Fluoxetine reverses brain radiation and temozolomide-induced anxiety and spatial learning and memory defect in mice.

Radiation therapy and concomitant temozolomide chemotherapy are commonly used in treatment of brain tumors, but they may also result in behavioral impairments such as anxiety and cognitive deficit. The present study sought to investigate the effect of fluoxetine on the behavioral impairments caused by radiation and temozolomide treatment. C57BL/6J mice were subjected to a single cranial radiation followed by 6-wk cyclic temozolomide administration and were then treated with chronic administration of fluoxetine. Behavioral tests were carried out to determine the anxiety-like behavior and cognition function of these animals. Long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus was measured by electrophysiology, and neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Mice treated with radiation and temozolomide showed increased anxiety-like behavior and cognitive impairment, along with LTP impairment and neurogenesis deficit. Chronic fluoxetine administration could reverse the behavioral dysfunction, enhance LTP, and increase neurogenesis in the hippocampus. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Mice treated with radiation and temozolomide showed increased anxiety-like behavior and cognitive impairment. Chronic fluoxetine administration could reverse the behavioral dysfunction. The effect of fluoxetine might be via rescuing the neurogenesis deficit caused by radiation and temozolomide treatment.

MicroRNA-145 promotes esophageal cancer cells proliferation and metastasis by targeting SMAD5.

OBJECTIVE: To clarify the relative expression and molecular function of microRNA (miR)-145 in esophageal cancer and understand its mechanistic involvement in this disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The relative expression of miR-145 in clinical samples was analyzed using the public GSE43732 dataset. The prognostic analysis with respect to miR-145 expression was performed with Kaplan-Meier plot. Cell viability was measured by MTT assay and the anchorage-independent growth was evaluated by soft agar assay. The migration and invasion of esophageal cancer cells were measured using transwell chamber. The regulatory effect of miR-145 on SMAD5 was determined by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The endogenous SMAD5 protein was measured by Western blot. RESULTS: We demonstrated high expression of miR-145 associated with late stage and unfavorable prognosis of esophageal cancer. Ectopic expression of miR-145 mimic significantly stimulated cell proliferation and anchorage-independent growth. Furthermore, high level of miR-145 significantly promoted both migration and invasion in vitro. Notably, we identified SMAD5 as direct target of miR-145, the suppressed expression of which consequently led to increased cell proliferation and migration/invasion. CONCLUSION: Our study uncovered the crucial role of miR-145/SMAD5 in esophageal cancer and highlighted its target potential for diagnostic and therapeutic purpose.

[Influence of Ureaplasma Urealyticum Infection on Testicular Tissue Structure and Secretion Function in Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the influences of ureaplasma urealitycum (UU) infection on testicular tissue structure and secretion function in rats. METHODS: Forty clean grade male SD rats were randomly divided into the experiment group A (at 7 d after surgery), experiment group B (at 14 d after surgery), control group C (at 7 d after surgery) and control group D (at 14 d after surgery). There were 10 rats in each group. The experimental groups were injected with 0.6 mL UU4 through bladder. In the same way, the control groups were injected with the same volume of UU liquid medium. At day 7 and 14 after injection, the structures of testis of all rats were observed by light microscopy and spermatogenic cells by transmission electron microscopy. The content of testosterone in plasma and testicular fluid were detected by chemiluminescence method. RESULTS: The changes of inflammatory pathology (including the layer and amount of spermatogenic cell decreasing, inflammatory cell infiltrating and mature sperms decreasing) in the testis of group A and group B were found by light microscopy, and the inflammatory changes in group B were lighter than those in group A. The structures of testicular tissue in group C and group D were normal. The apoptosis performances of germ cell (including the cell membrane corrugated, nuclear chromatin concentration and nuclear rupture) in the testis of group A and group B were found by transmission electron microscopy, and the changes in group B were lighter than those in group A. The structures of germ cell in group C and group D were normal. The levels of plasma testosterone in group A and group B were significantly lower than that in group C and group D (P<0.01), the difference between group A and group B was not statistically significant. The testosterone level in testis interstitial fluid in group A was significantly lower than that in other groups (P<0.01), the differences between other groups were not statistical significant. CONCLUSIONS: The testicular tissue of UU infected rats can have various pathological damage and functional changes, further confirming that UU infection can cause male infertility. The pathological damage and functional changes of the testicular tissue of rats after UU infection can be gradually restored with the extension of the duration of the disease.

