Geranylgeranylacetone promotes human osteosarcoma cell apoptosis by inducing the degradation of PRMT1 through the E3 ubiquitin ligase CHIP.

Geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), an inducer of heat shock proteins, exerts anticancer activity in some tumours. However, the effect of GGA on human osteosarcoma (OS) has not been reported. This work is designed to evaluate the effect of GGA on the proliferation and apoptosis of human OS cells and to explore the underlying mechanisms. It was found that GGA markedly inhibited the proliferation and induced apoptosis of U-2 OS cells in a dose-dependent manner and also up-regulated the expression of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70). The degradation and ubiquitination of protein arginine N-methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) were obviously enhanced in U-2 OS cells with CHIP overexpression and GGA treatment. The expression of PRMT1 was reversed in GGA-treated cell after CHIP knockdown. The turnover of PRMT1 was obviously faster in cells overexpressing CHIP than that in control cells. The methylation and activity of STAT3 were induced by PRMT1, resulting in the inhibition of FAS transcription. Overexpression of PRMT1 reversed the effect of GGA on activation of apoptosis-related proteins and U-2 OS cell apoptosis. The expressions of PRMT1 were significantly up-regulated in OS tissues compared with the adjacent normal tissues and benign bone tumours. In conclusion, GGA promotes the degradation of PRMT1 through the Hsp70-CHIP-mediated proteasome pathway, thereby inducing the FAS-triggered cell apoptosis. Inhibition of PRMT1 may be a potential therapeutic strategy for OS patients.

MRI-based radiomics signature for pretreatment prediction of pathological response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in osteosarcoma: a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a radiomics signature based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) from multicenter datasets for preoperative prediction of pathologic response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with osteosarcoma. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 102 patients with histologically confirmed osteosarcoma who received chemotherapy before treatment from 4 hospitals (68 in the primary cohort and 34 in the external validation cohort). Quantitative imaging features were extracted from contrast-enhanced fat-suppressed T1-weighted images (CE FS T1WI). Four classification methods, i.e., the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression (LASSO-LR), support vector machine (SVM), Gaussian process (GP), and Naive Bayes (NB) algorithm, were compared for feature selection and radiomics signature construction. The predictive performance of the radiomics signatures was assessed with the area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC), calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). RESULTS: Thirteen radiomics features selected based on the LASSO-LR classifier were adopted to construct the radiomics signature, which was significantly associated with the pathologic response. The prediction model achieved the best performance between good and poor responders with an AUC of 0.882 (95% CI, 0.837-0.918) in the primary cohort. Calibration curves showed good agreement. Similarly, findings were validated in the external validation cohort with good performance (AUC, 0.842 [95% CI, 0.793-0.883]) and good calibration. DCA analysis confirmed the clinical utility of the selected radiomics signature. CONCLUSION: The constructed CE FS T1WI-radiomics signature with excellent performance could provide a potential tool to predict pathologic response to NAC in patients with osteosarcoma. KEY POINTS: • The radiomics signature based on multicenter contrast-enhanced MRI was useful to predict response to NAC. • The prediction model obtained with the LASSO-LR classifier achieved the best performance. • The baseline clinical characteristics were not associated with response to NAC.

