PCGEM1 stimulates proliferation of osteoarthritic synoviocytes by acting as a sponge for miR-770.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play important roles in cellular metabolism and development. Various diseases have been associated with aberrant expression of lncRNAs and the related dysregulation of mRNAs. An lncRNA profiling assay was carried out to identify the key lncRNA in osteoarthritic human synoviocytes; the results revealed that prostate cancer gene expression marker 1 (PCGEM1) was significantly overexpressed in osteoarthritic synoviocytes.

Association between Promoter Polymorphisms of TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3 and the Risk of Gastric and Diffuse Gastric Cancers in a Korean Population.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. The aims of this study were to evaluate the association between polymorphisms in TFF gene family, TFF1, TFF2, and TFF3 and the risk of gastric cancer (GC) and GC subgroups in a Korean population via a case-control study. The eight polymorphisms in TFF gene family were identified by sequencing and genotyped with 377 GC patients and 396 controls by using TaqMan genotyping assay.

A neutral polydisulfide containing Gd(III) DOTA monoamide as a redox-sensitive biodegradable macromolecular MRI contrast agent.

This work aims to develop safe and effective gadolinium (III)-based biodegradable macromolecular MRI contrast agents for blood pool and cancer imaging. A neutral polydisulfide containing macrocyclic Gd-DOTA monoamide (GOLS) was synthesized and characterized. In addition to studying the in vitro degradation of GOLS, its kinetic stability was also investigated in an in vivo model.

Hormones and ethics: Understanding the biological basis of unethical conduct.

Globally, fraud has been rising sharply over the last decade, with current estimates placing financial losses at greater than $3.7 trillion annually. Unfortunately, fraud prevention has been stymied by lack of a clear and comprehensive understanding of its underlying causes and mechanisms.

Homologous sense and antisense expression of a gene in Dunaliella tertiolecta.

Dunaliella transformation using antisense and sense technology developed in this study will provide powerful tools for functional analysis and pathway-specific metabolic engineering in Dunaliella for industrial applications. Our aim was to investigate the potential of antisense expression and overexpression of a specific gene, the carotenoid biosynthesis-related (CBR) gene, in the microalgae Dunaliella. DNA amplified from sense and antisense vector constructs was used to transform Dunaliella tertiolecta.

Amniotic epithelial cells promote wound healing in mice through high epithelialization and engraftment.

Although human amniotic epithelial cells (AMEs) are an attractive source of stem cells, their therapeutic potential in wound healing has not been fully investigated. We evaluated the therapeutic potential of AMEs for wound healing. Real-time PCR showed that the epithelialization growth factors epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B and chemotactic factors interleukin-8 (IL-8 or CXCL8) and neutrophil-activating protein-2 (NAP-2 or CXCL7) were upregulated in AMEs compared with adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMs).

Creating Anti-icing Surfaces via the Direct Immobilization of Antifreeze Proteins on Aluminum.

Cryoprotectants such as antifreeze proteins (AFPs) and sugar molecules may provide a solution for icing problems. These anti-icing substances protect cells and tissues from freezing by inhibiting ice formation. In this study, we developed a method for coating an industrial metal material (aluminum, Al) with AFP from the Antarctic marine diatom, Chaetoceros neogracile (Cn-AFP), to prevent or delay ice formation.

Clinical outcomes of re-stenting in patients with stent malfunction in malignant gastric outlet obstruction.

Background And Aims: Self-expanding metal stents (SEMS) have been used for the palliative treatment of malignant gastric outlet obstruction (GOO). The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of salvage SEMS for stent malfunction and to identify the prognostic factors for a longer patency.

Methods: A total of 108 patients who underwent a secondary salvage SEMS placement for a primary stent malfunction were retrospectively reviewed at the Seoul National University Hospital between August 2004 and May 2013.

miR-370 and miR-373 regulate the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis by modulating one-carbon metabolism via SHMT-2 and MECP-2, respectively.

The aim of this study was to determine the mechanism underlying the association between one-carbon metabolism and DNA methylation during chronic degenerative joint disorder, osteoarthritis (OA). Articular chondrocytes were isolated from human OA cartilage and normal cartilage biopsied, and the degree of cartilage degradation was determined by safranin O staining. We found that the expression levels of SHMT-2 and MECP-2 were increased in OA chondrocytes, and 3'UTR reporter assays showed that SHMT-2 and MECP-2 are the direct targets of miR-370 and miR-373, respectively, in human articular chondrocytes.