Aberrant expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, TWIST and E-cadherin is associated with aggressive tumor phenotypes in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: Intratumoral hypoxia promotes angiogenesis, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, a pivotal event in tumor metastasis. TWIST is a master regulator of multiple developmental processes and has recently been shown to be the key factor responsible for cancer metastasis via the inhibition of E-cadherin expression, a hallmark of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. This study aimed to determine the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, TWIST and E-cadherin in patients with endometrioid endometrial carcinoma and to examine their clinical significance in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma progression. METHODS: Using immunohistochemical and tissue microarray approaches, we evaluated the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, TWIST and E-cadherin in normal endometrial (n = 35), atypical hyperplasia (n = 28) and endometrioid endometrial carcinoma samples (n = 124). Furthermore, we statistically analyzed the association between these markers, as well as their correlation with clinicopathologic variables. RESULTS: The expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and TWIST were markedly increased, whereas E-cadherin was decreased, as lesions progressed from normal endometrium to atypical hyperplasia to carcinoma (P < 0.01). Among various clinical parameters, the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α and TWIST was strikingly elevated with aggressive tumor characteristics, including higher pathologic grade, deep myometrial invasion and lymph node involvement (P < 0.05). More importantly, overexpression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α positively correlated with enhanced TWIST expression in endometrioid endometrial carcinoma samples (r = 0.249, P < 0.01); however, statistical analysis showed a negative relationship between TWIST upregulation and E-cadherin downregulation (r = -0.183, P = 0.042). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated for the first time that the hypoxia-inducible factor 1α/TWIST/E-cadherin pathway may play a critical role in invasion and metastasis of endometrioid endometrial carcinoma. The combined evaluation of these markers may be useful in predicting aggressive phenotypes and thus prognosis in patients with endometrioid endometrial carcinoma.

SPOP Inhibition of Endometrial Carcinoma and Its Clinicopathological Relationship.

Objective: Endometrial carcinoma (EC) ranks first in the incidence of female genital malignancies in developed countries. SPOP (speckle-type POZ protein) has changed in EC with a statistically high frequency. This research may play a crucial role in the initiation and progression of EC, ultimately leading to fresh therapeutic targets. Explore the expression of SPOP in EC; observe its effect on the proliferation, invasion, and migration of EC cells after upregulating the expression of SPOP through RNA activation. Methods: The expression levels of SPOP protein in 150 EC tissues and 45 normal endometrial tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Analyze the relationship between SPOP expression and clinicopathological characteristics. The differences of the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities between before and after transfection were analyzed using CCK-8 and Transwell assays. Results: The results of immunohistochemistry and Western blotting showed the expression level of SPOP in EC tissue significantly reduced or even missed compared with normal endometrial tissue. The results of CCK-8 showed that the growth of EC significantly slowed down after the upregulating of SPOP expression. The results of the Transwell assay showed the migration and invasion abilities of EC cells were weakened after the level of SPOP was upregulated. Conclusions: The expression level of SPOP in EC tissues is lower and related to the clinicopathological features compared with normal endometrial tissues. After upregulating the SPOP expression by RNA activation in EC cell lines, the abilities of proliferation, migration, and invasion of cells were significantly inhibited.

Resistance of hepatocellular carcinoma to sorafenib can be overcome with co-delivery of PI3K/mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 and sorafenib in nanoparticles.

Background: The combination of BEZ235 with sorafenib (SFB) enhances anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) efficacy of the two agents. However, pharmacokinetic profiles in vivo and different endocytosis abilities of these two drugs hinder their therapeutic application.Research design and methods: In this work, we developed d-α-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate - polycaprolactone polymer nanoparticles (NPs) for co-delivery of SFB and BEZ235 (SFB/BEZ235-NPs). Explored the anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of SFB/BEZ235-NPs through in vitro and in vivo experiments.Results: Stabilized SFB/BEZ235-NPs were prepared with optimized drug ratio, yielding high encapsulation efficiency, low polydispersity, and enhanced cellular internalization in HepG2 cells. Synergistic cytotoxicity and pro-apoptotic ability were documented. In vivo pharmacokinetic results revealed extended circulation and bioavailability of SFB/BEZ235-NPs compared with those of free drugs. SFB/BEZ235-NPs enhanced antitumor effectiveness in SFB-resistant HCC xenograft mouse models.Conclusion: Taken together, the results of this study describe a promising strategy using SFB and BEZ235 in a nanoparticle formulation for treatment of SFB-resistant HCC.