Optimal Starting Age and Baseline Level for Repeat Tests: Economic Concerns of PSA Screening for Chinese Men - 10-Year Experience of a Single Center.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the optimal age for the baseline serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and for repeat screening and its economic burden in a single center in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 35,533 men with PSA screening were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Follow-ups were conducted in 1,586 men with PSA >4 ng/mL, and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were employed to investigate the optimal cutoffs. RESULTS: ROC analysis indicated that the optimal age for initial PSA screening was 57.5 years (AUC = 0.84), 62.5 years (AUC = 0.902), 60.5 years (AUC = 0.909), and 61.5 years (AUC = 0.890) for individuals with PSA >4 and >10 ng/mL, a diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa), and clinically significant PCa defined as the focus events, respectively. For Chinese men aged 50-59, 60-69, and >70 years, the initial PSA levels of 1.305 ng/mL (AUC = 0.699), 1.975 ng/mL (AUC = 0.711), and 2.740 ng/mL (AUC = 0.720) might have a PSA velocity >0.75 ng/mL per year during the follow-up. In addition, the total cost amounts to CNY 13,609,260 in these cases, but only 60 of the 35,533 (0.17%) men gained benefit from PSA screening. CONCLUSION: In our opinion, the optimal starting age for initial PSA testing was 57.5 years. The necessity for repeat screening should be based on the first PSA level depending on age. A cost--benefit analysis should be included in population-based screening.

Influence of hole transport material/metal contact interface on perovskite solar cells.

Interfaces have a significant impact on the performance of perovskite solar cells. This work investigated the influence of hole transport material/metal contact interface on photovoltaic behaviours of perovskite solar devices. Different hole material/metal contact interfaces were obtained by depositing the metal under different conditions. High incident kinetic energy metal particles were proved to penetrate and embed into the hole transport material. These isolated metal particles in hole transport materials capture holes and increase the apparent carrier transport resistance of the hole transport layer. Sample temperature was found to be of great significance in metal deposition. Since metal vapour has a high temperature, the deposition process accumulated a large amount of heat. The heat evaporated the additives in the hole transport layer and decreased the hole conductivity. On the other hand, high temperature may cause iodization of the metal contact.

[Study on Autophagy and Apoptosis Induced by Amiodarone Combined with Glycyrrhetinic Acid in HepG2 Cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of amiodarone combined with glycyrrhetinic acid on the activity, apoptosis and autophagy in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. METHODS: After using amiodarone and glycyrrhetinic acid alone or in combination treatment for HepG2 cells, MTT assay was used to detect cell proliferation, Annexin Ⅴ/PI flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis; Western blot was used to detect the expression of autophagy-related proteins Beclin-1, LC3 and p62. The formation of EGFP-LC3 green fluorescent aggregates was observed under a fluorescence microscope. The effects of autophagy on cell proliferation and apoptosis were studied by autophagy inhibitor hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and autophagy promoter Rapamycin. RESULTS: The cell viability in combination group was lower than that in single drug group, and the apoptosis rate was higher than that in single drug group. Compared with single-drug group, the expressions of Beclin-1 and LC3Ⅱ protein in the combination group were higher than that in the single-drug group, while the expression of p62 protein was lower in the single-drug group. Fluorescence microscopy results showed that the number of EGFP-LC3 fluorescent aggregates in the combination group were more than that in the single-drug. Using amiodarone and glycyrrhetinic acid treated HepG2 cells, inhibition of auotophagy could decrease cell viability, increase apoptosis rate of cells; promoting autophagy would decrease the apoptosis rate and increase cells viability. CONCLUSION: By increasing apoptosis of hepatocellular carcinoma HepG2 cells and autophagy level, and decreasing the cell activity, amiodarone combining with glycyrrhetinic acid treatment inducing autophagy a protective mechanism for cells.

IMP3 Predicts Invasion and Prognosis in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: Insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) is an oncofetal protein associated with several aggressive and advanced cancers. Whether IMP3 can predict invasion, and prognosis in patients with human lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) remains unclear. METHODS: Ninety-five LAC and 75 non-tumor lung tissue samples were included in a tissue microarray. IMP3 expression was assessed by immunohistochemical examination. Correlation between IMP3 expression levels, clinicopathological characteristics, and overall prognosis was evaluated. In a separate in vitro study, RNA interference method was applied for knockdown of IMP3 gene in human LAC cell lines. Invasive potential of LAC cells was then evaluated by transwell migration assay. RESULTS: IMP3 immunoreactivity was observed in 39 out of 95 (41.1 %) LAC patients, but not in non-tumor lung tissues. IMP3 expression levels were closely associated with histological grade (P = 0.037), TNM stage (P = 0.034), and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.011). Patients presenting with positive IMP3 expression (P = 0.000), an advanced TNM stage (P = 0.000), and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.001) had a worse overall survival, compared to those lacking these characteristics. Both IMP3 expression (hazard ratio [HR], 2.310; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.192-4.476; P = 0.013) and TNM stage (HR 2.338; 95 % CI 1.393-3.925; P = 0.001) were independent predictors of poor prognosis. The invasive potential of LAC cells was significantly inhibited by IMP3 knockdown. CONCLUSION: IMP3 appears to play an important role in tumor invasion in patients with LAC and may serve as a useful prognostic biomarker in these patients.

