Med 42: [Related article:] 105­114, 2018; DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2018.3591. The authors have requested that their research article entitled 'Diagnostic and prognostic value of contrast­enhanced ultrasound combined with diffusion­weighted magnetic resonance imaging in different subtypes of breast cancer' published in International Journal of Molecular Medicine 42, 105­114, 2018, be retracted. This study was conceived jointly by the research institute of the authors' hospital (Jilin University China­Japan Friendship Hospital) and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, and the clinical data were obtained from the two institutes. It is regrettable that the scientific research unit of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University did not authorize the publication of these results, and the authors have subsequently received an official request from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University to retract this paper, since the results of their article have infringed the scientific research rights of the third party. The Editor of International Journal of Molecular Medicine agrees that the article should be retracted from the publication in view of the infringement of the scientific rights of the third party. All the named authors agree to this retraction. The authors apologize to the Editor and to the readership of the Journal, and regret any inconvenience this will cause.

Downregulation of the long noncoding RNA MBNL1-AS1 protects sevoflurane-pretreated mice against ischemia-reperfusion injury by targeting KCNMA1.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the most common and cost-effective treatment for older adults with long-standing osteoarthritis. During TKA, muscle cells suffer from prolonged oxygen deficiency, which leads to altered cell metabolism that reduces the energy demand and maintains cell homeostasis before blood flow is restored. This study focused on the role of the lncRNA muscleblind-like 1 antisense RNA 1 (MBNL1-AS1) in protecting sevoflurane-pretreated mice against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury after TKA, as well as the elucidation of the potential associated mechanism. Identification of differentially expressed lncRNAs was performed using the microarray dataset GSE21164, which was extracted from the GEO database. Target genes of the lncRNA were determined using Multi-Experiment Matrix (MEM), a dual-luciferase reporter gene assay, and KEGG enrichment analyses. The results showed that MBNL1-AS1 was overexpressed in skeletal muscle cells in mice, while KCNMA1, which was enriched in the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, was negatively regulated by MBNL1-AS1. Furthermore, I/R mice displayed serious inflammatory reactions. Down-regulation of MBNL1-AS1 increased the expression of KCNMA1, PKGII, VASP, VEGF, Bcl-2, Cyclin D1, Cyclin D3, and Cdc 42 but decreased the expression of Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved PARP. Furthermore, upon MBNL1-AS1 upregulation, the rate of cell apoptosis increased while the rate of cell proliferation decreased. Our data suggested that down-regulated lncRNA MBNL1-AS1 might promote the proliferation and inhibit the apoptosis of skeletal muscle cells by upregulating KCNMA1 expression via activation of the cGMP-PKG signaling pathway, thus protecting sevoflurane-pretreated mice against I/R injury after TKA.

Overexpression of Neuregulin-1 (NRG-1) Gene Contributes to Surgical Repair of Brachial Plexus Injury After Contralateral C7 Nerve Root Transfer in Rats.

BACKGROUND Surgeons usually transfer the contralateral C7 to the median nerve on the injured side via a nerve graft to recover sensation and movement in a paralyzed hand. The purpose of our study was to determine whether NRG-1 affects the recovery of nerve function in brachial plexus injury after contralateral C7 nerve root transfer in a rat model. MATERIAL AND METHODS An injury model of left brachial plexus and contralateral C7 nerve root transfer was established. Four weeks after the operation, NRG-1 expression was examined by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis. The diameter rate differences of the healthy limb and affected limb were estimated. The postoperative mass of the left latissimus dorsi, triceps, extensor carpi radialis brevis, and musculus extensor digitorum were examined. The number of nerve fibers and typical area of the affected side were assessed. Postoperative left motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) and motor nerve action potential (MNAP) were tested by use of a biological information recording and collecting system. RESULTS Eukaryotic expression plasmid of pcDNA4/myc/A-NRG-1 was successfully constructed, and NRG-1 was overexpressed. Compared with the model group, the NRG-1 group had a lower rate of differences of the limbs; higher mass of left latissimus dorsi, triceps, extensor carpi radialis brevis, and musculus extensor digitorum; more nerve fibers and larger typical area in the affected side, left MNCV, and MNAP; and wider CSA of the left triceps. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrated that NRG-1 can promote recovery of nerve function in brachial plexus injury after contralateral C7 nerve root transfer in rats.