Enhanced delivery of sorafenib with anti-GPC3 antibody-conjugated TPGS-b-PCL/Pluronic P123 polymeric nanoparticles for targeted therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Although sorafenib (SFB) showed improved efficacy and much reduced the side effects in clinical liver cancer therapy, its therapeutic efficacy was still greatly limited due to short half-life in vivo as well as drug resistance. To solve these problems, we developed a novel SFB-loaded polymeric nanoparticle for targeted therapy of liver cancer. This polymeric nanoparticle, referred to NP-SFB-Ab, was fabricated from self-assembly of biodegradable block copolymers TPGS-b-poly(caprolactone) (TPGS-b-PCL) and Pluronic P123 and drug SFB, followed by conjugating the anti-GPC3 antibody. NP-SFB-Ab showed robust stability and achieve excellent SFB release in cell medium. The CLSM demonstrated that the Ab-conjugated NP exhibited much higher cellular uptake in HepG2 human liver cells than non-targeted NP. The MTT assay also confirmed that NP-SFB-Ab caused much greater cytotoxicity than non-targeted NP-SFB and free SFB. Finally, NP-SFB-Ab was proved to greatly inhibit the tumor growth of HepG2 xenograft-bearing nude mice without obvious side effects. Therefore, this NP-SFB-Ab provides a promising new approach for targeted therapy of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Horner syndrome as a postoperative complication after minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy: A case report.

RATIONALE: Horner syndrome is an unusual complication after thyroidectomy. PATIENT CONCERNS: We report a case of Horner syndrome in a 34-year-old female patient with Graves disease associated with papillary thyroid carcinoma who underwent left-side minimally invasive video-assisted thyroidectomy and neck dissection. DIAGNOSIS: Horner syndrome was diagnosed based on left myosis, eyelid ptosis, and mild enophthalmos, which developed in the patient on postoperative day 2. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was administered glucocorticoids and neurotrophic drugs on postoperative day 3. OUTCOME: The symptoms of Horner syndrome were significantly relieved 1 year later. LESSONS: Surgeons must be aware that Horner syndrome may be a source of iatrogenic complications, and patients also should be informed of these complications before surgery.

Down-regulation of ASIC1 suppressed gastric cancer via inhibiting autophagy.

As autophagy has anti-apoptosis effect and accelerates cell survival, many studies start to target autophagy as a therapeutic strategy for cancer. Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) was reported to activate autophagy. However, whether ASICs can regulate gastric cancer through autophagy is unknown. The differentially expressed genes in normal gastric tissue and gastric cancer tissue in patients were investigated by RNA-seq. Expression of ASIC1 and autophagy related 5 (ATG5) was further confirmed by real-time PCR. Effects of knockdown expression of ASIC1 and ATG5 on the growth of gastric SGC-7901 cells were assayed by CCK-8 kit. The animal survival rate and tumor volume in murine heterotopic xenograft model was assayed. The expression of autophagy related genes was enriched in gastric cancer tissue in patients, including ASIC1 and ATG5. Knockdown expression of ASIC1 and ATG5 inhibits the growth of SGC-7901 cells, respectively. ASIC1 regulates ATG5 gene expression in SGC-7901 cells. ASIC1 knockdown extended the survival rate of animals and inhibited the tumor volume in the murine heterotopic xenograft model. This study showed that downregulation of ASIC1 inhibits gastric cancer growth via decreasing autophagy, therefore strongly suggests a therapeutic role for ASIC1 in gastric cancer.

Programmed cell death 1 correlates with the occurrence and development of MG63 osteosarcoma.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) on osteosarcoma (OD) stem cells and T cells, and to determine their correlation. OS stem cells were sorted and identified from OS MG63 cells. Flow cytometry was used to detect the PD-1 expression of the OS tumor stem cell membrane surface. The expression of PD-1 mRNA was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). MTT was used to detect the effect of PD-1 signals on T-cell proliferation. The results indicated that the cancer cells (cultured in DMEM medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum) exhibited clear proliferation within 1 week of cell culture, which showed their strong proliferation and aggressive ability. The formation of tumor cell spheres was dependent on the support of serum nutrition. The proliferation of MG63 cells in the serum culture medium was significantly higher than the number of OS cell spheres in serum-free suspension culture (P<0.05). Pluripotent stem cells in cancer cell spheres exhibited significantly higher cluster of differentiation 133 expression compared with the MG63 cells. The PD-1 expression levels of the cancer cell spheres was significantly increased compared with the MG63 cells, which is consistent with the results of the RT-PCR. In conclusion, the MG63 cell line possesses the features of OS stem cells. The MG63 cell line can express the certain cancer-associated cell markers. The expression of PD-1 in spheres was also increased significantly compared to the MG63 cells, which can reduce the immune function of patients and may be closely associated with the occurrence and development of tumors.

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi extract protects against alcohol­induced acute liver injury in mice and affects the mechanism of ER stress.

The aims of the present study were to examine the hepatoprotective effect of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi extract (Scutellariae Radix extract; SRE) against acute alcohol­induced liver injury in mice, and investigate the mechanism of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. High performance liquid chromatography was used for the phytochemical analysis of SRE. Animals were administered orally with 50% alcohol (12 ml/kg) 4 h following administration of doses of SRE every day for 14 days, with the exception of normal control group. The protective effect was investigated by measuring the levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transferase (ALT) and triglyceride (TG) in the serum, and the levels of glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in liver tissues. The levels of glucose­related protein 78 (GRP78) were detected using immunohistochemical localization and an enzyme­linked immunosorbent assay. Hepatocyte apoptosis was assessed using terminal­deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling. The SRE contained 31.2% baicalin. Pretreatment with SRE had a marked protective effect by reversing the levels of biochemical markers and levels of GRP78 in a dose­dependent manner. The results of the present study demonstrated that pretreatment with SRE exerted a marked hepatoprotective effect by downregulating the expression of GRP78, which is a marker of ER stress.

