Pancreatic cancer: A review of epidemiology, trend, and risk factors.

Despite rapid advances in modern medical technology and significant improvements in survival rates of many cancers, pancreatic cancer is still a highly lethal gastrointestinal cancer with a low 5-year survival rate and difficulty in early detection. At present, the incidence and mortality of pancreatic cancer are increasing year by year worldwide, no matter in the United States, Europe, Japan, or China. Globally, the incidence of pancreatic cancer is projected to increase to 18.

High serum lactate dehydrogenase and dyspnea: Positive predictors of adverse outcome in critical COVID-19 patients in Yichang.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak in China, constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. It is well known that COVID-19 patients may have increased serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels in the early stage. The clinical changes in LDH may have predictive value in disease evolution and prognosis in critically ill COVID-19 patients.

HNF-1 binding point mutation of the AFP gene promotes cirrhosis in post-menopausal women.

Objective: α-fetoprotein (AFP) expression is activated during the embryonic stage or hepatocellular carcinogenesis, so it is presumed that AFP is a key endogenous molecule to promote cell proliferation or differentiation. We carried out gene screening in an unknown family with hyper-alpha-fetoproteinemia and some sporadic menopausal women, and discussed the relationship between AFP expression and liver cirrhosis.

Methods: Peripheral blood samples from family members, patients with malignant liver tumors, and normal controls were collected.

Spermidine-enhanced autophagic flux improves cardiac dysfunction following myocardial infarction by targeting the AMPK/mTOR signalling pathway.

Background And Purpose: Spermidine, a natural polyamine, is abundant in mammalian cells and is involved in cell growth, proliferation, and regeneration. Recently, oral spermidine supplements were cardioprotective in age-related cardiac dysfunction, through enhancing autophagic flux. However, the effect of spermidine on myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction following myocardial infarction (MI) remains unknown.

Adropin deficiency worsens HFD-induced metabolic defects.

The limited efficacy of current treatment methods and increased type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) incidence constitute an incentive for investigating how metabolic homeostasis is maintained, to improve treatment efficacy and identify novel treatment methods. We analyzed a three-generation family of Chinese origin with the common feature of T2DM attacks and fatty pancreas (FP), alongside 19 unrelated patients with FP and 58 cases with T2DM for genetic variations in Enho, serum adropin, and relative T amounts. Functional studies with adropin knockout (AdrKO) in C57BL/6J mice were also performed.

CALCB splice region pathogenic variants leading to plasma cell neurotropic enrichment in type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis.

Recently, we have demonstrated that PRSS1 mutations cause ectopic trypsinogen activation and thereby result in type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP). However, the molecules involved in inducing obliterative vasculitis and perineural inflammation in the pancreas are not well-described. The present study applied whole-exome sequencing (WES) to determine the underlying etiology and revealed novel missense splice region variants, CALCB c.

Long non-coding RNA SPRY4-IT1 pormotes colorectal cancer metastasis by regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the most common cancers worldwide. Increasing evidence indicates that SPRY4 intronic transcript 1 (SPRY4-IT1) regulate cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and cancer progression. However, the expression and function of SPRY4-IT1 in the progression of CRC remains largely unknown.

Chromatin-wide and transcriptome profiling integration uncovers p38α MAPK as a global regulator of skeletal muscle differentiation.

Background: Extracellular stimuli induce gene expression responses through intracellular signaling mediators. The p38 signaling pathway is a paradigm of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) family that, although originally identified as stress-response mediator, contributes to establishing stem cell differentiation fates. p38α is central for induction of the differentiation fate of the skeletal muscle stem cells (satellite cells) through not fully characterized mechanisms.

Antibodies to Type IV Collagen Induce Type 1 Autoimmune Pancreatitis.

Type 1 autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) is prototypic autoantibody-mediated diseases. Sclerosis accompanied by fiber deposition is generally regarded as the primary lesion in the development of obliterative vasculitis. However, why collagens or their antibodies play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of AIP has not been demonstrated.

Downregulation of CDK-8 inhibits colon cancer hepatic metastasis by regulating Wnt/β-catenin pathway.

Liver metastasis is a major cause of mortality from colon cancer. To investigate the role of cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) in the progression of colon cancer hepatic metastasis. In this present study, human colon cancer HCT116 or HCT116-LUC-GFP cells were transfected with Lentiviral vector-mediated knockdown of CDK-8.

MACC1 induces metastasis in ovarian carcinoma by upregulating hepatocyte growth factor receptor c-MET.

Metastasis-associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) is a newly identified gene that has been shown to promote tumor cell invasion and metastasis. The present study investigated the effect of MACC1 downregulation on the biological characteristics of the ovarian cancer OVCAR3 cell line. In this study, MACC1 expression was blocked using the RNA interference technique.

Synergism from the combination of ulinastatin and curcumin offers greater inhibition against colorectal cancer liver metastases via modulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 and E-cadherin expression.

Liver metastasis is a major cause of mortality in colorectal cancer (CRC). The current study was to investigate the ability of ulinastatin (UTI) and curcumin (CUR) to inhibit CRC liver metastases via modulating matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and E-cadherin expression. Human CRC HCT-116 cells were treated with compounds individually and in combination in order to understand the effect on cell migration and invasion.

