Retraction: withdrawn: expression of Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase in Escherichia coli.

This article has been withdrawn at the request of the author(s) and/or editor. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. The full Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal can be found at http://www.

Schisantherin A suppresses osteoclast formation and wear particle-induced osteolysis via modulating RANKL signaling pathways.

Receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) plays critical role in osteoclastogenesis. Targeting RANKL signaling pathways has been a promising strategy for treating osteoclast related bone diseases such as osteoporosis and aseptic prosthetic loosening. Schisantherin A (SA), a dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan isolated from the fruit of Schisandra sphenanthera, has been used as an antitussive, tonic, and sedative agent, but its effect on osteoclasts has been hitherto unknown.

[Long-term efficacy and safety of telbivudine as monotherapy and as combination therapy with adefovir dipivoxil in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients].

Objective: To prospectively observe the long-term antiviral efficacy and safety of telbivudine (LDT) administered as a monotherapy and as a combination therapy with adefovir dipivoxil (ADV) in patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and positivity for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg).

Methods: A total of 140 patients with HBeAg-positive CHB were randomly divided into treatment groups for LDT monotherapy (n = 75; 600 mg orally, once daily) and LDT+ADV combination therapy (n = 65; LDT 600 mg plus ADV 10 mg orally, once daily). The shortest treatment course was 96 weeks and the longest was 240 weeks.

Endothelin A receptor antagonism enhances inhibitory effects of anti-ganglioside GD2 monoclonal antibody on invasiveness and viability of human osteosarcoma cells.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1)/endothelin A receptor (ETAR) signaling is important for osteosarcoma (OS) progression. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting ganglioside GD2 reportedly inhibit tumor cell viability independent of the immune system. A recent study suggests that ganglioside GD2 may play an important role in OS progression.

Huge giant cell tumor of the sacrum: A case report.

The current report describes the case of a 29-year-old female with a sacral giant cell tumor (GCT) during pregnancy. Originally, the patient presented with severe pain in the lumbosacral region, radiating posterolaterally from the lumbar spine into the bilateral thigh and subsequently, into the bilateral crus posterolaterally. Plain X-rays, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed osteolytic destruction of the sacrococcygeal bones and a huge soft-tissue mass with features of a chordoma.

Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica with involvement of the distal tibial epiphysis and talus: recurrence of a case and literature review.

Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica is a rare developmental disorder with unknown etiology affecting epiphysis mostly in childhood. Dysplasia epiphysealis hemimelica is usually considered an intra-articular variant of an osteochondroma owing to its presenting symptoms and histologic findings. Surgical treatment is mandatory when symptoms such as pain, joint impingement, or deformity are present and will yield good results when the mass is juxta-articular or extra-articular.

The role of positive charges on G-quadruplex binding small molecules: learning from bisaryldiketene derivatives.

Background: G-quadruplexes are promising therapeutic targets for small molecules. In general, the introduction of steady positive charges through the in situ alkylation of nitrogen atoms within potential G-quadruplex ligands can significantly improve their quadruplex binding and stabilization abilities. However, our previous studies on bisaryldiketene derivatives showed that the derivative M4, whose central piperidone moiety is quaternized, exhibits a poor G-quadruplex stabilization ability.

[Preparation and performance investigation of Trichoderma viride-modified corn stalk as sorbent materials for oil spills].

This work aims at preparing oil spill sorbent (TCS, Trichoderma viride-modified corn stalk) through solid-state fermentation of corn stalk by Trichoderma viride. Single-factor experiments, including the effect of modification time, solid-liquid ratio of modification and modification temperature, and adsorption experiments simulating oil spill condition, were carried out. The results indicated that the maximum oil adsorption of TCS, 13.

Risk factors for hematological toxicity of chemotherapy for bone and soft tissue sarcoma.

The aim of this study was to assess chemotherapy treatment characteristics, neutropenic event occurrence and related risk factors in bone and soft tissue sarcoma patients in China. Knowledge of such risk factors aids healthcare providers in focusing resources on those who are at most risk and targeting prophylactic colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) for those patients. The study included 113 children and adults with different types of sarcoma who had been treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy for bone and soft tissue sarcoma in order to identify risk factors for hematological toxicity of chemotherapy for bone and soft tissue sarcoma.

MicroRNA-376c inhibits cell proliferation and invasion in osteosarcoma by targeting to transforming growth factor-alpha.