[Application value of real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasound in transrectal prostate biopsy].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the application value of real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasound (RTCEU) in improving the detection rate of transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy. METHODS: This prospective study included 91 male patients with abnormally high PSA (4－20 µg/L) or abnormalities in DRE or MRI, who underwent 12+X prostate biopsy following conventional transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) and RTCEU examination. We compared the numbers of suspected prostatic nodules before and after RTCEU as well as the detection rates of prostate cancer between conventional TRUS-guided 12PBx and 12PBx plus lesion-targeted biopsy procedures. RESULTS: Totally, 57 of the 86 suspected lesions on TRUS (66.3%), and 108 of the 118 abnormal nodules on RTCEU (91.5%) were confirmed to be prostate cancer. RTCEU achieved a significantly higher detection rate than TRUS (P<0.01). A total of 39 cases of prostate cancer (42.8%) were detected by RTCEU, while only 28 (30.7%) by TRUS, with statistically significant difference in the detection rate between the two procedures (P=0.033). CONCLUSIONS: Real-time contrast-enhanced ultrasound can significantly improve the detection rate of prostate cancer and provide a valuable guide to targeted prostate biopsy.

[Clinicopathological characteristics and imaging features of primary spinal Ewing's/PNET].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinicopathological and imaging features of Ewing's sarcoma/peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors in vertebral column and to improve knowledge of the disease. METHODS: The imaging information of 15 cases with pathologically proved. Ewing's/PNET were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: There was an earlier onset with a short disease course. The locations of tumor included cervical segment (n = 1), thoracic segment (n = 5), lumbar segment (n = 2) and sacrococcyyeal region (n = 7). The imaging showed different extents of bone destruction. Among them, on radiology and computed tomography (CT), osteolytic (n = 9) and mixed (n = 4) destruction were detected along with large soft tissue masses (cystic and necrotic, n = 13; calcification, n = 2). Isodensity or low density was shown on CT, heterogeneous contrast enhancement of hypointensity or isointensity or slight hyperintensity on T1WI and slight hyperintensity or hyperintensity on T2WI of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Most cases showed obvious strengthening. Ten cases showed a collapse of centrum vertebrae while intervertebral space and disc had no change. All cases grew outside across intervertebral foramina. Hematoxylin-eosin staining demonstrated Homer-Wright (H-W) rosettes in 13 cases. Immunohistochemistry, the highest positive rate of neural markers was CD99 (n = 13); secondly, CD56 and Ki67 and Syn (n = 9); Vim (n = 7), NSE (n = 5) and S-100 (n = 4), etc. CONCLUSION: The non-specific imaging findings of Ewing's/PNET show different extents of bone destruction in vertebral column and soft tissue masses outside across intervertebral foramina. Other clinical features and histopathology must be considered for making a definite diagnosis.