Serum trypsin and TCR as novel markers for predicting disease activity in IgG4-related disease.

Background: IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a novel disease named in recent years. Because of its varied clinical manifestations, like tumor but not tumor, it brings a great challenge to clinical diagnosis. Trypsin and T-cell receptor (TCR) are thought to mediate the regulation of B cell maturation, survival and antibody production.

Multiple gene mutations in patients with type 2 autoimmune pancreatitis and its clinical features.

Background: It is now clear that there are two histological types (type 1 and type 2) of autoimmune pancreatitis (AI P). The histological substance of type 1 AI P is known as lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis (LPSP) or traditional AIP, and type 2 AIP is characterized by distinct histology called idiopathic duct centric pancreatitis (IDCP). Serum IgG4 increase is considered as a marker for type 1 AI P.

PRSS1_p.Leu81Met mutation results in autoimmune pancreatitis.

Aim: To describe protease serine 1 (PRSS1) gene mutations in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) and the clinical features of AIP.

Methods: Fourteen patients with AIP, 56 with other chronic pancreatitis, 254 with pancreatic cancer and 120 normal controls were studied. The mutations and polymorphisms of four genes involved with pancreatitis or pancreatic cancer, PRSS1, SPINK1, CFTR and MEN1, were sequenced.

Tissue-specific splicing of a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor is essential for muscle differentiation.

Alternate splicing contributes extensively to cellular complexity by generating protein isoforms with divergent functions. However, the role of alternate isoforms in development remains poorly understood. Mef2 transcription factors are essential transducers of cell signaling that modulate differentiation of many cell types.

Ulinastatin reduces cancer recurrence after resection of hepatic metastases from colon cancer by inhibiting MMP-9 activation via the antifibrinolytic pathway.

High recurrence of colon cancer liver metastasis is observed in patients after hepatic surgery, and the cause is believed to be mostly due to the growth of residual microscopic metastatic lesions within the residual liver. Therefore, triggering the progression of occult metastatic foci may be a novel strategy for improving survival from colon cancer liver metastases. In the present study, we identified an anti-recurrence effect of ulinastatin on colon cancer liver metastasis in mice after hepatectomy.

Effect of hepatocyte growth factor and angiotensin II on rat cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

Angiotensin II (Ang II) plays an important role in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. The combined effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and Ang II on cardiomyocytes is unknown. The present study was designed to determine the effect of HGF on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and to explore the combined effect of HGF and Ang II on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy.

Comparative expression profiling identifies differential roles for Myogenin and p38α MAPK signaling in myogenesis.

Skeletal muscle differentiation is mediated by a complex gene expression program requiring both the muscle-specific transcription factor Myogenin (Myog) and p38α MAPK (p38α) signaling. However, the relative contribution of Myog and p38α to the formation of mature myotubes remains unknown. Here, we have uncoupled the activity of Myog from that of p38α to gain insight into the individual roles of these proteins in myogenesis.

Loss of breast cancer metastasis suppressor 1 promotes ovarian cancer cell metastasis by increasing chemokine receptor 4 expression.

Breast cancer metastasis suppressor 1 (BRMS1) is a predominantly nuclear protein that differentially regulates the expression of multiple genes, leading to suppression of metastasis without affecting orthotopic tumor growth. It has been demonstrated that BRMS1 may be correlated with advanced ovarian cancer. The aim of this study was to investi-gate the mechanisms of BRMS1 involvement in ovarian cancer metastasis.

PRSS1 intron mutations in patients with pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis.

Genetic risk factors of chronic pancreatitis (CP) have been identified and a number of studies have found that CP can lead to pancreatic cancer. Therefore, the detection of pancreatitis-associated gene mutations can aid the pancreatic cancer diagnostic process. Mutations in three genes, the cationic trypsinogen (PRSS1) gene, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene and the pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (SPINK1) gene, have been identified as risk factors for CP.

Novel mutations of PRSS1 gene in patients with pancreatic cancer among Han population.

Background: A high mortality rate of pancreatic cancer becomes a bottleneck for further treatment with long-term efficacy. It is urgent to find a new mean to predict the early onset of pancreatic cancer accurately. The authors hypothesized that genetic variants of cationic trypsinogen (PRSS1) gene could affect trypsin expression/function and result in abnormal activation of protease activated receptor-2 (PAR-2), then lead to pancreatic cancer.

Teashirt-3, a novel regulator of muscle differentiation, associates with BRG1-associated factor 57 (BAF57) to inhibit myogenin gene expression.

In adult muscles and under normal physiological conditions, satellite cells are found in a quiescent state but can be induced to enter the cell cycle by signals resulting from exercise, injury-induced muscle regeneration, or specific disease states. Once activated, satellite cells proliferate, self-renew, and differentiate to form myofibers. In the present study, we found that the zinc finger-containing factor Teashirt-3 (TSHZ3) was expressed in quiescent satellite cells of adult mouse skeletal muscles.