MicroRNAs are a class of small noncoding RNAs that function as critical gene regulators through targeting mRNAs for translational repression or degradation. In this study, we showed that miR-376c expression level was decreased while transforming growth factor-alpha (TGFA) mRNA expression levels were increased in osteosarcoma tissues and cell lines, and we identified TGFA as a novel direct target of miR-376c. Overexpression of miR-376c suppressed TGFA expression and the expression of its downstream signaling molecule such as epidermal growth factor receptor, and attenuated cell proliferation and invasion.

Application of cellulase for the modification of corn stalk: leading to oil sorption.

In this work, a new biotechnological procedure was developed using cellulase as a modifier to produce oil sorbent from corn stalk (CMCS). Cellulase treatment of raw corn stalk (RCS) with enzyme loading of 100 U/g at 45°C for 6h resulted in high oil sorption capacity. The sorption capacities of vegetable oil, diesel and crude oil by CMCS were 18.

Expression of NF-κB and osteopontin of synovial fluid of patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Objective: To explore the significance of osteopontin and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) expression in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Methods: RT-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to measure the Osteopontin (OPN) and NF-κB concentration of knee joint synovial fluid of patients with knee osteoarthritis and trauma fractures, and analyze the relationship between the expressiones of them.

Results: OPN and NF-κB expression at the mRNA and protein levels of patients with knee osteoarthritis were significantly higher than the control group.

Molecular switch for cold acclimation -- anatomy of the cold-inducible promoter in plants.

In plants, a promoter is essential to drive the transcription and expression of genes under stress conditions. The cold-regulated promoter is an important molecular switch involved in transcriptional regulation of a dynamic network of genes associated with cold acclimation processes. However, the structure and functions of the cold-regulated promoter are ambiguous.

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 regulates osteosarcoma cell invasion and chemoresistance via endothelin-1/endothelin A receptor signaling.

Astrocyte elevated gene-1 (AEG-1) and endothelin-1 (ET-1)/endothelin A receptor (ETAR) signaling have been demonstrated to be important in osteosarcoma (OS) progression. In the present study, we explored the interaction between AEG-1 and ET-1/ETAR signaling in OS cells, and investigated the mechanism(s) through which the functional interaction may impact OS cell invasion and chemoresistance. Overexpression and knockdown of AEG-1 were performed in Saos-2 and MG-63 OS cells, respectively.

Development of a Streptococcus gordonii vaccine strain expressing Schistosoma japonicum Sj-F1 and evaluation of using this strain for intranasal immunization in mice.

Schistosomiasis is a worldwide parasitic disease. Currently, chemotherapy is the main effective method to treat schistosomiasis; however, it does not prevent reinfection. No effective vaccine is currently available to prevent schistosomiasis.

The tetraspanin CD151-ARSA mutant inhibits angiogenesis via the YRSL sequence.

Previous studies have shown that the tetraspanin CD151 is essential for pathological or physiological angiogenesis. However, the cellular signaling mechanism and the role of the CD151 YRSL sorting motif in in vitro vasculogenesis remains unknown. In this study, the results showed that both CD151 and CD151-ARSA gene delivery were capable of increasing the expression of CD151 at the protein level in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Nonstructural protein-1 of respiratory syncytial virus regulates HOX gene expression through interacting with histone.

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a major cause of severe respiratory diseases, constitutes an important risk factor for the development of subsequent asthma. In searching for its mechanism, the present study was designed to screen the interacting proteins of two important nonstructural (NS) proteins in human BECs. The subcellular localization and the effects of NS on HOX gene expression were also examined.

[hMLH1 gene promoter methylation in joint cartilage in patients with osteoarthritis].

Objective: To investigate the role of Human MutL homologue 1 (hMLH1) gene promoter methylation in the occurrence and development of osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: General DNA was dealt with sodium bisulfite. The methylation of hMLH1 promoter was detected by methylation-specific PCR (MSP).

Management of combined bone defect and limb-length discrepancy after tibial chronic osteomyelitis.

Bone defects and leg shortening due to chronic osteomyelitis are rare yet challenging problems to treat. The aim of this study was to summarize our experience with a distraction osteogenesis technique performed with an external fixator for these conditions. Twenty-three consecutive patients with tibial bone defects and limb-length discrepancy caused by osteomyelitis were treated from January 1994 to January 2009.

On the phylogeny of Mustelidae subfamilies: analysis of seventeen nuclear non-coding loci and mitochondrial complete genomes.

Background: Mustelidae, as the largest and most-diverse family of order Carnivora, comprises eight subfamilies. Phylogenetic relationships among these Mustelidae subfamilies remain argumentative subjects in recent years. One of the main reasons is that the mustelids represent a typical example of rapid evolutionary radiation and recent speciation event.