High and fluctuating glucose levels increase the expression and secretion of interleukin­18 in mouse peritoneal macrophages.

Macrophages are involved in the progression of atherosclerosis by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines. High levels of interleukin (IL)-18 are associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes and atherosclerosis. The present study aimed to investigate the association between IL-18, and high and fluctuating glucose levels in mouse peritoneal macrophages (MPMs), and to assess the involvement of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathway in this association. The MPMs were exposed to 4, 8, 16, 24 and 32 mM glucose for 6 h, which was alternated to either 4/24 mM glucose every 1.5 h for 6 h, or to 32 mM glucose for 3, 6, 12 and 18 h. The expression and secretion levels of IL-18 were detected using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and ELISA, respectively. High levels of glucose increased the expression and secretion levels of IL-18 in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05, vs. 4 mM glucose). This increase was more important in the cells exposed to fluctuating 4/24 mM glucose every 1.5 h compared with the cells exposed to stable 24 mM glucose (RT-qPCR, 0.78 ± 0.05, vs. 0.66 ± 0.07; ELISA, 188.23 ± 20.32, vs. 143.16 ± 13.07 pg/ml; P<0.05). The expression and secretion levels of IL-18 increased 8 and 12 h following exposure to high-glucose, and then decreased at 18 h (P<0.05, vs. 3 h). Furthermore, SP600125, a JNK inhibitor, decreased the high-glucose-induced gene expression of IL-18 in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, high and fluctuating levels of glucose may be associated with inflammation and diabetic atherosclerosis by regulating the expression levels of IL-18. The present study identified the JNK signaling pathway as one of the mechanisms underlying this association. Targeting IL-18 may be a novel therapeutic approach against diabetes-associated atherosclerosis.

MiRNA profile of osteosarcoma with CD117 and stro-1 expression: miR-1247 functions as an onco-miRNA by targeting MAP3K9.

microRNAs (miRNA) are regulators of gene expression, but little is known about miRNA expression profiles in stem cells of osteosarcoma (OS). C117 and Stro-1 are known stem cell markers of OS. In the study, CD117 and stro-1 positive (CD117(+)stro-1(+)) and CD117 and stro-1 negative (CD117(-)stro-1(-)) cells were isolated from MG63 cells CD117(+)stro-1(+) cells showed more metastatic ability and stem cell formation rate than CD117(-)stro-1(-) ones. To find the difference between CD117(+)stro-1(+) and CD117(-)stro-1(-) cells, the miRNA expression profile was examined using DNA microarray. MicroRNAs were differentially expressed in osteosarcoma cells with CD117(+)stro-1(+) and CD117(-)stro-1(-). The significant miRNAs included miR-15a, miR-302a, miR-423-5p, miR-1247, miR-1243 and others, which were confirmed by real time RT-PCR. The significant down-regulated miR-1247 was confirmed that was a potential tumor suppressor by targeting MAP3K9. Our results indicated that dysregulation of miRNAs is involved in osteosarcoma and miR-1247 plays an important role in progression of osteosarcoma.

[2-Deoxy-D-glucose combined with Taxol inhibits VEGF expression and induces apoptosis in orthotopically transplanted breast cancer in C3H mice].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the antineoplastic effects of 2-Deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) combined with Taxol on orthotopically transplanted breast cancer in C3H mice and explore the mechanism. METHODS: C3H mice bearing orthotopically transplanted breast cancer xenograft were randomly divided into 4 groups, namely the control group, 2-DG group, Taxol group, and 2-DG+Taxol group. The corresponding drugs were administered intraperitoneally every 3 days for 18 consecutive days, and the tumor volume was measured every 3 days to draw the tumor growth curve. The mice were then sacrificed to measure the tumor weight on day 19 and examine tumor cell apoptosis with TUNEL assay and VEGF expression using immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: 2-DG combined with Taxol obviously suppressed the tumor growth with a tumor inhibition rate of 66.06% as compared to the rate of 36.97% in Taxol group. The combined treatment also caused more obvious cell apoptosis and significantly reduced VEGF expression in the tumor cells as compared with the other groups. CONCLUSION: 2-DG can enhance the inhibitory effect of Taxol on orthotopically transplanted breast cancer xenograft in C3H mice probably by inducing tumor cell apoptosis and lowering VEGF expressions.