Microbial biofilms for the removal of Cu²⁺ from CMP wastewater.

The modern semiconductor industry relies heavily on a process known as chemical mechanical planarization, which uses physical and chemical processes to remove excess material from the surface of silicon wafers during microchip fabrication. This process results in large volumes of wastewater containing dissolved metals including copper (Cu(2+)), which must then be filtered and treated before release into municipal waste systems. We have investigated the potential use of bacterial and fungal biomass as an alternative to the currently used ion-exchange resins for the adsorption of dissolved Cu(2+) from high-throughput industrial waste streams.

The Role of Spleen Stiffness in Determining the Severity and Bleeding Risk of Esophageal Varices in Cirrhotic Patients.

Esophageal varix and its hemorrhage are serious complications of liver cirrhosis. Recent studies have focused on noninvasive prediction of esophageal varices. We attempted to evaluate the association of liver and spleen stiffness (LS and SS) as measured by acoustic radiation force impulse imaging, with the presence and severity of esophageal varices and variceal hemorrhage in cirrhotic patients.

Clinicopathologic and molecular features associated with patient age in gastric cancer.

Aim: To compare characteristics and prognosis of gastric cancer based on age.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on clinical and molecular data from patients (n = 1658) with confirmed cases of gastric cancer in Seoul National University Bundang Hospital (Seoul, South Korea) from 2003 to 2010 after exclusion of patients diagnosed with lymphoma, gastrointestinal stromal tumor, and metastatic cancer in the stomach. DNA was isolated from tumor and adjacent normal tissue, and a set of five markers was amplified by polymerase chain reaction to assess microsatellite instability (MSI).

RNA secondary structures in a polymer-zeta model how foldings should be shaped for sparsification to establish a linear speedup.

Various tools used to predict the secondary structure for a given RNA sequence are based on dynamic programming used to compute a conformation of minimum free energy. For structures without pseudoknots, a worst-case runtime proportional to n3, with n being the length of the sequence, results since a table of dimension n2 has to be filled in while a single entry gives rise to a linear computational effort. However, it was recently observed that reformulating the corresponding dynamic programming recursion together with the bookkeeping of potential folding alternatives (a technique called sparsification) may reduce the runtime to n2 on average, assuming that nucleotides of distance d form a hydrogen bond (i.

Down-regulation of Phospholipase D Stimulates Death of Lung Cancer Cells Involving Up-regulation of the Long ncRNA ANRIL.

Dysregulation of phospholipase D (PLD) has been found in several types of human cancer, but the underlying regulatory mechanism remains poorly-understood. Herein we found PLD inhibition in human H460 lung cancer cells has anti-tumorigenic effects such as stimulation of apoptosis and autophagy. In the present study, in order to identify the responsible key regulator of these anti-tumorigenic effects of PLD inhibition, we analyzed the expression levels of 90 long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs).

The effect of muscle power training with elastic band on blood glucose, cytokine, and physical function in elderly women with hyperglycemia.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of muscle power training with elastic band on body composition, glucose relation factor, and physical function in elderly women with hyperglycemia.

Methods: A total of 16 elderly women volunteered to participate in this study as subjects, and they were randomly assigned into one of the following two groups: muscle power training group (MPT: n = 8) and control group (CON: n = 8). The muscle power training group took exercise program using elastic band for 12 weeks, and the other group did not receive any exercise program during the same period.

A MRS study of metabolic alterations in the frontal white matter of major depressive disorder patients with the treatment of SSRIs.

Background: Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy provides a non-invasive technology to study brain metabolite levels in vivo, which can be used to measure biochemical compounds or metabolite concentrations in circumscribed brain regions. Previous research has highlighted the role of glial cells in brain white matter. It has been assumed that antidepressant treatment with SSRIs not only affects neurons, but also activates glial cells.

Anti-angiogenic Effects of Bumetanide Revealed by DCE-MRI with a Biodegradable Macromolecular Contrast Agent in a Colon Cancer Model.

Purpose: To assess the antiangiogenic effect of bumetanide with dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)-MRI and a biodegradable macromolecular MRI contrast agent.

Methods: A new polydisulfide containing macrocyclic gadolinium (Gd(III)) chelates, poly([(Gd-DOTA)-DETA]-co-DTBP) (GODP), was synthesized as a safe biodegradable macromolecular MRI contrast agent for DCE-MRI. Nude mice bearing flank HT29 colon cancer xenografts were then treated daily with either bumetanide or saline for a total of 3 weeks.

