An in silico analysis of dynamic changes in microRNA expression profiles in stepwise development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that participate in the spatiotemporal regulation of messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein synthesis. Recent studies have shown that some miRNAs are involved in the progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the aberrant miRNAs implicated in different clinical stages of NPC remain unknown and their functions have not been systematically studied.

Manganese source affects manganese transport and gene expression of divalent metal transporter 1 in the small intestine of broilers.

In the present study, two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of Mn source on Mn transport and the expression of a Mn transporter, divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), in the small intestine of broilers. In Expt 1, in situ ligated duodenal loops from Mn-deficient chicks (29-d-old) were perfused with solutions containing 0-8.74 mmol Mn/l from either MnSO4, or one of two organic chelates of Mn and amino acids with moderate (OM) or strong (OS) chelation strength (Q(f)) up to 30 min.

Overexpression of the human ubiquitin E3 ligase CUL4A alleviates hypoxia-reoxygenation injury in pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells.

The ubiquitin E3 ligase CUL4A plays important roles in diverse cellular processes including carcinogenesis and proliferation. It has been reported that the expression of CUL4A can be induced by hypoxic-ischemic injury. However, the effect of elevated expression of CUL4A on hypoxia-reoxygenation injury is currently unclear.

Relative bioavailability of manganese proteinate for broilers fed a conventional corn-soybean meal diet.

An experiment was conducted to investigate the bioavailability of organic manganese proteinate (Mn) relative to inorganic Mn sulfate for broilers fed a conventional corn-soybean meal basal diet. A total of 448-day-old Arbor Acres commercial male chicks were fed the Mn-unsupplemented basal diet (control) or basal diet supplemented with 60, 120, or 180 mg Mn/kg from each Mn source. At 21 days of age, heart tissue was excised for testing DM, Mn concentration, manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity, and MnSOD mRNA level.

Grade-specific expression profiles of miRNAs/mRNAs and docking study in human grade I-III astrocytomas.

Although several miRNAs have been identified to be involved in glioblastoma tumorigenesis, little is known about the global expression profiles of miRNAs and their functional targets in astrocytomas at earlier stages of malignancy. In this study the global expression of miRNAs and mRNAs in normal brain tissue samples and grade I-III astrocytomas were analyzed parallelly using microarrays, and the grade-specific expression profiles of them were obtained by unsupervised hierarchical clustering. It was also confirmed that miR-107, miR-124, miR-138, and miR-149 were downregulated significantly in grade I-IV astrocytomas, and overexpression of miR-124 and miR-149 inhibited glioblastoma cell proliferation and migration.

Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Carbon Fixation by Moso Bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) in Subtropical China.

To study the temporal and spatial dynamics of carbon fixation by Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) in subtropical China, carbon fixation of leaves within the canopy of P. pubescens was measured with a LI-6400 portable photosynthesis system. The results showed that the capability of carbon fixation of P.

Tumor-conditioned mesenchymal stem cells display hematopoietic differentiation and diminished influx of Ca2+.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that are present in many adult tissues can generate new cells either continuously or in response to injury/cancer. An increasing number of studies demonstrated that MSCs have the ability to differentiate into cells of mesodermal origin and transdifferentiate into cells such as hepatocytes, neural cells. There has been growing interest in the application of MSCs to cancer therapy.

miR-149 promotes epithelial-mesenchymal transition and invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

Objective: To investigate the function and mechanism of miR-149 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Methods: The expression of miR-149 was examined by real-time PCR and calculated by 2(-▵▵Ct) method. The cell proliferation was analyzed by MTT assay.

Complete genome sequence of Methanosaeta concilii, a specialist in aceticlastic methanogenesis.

The genome sequence of the aceticlastic methanoarchaeon Methanosaeta concilii GP6, comprised of a 3,008,626-bp chromosome and an 18,019-bp episome, has been determined and exhibits considerable differences in gene content from that of Methanosaeta thermophila.

An estimation of the manganese requirement for broilers from 1 to 21 days of age.

A dose-response experiment was conducted to find the sensitive and consistent biomarker for the estimation of dietary manganese (Mn) requirement and establish the optimal Mn level for broilers fed a practical corn-soybean meal diet from 1 to 21 days of age post-hatching. A total of 480 1-day-old Arbor Acres male chicks were randomly allotted to one of eight treatments with five replicates of 12 birds each and fed diets supplemented with 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, or 140 mg Mn/kg from reagent grade Mn sulfate. Tissue Mn concentrations, manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) activity, and MnSOD mRNA concentration within heart tissue were analyzed at 7, 14, and 21 days of age.

