Observation of the Elevation of Cholinesterase Activity in Brain Glioma by a Near-Infrared Emission Chemsensor.

The excessive expression of cholinesterases (ChEs) directly disturbs the metabolism of acetylcholine (ACh), causing disordering neurotransmission in the brain or even Alzheimer's disease and cancer. However, the variation of ChEs including acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) in brain glioma has not yet been investigated. Therefore, the development of a suitable method for in situ imaging ChEs in brain tissues to understand the physiological functions of ChEs in depth is very important. Herein, a new near-infrared emission fluorescent probe (IPAN) for visualization of ChE activity was developed. IPAN exhibits ultrafast response to ChEs, low detection limit for AChE (0.127 U/mL) and BChE (0.0117 U/mL), and a large Stokes shift with near-infrared emission. Based on these excellent attributes, the IPAN was effectively utilized for imaging the fluctuations of ChE activity in the apoptosis cells and zebrafish. Notably, by utilizing the unique probe IPAN, we observed a significant enhancement of ChE activity in the tumor cells and brain glioma, for the first time. We believe that this interesting finding could provide a powerful guidance for tumor resection in the future.

MiR-204/ZEB2 axis functions as key mediator for MALAT1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in breast cancer.

Long non-coding RNAs recently were identified as key mediators of cancer metastasis. This study provided evidence that long non-coding RNA MALAT1 was up-regulated in breast cancer tissues and cell lines. MALAT1 promoted cancer cell invasion through inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Interestingly, we revealed there was a reciprocal repression between MALAT1 and miR-204. ZEB2 was identified as a downstream target of miR-204 and MALAT1 exerted its function mainly through the miR-204/ZEB2 axis. Our findings suggested that MALAT1 may serve as a new diagnostic biomarker and therapy target for breast cancer.

[Effects of high-density lipoprotein 1 on the formation of foam cells from human monocyte-derived macrophages].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects of serum HDL(1) on the formation of foam cells from human peripheral blood monocyte-derived macrophages. METHODS: Sectie density polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (sd-PAGE) was applied for isolation and preparation of HDL(1) simultaneously. Monocytes were isolated from human peripheral blood by Ficoll-Hypaque density gradient centrifugation and plastic adsorptive process. The isolated monocytes were stimulated by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) at a concentration of 50 nmol/L for 48 h and transferred to macrophages. The monocyte-derived macrophages were then coincubated with 80 mg/L ox-LDL and HDL(1) (0, 0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 mg/L) for 6, 12 and 24 h, respectively. The formation of foam cells was identified by transmission electron microscope (TEM), total cholesterol (TC), free cholesterol (FC) and protein (Pro) in cultured cells were quantitatively analyzed by high performance chromatography (HPLC) and modified lowry protein assay, respectively. RESULTS: HDL(1) isolated from human serum by sd-PAGE could significantly decrease TC/Pro ratio in foam cells in a concentration-dependent (0 mg/L: 36.9 +/- 1.1, 10.0 mg/L: 6.2 +/- 0.4, P < 0.01) and time-dependent (10.0 mg/L HDL(1) 6 h: 16.9 +/- 0.9, 24 h: 6.4 +/- 0.6, P < 0.01) manner. CONCLUSION: HDL(1) is capable of inhibiting and attenuating the formation of foam cells by decreasing cellular TC, therefore, might play an important role in attenuating atherosclerosis.

Primary Sjögren syndrome that initially presented with repeated hypergammaglobulinemic purpura after prolonged sitting: A case report.

RATIONALE: Purpura is a common dermatologic manifestation in Sjögren syndrome (SS). When a patient presents with sicca symptoms, the diagnosis of SS is not difficult. PATIENT CONCERNS: Here, we reported a case of a 52-year-old Chinese woman who initially presented with nonpalpable purpura on both lower extremities, and these lesions had developed soon after prolonged sitting. In the past 2 years, she had repeated cutaneous nonpalpable purpura 4 times. She had no sicca symptoms, dry eyes, or dry mouth. DIAGNOSES: Combining the laboratory findings, Schirmer test, and labial gland biopsy, primary SS was confirmed. INTERVENTIONS: The patient was placed on a trial of hydroxychloroquine (200 mg once daily). OUTCOMES: The purpura on both lower extremities had faded at the sixth day after onset and at the third day after hydroxychloroquine treatment. LESSONS: These case was not easy to diagnosis primary SS because she had no sicca symptoms. A patient with primary SS who initially presented with recurrent purpura associated with prolonged sitting. Prolonged sitting had been a possible aggravating factor for the cutaneous purpura of this patient with primary SS.

Efficacy of concurrent single-agent chemotherapy using radiotherapy in patients with cervical cancer: a meta-analysis.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy has proven to be more effective on patients with advanced cervical cancer than radiotherapy alone. Although cisplatin has been recommended to be the standard agent in chemotherapy, it has some limitations in clinical use because of its strong side effects. Moreover, the optimal chemotherapy regimen remains unclear. A comprehensive electronic search was conducted via the Internet retrieval system to identify eligible trials. The ending points included response, overall survival (OS), local recurrent, and distant metastasis rates. Odds ratios and 95% confidence interval were calculated to compare the effects. Fifteen trials with 1142 patients were eligible. With regard to the response rate, only nedaplatin showed a significant improvement compared with cisplatin. Docetaxel, pacitaxel, fluoropyrimidine, paclitaxel liposome, and irinotecan did not show any advantages. When targeted on OS or local recurrent rate, no significant advantage was found when these single-drug regimens were compared with cisplatin. However, when aimed at distant metastasis rate, fluoropyrimidine showed a disadvantage to cisplatin, whereas others showed equal efficacy. Nedaplatin, docetaxel, pacitaxel, and fluoropyrimidine showed a better effect on reducing chemotherapy toxicity than cisplatin. Single-drug chemotherapy concurrent with radiotherapy, except for nedaplatin, may have no advantage on clinical outcomes when compared with cisplatin but showed a better effect on reducing chemotherapy toxicity, which could be used as an alternative to patients who can not tolerate the side effects of cisplatin. Nedaplatin is also effective and safe, and may be highly valuable in clinical applications.