One-pot enzymatic conversion of carbon dioxide and utilization for improved microbial growth.

We developed a process for one-pot CO2 conversion and utilization based on simple conversion of CO2 to bicarbonate at ambient temperature with no energy input, by using the cross-linking-based composites of carboxylated polyaniline nanofibers (cPANFs) and carbonic anhydrase. Carbonic anhydrase was immobilized on cPANFs via the approach of magnetically separable enzyme precipitate coatings (Mag-EPC), which consists of covalent enzyme attachment, enzyme precipitation, and cross-linking with amine-functionalized magnetic nanoparticles. Mag-EPC showed a half-life of 236 days under shaking, even resistance to 70% ethanol sterilization, and recyclability via facile magnetic separation.

CT findings of persistent pure ground glass opacity: can we predict the invasiveness?

Background: To investigate whether CT findings can predict the invasiveness of persistent cancerous pure ground glass opacity (pGGO) by correlating the CT imaging features of persistent pGGO with pathological changes.

Materials And Methods: Ninety five patients with persistent pGGOs were included. Three radiologists evaluated the morphologic features of these pGGOs at high resolution CT (HRCT).

Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Quantification across Different Phases of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection Using an Immunoradiometric Assay.

Background/aims: Quantification of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is an emerging serologic test and may be useful for identifying treatment strategies for chronic hepatitis B (CHB). This study aimed to evaluate HBsAg titers during the natural course of CHB and identify correlations between HBsAg titers and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA concentrations across different CHB phases measured using an immunoradiometric assay (IRMA).

Methods: CHB phases were defined on the basis of HBV DNA concentrations, the presence of hepatitis B e antigen/antibody (HBeAg/Ab) and serum alanine aminotransferase levels.

Locking covalent organic frameworks with hydrogen bonds: general and remarkable effects on crystalline structure, physical properties, and photochemical activity.

A series of two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D COFs) locked with intralayer hydrogen-bonding (H-bonding) interactions were synthesized. The H-bonding interaction sites were located on the edge units of the imine-linked tetragonal porphyrin COFs, and the contents of the H-bonding sites in the COFs were synthetically tuned using a three-component condensation system. The intralayer H-bonding interactions suppress the torsion of the edge units and lock the tetragonal sheets in a planar conformation.

Characterization of resting-state fMRI-derived functional connectivity in patients with deficiency versus excess patterns of major depression.

Objective: Patients with major depression (MD) experience a variety of emotional and mental problems accompanied by characteristic clinical symptoms. Based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) notions, the clinical appearance of MD can be divided into two syndromes, namely a deficiency pattern (DP) and an excess pattern (EP), depending on the patient's clinical symptoms, pulse, and lingual signs. Brain functional neuroimaging has demonstrated cerebral activity abnormalities in MD patients.

Comparative effectiveness of intravitreal bevacizumab with or without triamcinolone acetonide for treatment of diabetic macular edema.

Background: Bevacizumab and triamcinolone acetonide (TA) are both common choices for treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME), but the comparative efficacy of combined or separate applications is still not determined.

Objectives: To compare the treatment efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) and the combination of IVB and intravitreal triamcinolone (IVT) for DME patients.

Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library were systematically reviewed for randomized controlled trials comparing IVB with IVB/IVT.

The effects of pleiotrophin in proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Pleiotrophin (PTN), a secreted, multifunctional cytokine, is involved in angiogenic, fibrotic and neurodegenerative diseases. However, little is known about its effects on diabetic retinopathy, a neurovascular disease. To investigate the role of PTN in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), PTN concentration in the vitreous was evaluated in PDR patients and non-diabetic controls.

The regular distribution and expression pattern of immunosuppressive cytokine IL-35 in mouse uterus during early pregnancy.

Cytokines within the uterus are critical in the maternal-fetal immune regulation. Immunosuppressive cytokine IL-35 was recently discovered inhibitory cytokine, which were pivotal in the establishment of immune tolerance against self-antigens and antigens encountered in foreign implantation. In order to analyze the role of IL-35 in maternal-fetal immune tolerance, the expression patterns of IL-35 in mouse endometrium were studied during early pregnancy by immunohistochemistry, ELISA and quantitative real-time PCR.