Dietary manganese modulates expression of the manganese-containing superoxide dismutase gene in chickens.

To investigate the possible mechanism(s) by which dietary manganese (Mn) levels and sources modulate the expression of the manganese-containing superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) gene at both the transcriptional and translational levels, we used 432 8-d-old male broiler chicks in a 1 plus 4 × 2 design. Chickens were given either a diet without Mn supplementation [control (C)] or diets supplemented with 100 (optimal) or 200 (high) mg Mn/kg diet from inorganic Mn sulfate (I) or 3 organic complexes of Mn and amino acids with weak (W), moderate (M), or strong (S) chelation strength up to 21 d of age. Compared with C chicks, chicks fed Mn-supplemented diets had higher (P < 0.

[Transformation of astragaloside IV in bidirectional solid fermenting of Astragalus membranaceus].

Objective: To study the transformation of Astragaloside IV in bidirectional solid fermenting of Astragalus membranaceus var. mongholicus.

Methods: The chemical components of pre and post-fermenting were comparatively analyzed by techniques of HPLC, column chromatography and spectral identification.

Immune response of AA broilers to IBV H120 vaccine and sodium new houttuyfonate.

In this report, 120 healthy one-day-old AA broilers were divided into six groups. Groups 1-4 received 100, 200, 400 and 800 mg/L of sodium new houttuyfonate (SNH) with IB vaccine H120 respectively. Group 5 received PBS and H120 and group 6 IL-2 and H120.

Site-directed mutagenesis of apolipoprotein CII to probe the role of its secondary structure for activation of lipoprotein lipase.

Apolipoprotein CII (apoCII) is a necessary activator for lipoprotein lipase (LPL). We had identified four residues (Tyr-63, Ile-66, Asp-69, and Gln-70), presumably contained in an alpha-helix, as a potential binding site for LPL. We have now used structure prediction, mutagenesis, and functional assays to explore the functional role of the secondary structure in this part of apoCII.

[A pilot study on the impact of the drug resistance on the radioresistance in human pancreatic cancer cell lines].

Objective: To investigate the impact of the drug resistance on the radioresistance in human pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Methods: Three drug resistant pancreatic cancer cell sublines induced by fluorouracil (5-FU), adriamycin (ADM) and gemcitabine respectively, SW1990/FU, SW1990/ADM and SW1990/Gz, were tested for the cell cycle and radio-sensitivity with flow cytometry and clonogenic assay.

Results: Compared with SW1990, the cell cycle assay indicated higher G(0)/G(1) period percentage in SW1990/FU and SW1990/Gz, but the G(2)/M period percentage decreased; SW1990/FU had the same while SW1990/Gz had lower S period percentage.

[Establishment, characterization, and biological analysis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell strain SW1990/FU].

Objective: To establish a 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-resistant pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) cell strain, and to investigate its biological characteristics.

Methods: The PAC cell strain SW1990 was selected into a multidrug-resistant cell strain stepwise with 5-FU, one of the most common drugs used in PAC chemotherapy, for 12 months and subsequently named SW1990/FU. The cell strain was characterized in terms of morphology, biology, and cross-resistance to adriamycin(ADM), mitomycin-C (MMC), and gemcitabine.

Detection of multidrug resistant gene 1 in pancreatic cancer.

Background: The results are conflicting in detecting P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in pancreatic cancer. The aim of this study was to detect the expression of multidrug resistant gene 1 (MDR1) in pancreatic cancer cell lines.

Methods: MDR1 mRNA and P-gp were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical assay (IHC) in three pancreatic cancer cell lines SW1990, CAPAN-1 and P3.

[Biocompatibility of SA/CS-CaCl2/PMCG Microcapsule in cell culture].

A novel multi-components microcapsule--SA/CS-CaCl2/PMCG system was introduced. The effects of PMCG and SA/CS-CaCl2/PMCG microcapsules on the growth of free E. coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae were studied respectively.

[Assessment of unresectability of pancreatic carcinoma by enhanced-CT and selective angiography].

Background & Objective: One of the major limitations of curative resection in the patients with pancreatic cancer is local tumor extension to the major vessels surrounding pancreas. Therefore the assessment of the involvement of major arteries surrounding pancreas by tumor before operation is very important for the judgement of respectability of pancreatic carcinoma. This study was designed to assess the clinical value of contrast-enhanced CT(CECT) and selective angiography (SAG) in predicting the unresectability of patients with pancreatic cancer.