Treatment of a non-typical hepatic pseudolesion complicated by greatly elevated alpha fetoprotein: case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Hepatic pseudolesions detected by helical computed tomography (CT) are not rare, but it is difficult to make a final diagnosis when the hepatic lesion is complicated by the presence of greatly elevated alpha fetoprotein (AFP). Clinical treatment of non-typical hepatic pseudolesions complicated by greatly elevated AFP should confirm the diagnosis and minimize trauma. CASE PRESENTATION: Non-invasive procedures including ultrasonography, CT, and micro-invasive digital subtraction angiography could not safely differentiate this lesion from a malignant focus when it was complicated by greatly elevated AFP. Laparoscopic hepatectomy was performed, and pathological analysis showed chronic hepatitis, nodular regenerative hyperplasia, focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver, and mild vascular malformation. The tissue was HbsAg(-), HbcAg(-), and AFP(+). CONCLUSION: Heightened awareness of hepatic pseudolesion complicated by primarily elevated AFP will help physicians avoid unnecessary invasive procedures. Hepatic biopsy is inevitable because of greatly elevated AFP. For suspected hepatic pseudolesion with elevated AFP, needle-core biopsy and follow-up surveillance instead of hepatectomy are recommended to find the source of AFP and make a final diagnosis of pseudolesion.

Association of circulating tumor cells and IMP3 expression with metastasis of osteosarcoma.

Background: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have been identified as a prognostic biomarker of tumors such as breast cancer and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, because they are obtained through a simple and noninvasive blood draw or liquid biopsy, but its clinical significance in osteosarcoma is still unclear. In this study, we analyzed the relationship between CTCs and clinicopathological features and discussed whether CTCs could be used as a biomarker for metastasis in osteosarcoma. Methods: We enrolled 50 osteosarcoma patients with Enneking Stage IIB and Stage III and detected CTCs in 5 ml of peripheral blood samples collected from patients using the Canpatrol® CTC detection platform. Subsequently, multiplex RNA in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH) based on various molecular markers was performed to identify and classify CTCs. The relationships between clinical pathological features and CTC counts, subtypes (epithelial type, E type; hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal type, H type; mesenchymal type, M type), and insulin-like growth factor mRNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) expression in CTCs were analyzed. Results: CTCs were detected in 86% (43/50) of the osteosarcoma patients. The CTC counts, especially the total CTCs and H-type CTCs, signifcantly differed between Enneking Stage IIB and Stage III patients (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the CTC count or type and other clinicopathological features (P > 0.05). There were significant differences in the expression of IMP3 in different types of CTCs, and the IMP3 positive rates in E/H/M type CTCs were 38.4, 65.6, and 62.0%, respectively (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis showed that IMP3-positive CTC count had the best performance for diagnostic metastasis, with the largest area under the curve of 0.873 and cutoff value of four cells/5ml blood (sensitivity = 87.5%; specificity = 82.4%). Serial CTC monitoring in one patient suggested that total CTCs and H-type CTCs were associated with disease progression. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the CTCs, especially the IMP3-positive CTCs and H/M-type CTCs, are related to the metastasis of osteosarcoma.

Glycine Decarboxylase (GLDC) Plays a Crucial Role in Regulating Energy Metabolism, Invasion, Metastasis and Immune Escape for Prostate Cancer.

Glycine decarboxylase (GLDC) is one of the core enzymes for glycine metabolism, and its biological roles in prostate cancer (PCa) are unclear. First, we found that GLDC plays a central role in glycolysis in 540 TCGA PCa patients. Subsequently, a metabolomic microarray showed that GLDC enhanced aerobic glycolysis in PCa cells, and GLDC and its enzyme activity enhanced glucose uptake, lactate production and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity in PCa cells. Next, we found that GLDC was highly expressed in PCa, was directly regulated by hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF1-α) and regulated downstream LDHA expression. In addition, GLDC and its enzyme activity showed a strong ability to promote the migration and invasion of PCa both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, we found that the GLDC-high group had a higher TP53 mutation frequency, lower CD8+ T-cell infiltration, higher immune checkpoint expression, and higher immune exclusion scores than the GLDC-low group. Finally, the GLDC-based prognostic risk model by applying LASSO Cox regression also showed good predictive power for the clinical characteristics and survival in PCa patients. This evidence indicates that GLDC plays crucial roles in glycolytic metabolism, invasion and metastasis, and immune escape in PCa, and it is a potential therapeutic target for prostate cancer.