Diagnostic and prognostic values of contrast­enhanced ultrasound combined with diffusion­weighted magnetic resonance imaging in different subtypes of breast cancer.

The present study aimed to investigate the diagnostic and prognostic values of contrast­enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) combined with diffusion­weighted magnetic resonance imaging (DW­MRI) in different subtypes of breast cancer (BC). CEUS and DW­MRI were conducted in 232 patients with BC prior to surgical treatment. Patients were categorized as having the luminal A subtype, the luminal B subtype, triple­negative subtype or the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her­2)­positive subtype according to their expression of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR) and Her­2, as detected by immunohistochemistry. The CEUS and DW­MRI parameters of patients with different subtypes of BC were obtained and analyzed. The risk factors for the prognosis of patients with different subtypes of BC were analyzed using Kaplan­Meier and COX regression analyses. The diagnostic accuracy rate of CEUS combined with DW­MRI (93.10%) was higher than that of CEUS (88.79%) or DW­MRI (82.33%) alone. The local recurrence rate and distant metastasis rate of the Her­2­positive subtype were the highest among all the subtypes. Furthermore, patients with Her­2­positive BC exhibited a higher proportion of lesions with indistinct margins and histological grade III. Lymph node metastasis and BC subtype were independent risk factors for the prognosis of BC. The overall survival and disease­free survival of patients with the luminal A subtype were higher than those of patients with the Her­2­positive subtype. The results of the current study therefore indicate that CEUS combined with DW­MRI is more effective at diagnosing the different subtypes of BC than either CEUS or DW­MRI alone.

Role of lentivirus-mediated overexpression of SOCS3 in proliferation and apoptosis of fibroblasts-like synoviocytes in Lewis rats with adjuvant-induced rheumatoid arthritis.

The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of lentivirus-mediated overexpression of the SOCS3 gene on proliferation and apoptosis of fibroblasts-like synoviocytes (FLSs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). A total of 20 Lewis rats were randomly assigned into experimental and normal groups. Rats in the experimental group were modeled with adjuvant arthritisand the normal group was given no treatment. After culture for 28 days, rats in the experimental group were sacrificed, and the third-generation FLSs were collected and randomly allocated into SOCS3 group, control group, and blank group. MTT assay was used for detecting cell viability, flow cytometry was used for analysis ofcell apoptosis, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to determine levels of inflammatory factors (interleukin [IL]-2, interferon [IFN-γ] and tumor necrosis factor [TNF-α]). MTT assay showed that the optical density of the SOCS3 group was significantly higher than that of the control and blank groups. Flow cytometry showed that the apoptosis rate of FLSs in the SOCS3 group was significantly lower than that in the control and blank groups. The results of ELISA assay showed that the levels of IL-2, IFN-γ and TNF-α in the SOCS3 group were higher than those in the control and blank groups. Our study demonstrates that over-expression of SOCS3 promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of FLSs in RA.

A network meta-analysis on the short-term efficacy and adverse events of different anti-osteoporosis drugs for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

A network meta-analysis was conducted to compare the short-term efficacy and adverse events of different drugs for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis (PMO), providing a more effective treatment for PMO. We initially searched through various databases like PubMed, Cochrane Library, and EMBASE from inception till October 2016. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of drugs for the treatment of PMO were included for direct and indirect comparison. A combination of direct and indirect evidence of different inhibitors of anti-diabetic drugs for treatment of PMO were considered for calculating the weighted mean difference (WMD) value or odd ratio (OR) value and to draw surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) curves. Twenty-seven RCTs were ultimately incorporated into this network meta-analysis comprising of 48 200 patients suffering from PMO. The network meta-analysis revealed that compared with placebo, alendronate had better efficacy on improving bone mineral density (BMD) at lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip. Risedronate and raloxifene had relatively lower incidence of new vertebral fractures. The SUCRA analysis showed that alendronate had better efficacy on improving BMD, risedronate could significantly decrease the incidence of fresh fracture and bazedoxifene was relatively safe. The available evidence suggested that alendronate and risedronate might be the superior choices for the treatment of PMO, while bazedoxifene was a comparatively safer option for patients.