Candida albicans and bacterial vaginosis can coexist on Pap smears.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of our study was to study the relationship of blastospores and pseudohyphae in Papanicolaou (Pap) smears and Nugent scores for bacterial vaginosis (BV). STUDY DESIGN: A total of 471 Pap smears with Candida albicans were reviewed. The presence of blastospores and pseudohyphae was established. The Pap smears were restained with the Gram stain method to evaluate the bacterial flora according to the Nugent scoring system. RESULTS: Of the 471 Pap smears, blastospores and pseudohyphae were observed in 62.8% (296/471) and 37.2% (175/471) of the smears, and displayed symptoms in 4.4% (13/296) and 43.4% (76/175), respectively. A significant difference was found between these 2 groups (p < 0.0001). A positive BV Nugent score (≥ 7) was found in 22.1% (104/471) of the C. albicans cases. Blastospores and pseudohyphae with BV were 14.2% (42/296) and 35.4% (62/175), respectively. These high Nugent scores indicate statistically significant differences (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: C. albicans and BV can coexist. The presence of blastospores in these C. albicans cases was negatively related to symptoms.

Metaplastic carcinoma of the right breast and simultaneous giant ovarian teratoma: a case report.

We describe here a female patient who presented with a breast mass and giant abdominal mass. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the breast mass and histological examination after modified radical mastectomy confirmed metaplastic carcinoma of the breast. The epithelial components were formed by infiltrating ductal carcinoma with poor differentiation, and the sarcomatous components were formed by fibrosarcoma and osteosarcoma. Histological examination of the abdominal mass confirmed ovarian teratoma. The patient underwent modified radical mastectomy of the right breast and laparoscopic excision of the abdominal mass in the lower right quadrant. Having underwent six courses of chemotherapy, the patient is now in her tenth month after surgery and under follow-up, and she has no relapsed disease. These two diseases have never seen in one patient before. The case we report here provides some new data for research and clinical experience and it may also provide a new insight into the relationship between metaplastic breast carcinoma and ovarian teratoma.

Decreased Expression of Karyopherin-α 1 is Related to the Malignant Degree of Cervical Cancer and is Critical for the Proliferation of Hela Cells.

Karyopherin α (KPNA) proteins are involved in nucleocytoplasmic trafficking and are critical for protein subcellular localization. Recent studies have suggested that KPNA proteins are abnormally expressed in various solid tumors. The objective of this study was to investigate the expression of KPNA1 and KPNA2 in cervical cancer tissue with different histologic grades and cell lines, as well as the effects of the KPNA1 expression level on Hela cell proliferation. We collected the medical data of 106 patients with cervical cancer and investigated the protein expression of KPNA1 and KPNA2 by immunohistochemistry and western blot. The results revealed a significantly lower expression of KPNA1 in cervical cancer compared to normal tissue. Conversely, stronger staining intensity for KPNA2 was observed in cervical tumor samples. The expression levels of KPNA1 and KPNA2 were significantly associated with the tumor histologic grade. The weakest KPNA1 expression and strongest staining for KPNA2 were observed in grade III tumor tissue. The expression levels of KPNA1 were lower in Hela and C33A cells compared with normal human cervical epithelial cells; however, the expression of KPNA2 exhibited an opposite trend. The up-regulation of KPNA1 significantly suppressed the proliferation of Hela cells and relevant proteins expression, as well as promoted transportation of IRF3 into nucleus. Our results suggest the downregulation of KPNA1 expression is related to the malignant degree of cervical cancer and is closely associated with the proliferation of cervical cancer cells.

Physical and chemical properties of dust in the Pre-Aral region of Uzbekistan.

The aim of this work is study of physical and chemical properties of dust of the Pre-Aral region of Uzbekistan such as Karakalpakstan and Khorezm that are located near the three deserts such as the Aralkum, Karakum, and Kyzylkum. The dust particles fell on glass have been collected in Karakalpakstan and Khorezm and studied systematically by employing wide range of methods. Particle volume vs size distribution has been measured with maximum around 600 nm and ~ 10 µm. The major and minor constituent materials present in the dust have been studied systematically by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray diffraction, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. Main characteristic absorption bands corresponding to Si-O, Si-O-Si bonding in quartz and Fe-O bonds in hematite Fe2O3 have been identified by infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Quartz, hematite, lime, corundum, magnesia, and several other trace minerals have been identified in the dust particles. X-ray diffraction peaks corresponding to quartz, hematite, and corundum are sharp and are found to be more crystalline with some level of disorder. Analysis of the particle size and crystallinity on human being has been performed: disordered or crystalline quartz can create the lung disease; the particles in the size of 0.5-0.7 µm may produce diseases such as chronic silicosis, silicosis, and silica tuberculosis whereas hematite might create lung disease. Dust particles worsen optical transmittance of glass of the panels.

Morphological features of cell blocks prepared from residual liqui-PREP samples can distinguish between high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and squamous cell carcinomas.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic value and compare morphological features of cell block sections of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL) and squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). STUDY DESIGN: A total of 135 cell blocks were prepared from residual Liqui-PREP samples. Of these, 43 biopsy-confirmed cases (24 HSIL and 19 SCC) were reviewed. Morphological features determined included cell clusters, epithelial-stromal interface, stromal invasion and tumor necrosis. RESULTS: Ninety-three percent (40/43) of cell block diagnoses were consistent with histological diagnoses, which was better than the cytological diagnoses (81.4%; 35/43). The mean cell block size was 0.54 cm (range, 0.3-1.0 cm) for HSIL and 0.84 cm (range, 0.4-1.4 cm) for SCC (p < 0.0001). Cell clusters were present in 70.8% (17/24) of HSIL and 100% (19/19) of SCC (p < 0.0001). No epithelial-stromal interface, stromal invasion or tumor necrosis was observed on HSIL cell block sections, which is in contrast to the 84.2% (16/19), 68.4% (13/19) and 42.1% (8/19) on SCC cell blocks, respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Cell blocks may increase the diagnostic accuracy of liquid-based cytology. The presence of stromal invasion, epithelial-stromal interface and tumor necrosis on cell block sections may be useful for accurate SCC diagnosis.

KPNA2 expression is a potential marker for differential diagnosis between osteosarcomas and other malignant bone tumor mimics.

BACKGROUND: Karyopherin α2 (KPNA2), a member of the karyopherin α family, has been studied in several cancers but has not yet been substantially investigated in malignant bone tumors. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the KPNA2 expression level and its utility as a novel diagnostic biomarker in osteosarcomas and malignant bone tumor mimics, such as chondrosarcomas and Ewing sarcomas (ESs). METHOD: We investigated the expression of KPNA2 protein by immunohistochemistry on paraffin-embedded surgical specimens from 223 patients with malignant and benign bone tumors, including 81 osteosarcomas, 42 chondrosarcomas, 15 ESs, 28 osteoid osteomas, 20 osteochondromas and 37 chondroblastomas. Immunoreactivity was scored semiquantitatively based on staining extent and intensity. RESULTS: Sixty-seven of 81 (82.7%) osteosarcoma, zero of 42 (0%) chondrosarcoma and one of 15 (6.7%) ES samples showed immunoreactivity for KPNA2. Negative KPNA2 expression was observed in all benign bone tumors. The expression of KPNA2 in osteosarcoma samples was much higher than that in chondrosarcoma and ES samples (P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of KPNA2 immunoexpression for detecting osteosarcoma were 82.7 and 100%, respectively. Several subtypes of osteosarcoma were analyzed, and immunostaining of KPNA2 was frequent in osteoblastic samples (90.9%), with 39 samples (70.9%) showing strong-intensity staining. KPNA2 positivity was observed in ten of 13 (76.9%) chondroblastic, two of 6 (33.3%) fibroblastic, three of 4 (75%) telangiectatic and two of 3 (66.7%) giant cell-rich osteosarcoma samples. The strongest intensity staining was observed in osteoblastic osteosarcoma. CONCLUSION: KPNA2 is frequently expressed in osteosarcomas, particularly in osteoblastic and chondroblastic tumors, but is rarely positive in chondrosarcomas and ESs. This feature may aid in distinguishing between osteosarcoma and other bone sarcoma mimics. This report supports KPNA2 as a novel marker for the diagnosis of osteosarcoma.

Enhanced Optical Absorption in Perovskite/Si Tandem Solar Cells with Nanoholes Array.

Perovskite solar cells are used in silicon-based tandem solar cells due to their tunable band gap, high absorption coefficient and low preparation cost. However, the relatively large optical refractive index of bottom silicon, in comparison with that of top perovskite absorber layers, results in significant reflection losses in two-terminal devices. Therefore, light management is crucial to improve photocurrent absorption in the Si bottom cell. In this paper, nanoholes array filled with TiO2 is introduced into bottom cells design. By finite-difference time-domain methods, the absorption efficiency and photocurrent density in the range of 300-1100 nm has been analyzed, and the structural parameters have been also optimized. Our calculations show the photocurrent density which tends to be saturated with the increase in the height of the nanoholes. The absorption enhancement modes of photons at different wavelengths have been analyzed intuitively by the distribution of electric field. These results enable a viable and convenient route toward high efficiency design of perovskite/Si tandem solar cells.

Hydrocortisone Suppresses Early Paraneoplastic Inflammation And Angiogenesis To Attenuate Early Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression In Rats.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is implicated in both hepatic cirrhosis development and hepatocellular carcinogenesis, and treatment with long-acting glucocorticoid dexamethasone prevented liver carcinogenesis in mice. However, it is unclear whether glucocorticoids have anti-inflammatory effect on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and if short-acting glucocorticoids (with fewer adverse effects) inhibit paraneoplastic inflammation and HCC progression. METHODS: To investigate whether different types of anti-inflammatory agents attenuate HCC progression, the current study compared effects of treatments with hydrocortisone (a short-acting glucocorticoid) or aspirin on HCC progression. HCC was induced in diethylnitrosamine-treated rats which were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=8), respectively receiving orally once daily vehicle, glucuronolactone, glucuronolactone+hydrocortisone, and glucuronolactone+aspirin. Diethylnitrosamine (DEN) was given to rats in drinking water (100mg/L) to induce HCC. At weeks 12 and 16 post-induction, effects were compared on HCC nodule formation, microvessel density, and macrophage infiltration, and levels of paraneoplastic protein expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38), phosphorylated p38 (p-p38), nuclear factor (NF)-κB, interleukin (IL)-10, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). RESULTS: Compared to the model and glucuronolactone alone groups, HCC nodule number and microvessel density in the glucuronolactone+hydrocortisone group were significantly lower at week 12. At week 12 but not week 16, significantly lower levels of macrophages, TNF-α, p-p38, NF-κB, IL-10, HGF, TGF-ß1 and VEGF were observed in the paraneoplastic tissue of the glucuronolactone+hydrocortisone group when compared with the control and glucuronolactone groups. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that hydrocortisone treatment reduces macrophage polarization, expression of inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, and angiogenesis in paraneoplastic tissue, and attenuates early HCC progression. Although hydrocortisone did not have attenuation effect on advanced solid tumor, the current study shows the potential benefits and supports potential clinical use of hydrocortisone in attenuating early progression of HCC, which is through suppressing paraneoplastic inflammation and angiogenesis.