A prognostic model based on DNA methylation-related gene expression for predicting overall survival in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to increase in morbidity and mortality among all types of cancer. DNA methylation, an important epigenetic modification, is associated with cancer occurrence and progression. The objective of this study was to establish a model based on DNA methylation risk scores for identifying new potential therapeutic targets in HCC and preventing cancer progression.

[Clinical characteristics and prognosis of 12 cases of lupus nephritis complicated with thrombotic microangiopathy].

Objectives: To investigate the clinical characteristics, pathological features, treatment regimen, and prognosis of children with lupus nephritis (LN) and thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), as well as the treatment outcome of these children and the clinical and pathological differences between LN children with TMA and those without TMA.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 12 children with LN and TMA (TMA group) who were admitted to the Department of Nephrology, Children's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, from December 2010 to December 2021. Twenty-four LN children without TMA who underwent renal biopsy during the same period were included as the non-TMA group.

Lobelia chinensis Lour inhibits the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma via the regulation of the PTEN/AKT signaling pathway in vivo and in vitro.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Lobelia chinensis Lour. (LCL) is a common herb used for clearing heat and detoxifying, and it has antitumor activity. Quercetin is one of its important components, which may play an important role in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Effects of lower body positive pressure treadmill on functional improvement in knee osteoarthritis: A randomized clinical trial study.

Background: Knee joint pain and stiffness are the two main symptoms of knee osteoarthritis (OA) and thus restrict a patient's activities, such as walking and walking up and downstairs. The lower body positive pressure (LBPP) treadmill as one of the emerging body weight support system devices brings new hope for exercise-related rehabilitation for knee OA patients.

Aim: To investigate the biomechanical effects and the subjective clinical assessment of LBPP treadmill walking exercise when compared with conventional therapy in mild to moderate knee OA patients.

Evaluation of a new frequency-volume chart for children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis: a prospective, comparative study.

Introduction: To improve compliance with voiding diaries in children with primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE), a new modified 3-day weekend frequency-volume chart (FVC) was designed, and the compliance and validity of this modified FVC was evaluated by comparing with the International Children's Continence Society (ICCS) recommended voiding diary.

Methods: A total of 1200 patients with PMNE were enrolled in the study from 13 centers in China and were randomly assigned to record this modified FVC or the ICCS-recommended voiding diary. The primary outcome measure was the compliance, assessed by comparing the completing index and the quality score of diaries between two groups.

Identification of Quantitative Trait Loci for Component Traits of Flowering Capacity Across Temperature in .

For ornamental annual bedding plants, flowering performance is critical. Flowering performance includes the length of the flowering period, the longevity of individual flowers, and the number of flowers produced during the flowering period, or flowering capacity. Flowering capacity is a function of several component traits, including the number of branches producing flowers, the number of inflorescences per flowering branch, and the number of flower buds per inflorescence.

Protocol for Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation and Transgenic Plant Production of Switchgrass.

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is one of the most important bioenergy crops for lignocellulose ethanol production. Molecular breeding provides a powerful tool to supplement conventional switchgrass breeding by introducing or editing genes of interest.

Lipidation of polyethylenimine-based polyplex increases serum stability of bioengineered RNAi agents and offers more consistent tumoral gene knockdown in vivo.

Recently we have established a novel approach to produce bioengineered noncoding RNA agents (BERAs) in living cells that carry target RNAi molecules (e.g., siRNA and miRNA) and thus act as "prodrugs".

Genetic Determinants of Crop Timing and Quality Traits in Two Interspecific Petunia Recombinant Inbred Line Populations.

The rate at which plants develop new nodes (development rate) is a major determinant of crop production time, yet the genetic control of this process, including genetic interactions with crop quality parameters, is poorly understood. We employed a modified genotyping-by-sequencing approach and generated genetic linkage maps with 6,291 and 3,297 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the interspecific Petunia recombinant inbred line (RIL) population - P. axillaris × P.

Combination therapy with bioengineered miR-34a prodrug and doxorubicin synergistically suppresses osteosarcoma growth.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common form of primary malignant bone tumor and prevalent among children and young adults. Recently we have established a novel approach to bioengineering large quantity of microRNA-34a (miR-34a) prodrug for miRNA replacement therapy. This study is to evaluate combination treatment with miR-34a prodrug and doxorubicin, which may synergistically suppress human OS cell growth via RNA interference and DNA intercalation.

Bioengineering Novel Chimeric microRNA-34a for Prodrug Cancer Therapy: High-Yield Expression and Purification, and Structural and Functional Characterization.

Development of anticancer treatments based on microRNA (miRNA/miR) such as miR-34a replacement therapy is limited to the use of synthetic RNAs with artificial modifications. Herein, we present a new approach to a high-yield and large-scale biosynthesis, in Escherichia coli using transfer RNA (tRNA) scaffold, of chimeric miR-34a agent, which may act as a prodrug for anticancer therapy. The recombinant tRNA fusion pre-miR-34a (tRNA/mir-34a) was quickly purified to a high degree of homogeneity (>98%) using anion-exchange fast protein liquid chromatography, whose primary sequence and post-transcriptional modifications were directly characterized by mass spectrometric analyses.

Chimeric MicroRNA-1291 Biosynthesized Efficiently in Escherichia coli Is Effective to Reduce Target Gene Expression in Human Carcinoma Cells and Improve Chemosensitivity.

In contrast to the growing interests in studying noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) such as microRNA (miRNA or miR) pharmacoepigenetics, there is a lack of efficient means to cost effectively produce large quantities of natural miRNA agents. Our recent efforts led to a successful production of chimeric pre-miR-27b in bacteria using a transfer RNA (tRNA)-based recombinant RNA technology, but at very low expression levels. Herein, we present a high-yield expression of chimeric pre-miR-1291 in common Escherichia coli strains using the same tRNA scaffold.

A general approach to high-yield biosynthesis of chimeric RNAs bearing various types of functional small RNAs for broad applications.

RNA research and therapy relies primarily on synthetic RNAs. We employed recombinant RNA technology toward large-scale production of pre-miRNA agents in bacteria, but found the majority of target RNAs were not or negligibly expressed. We thus developed a novel strategy to achieve consistent high-yield biosynthesis of chimeric RNAs carrying various small RNAs (e.

Hydroa vacciniforme-like cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

A 14-year-old Chinese girl had a 6-year history of recurrent lesions on her head, face, and limbs. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-IgM was positive. Histopathological findings revealed focal lymphocyte invasion in subcutaneous panniculus adiposus, mainly surrounding the blood vessels.

CYP2C9*3(1075A > C), ABCB1 and SLCO1B1 genetic polymorphisms and gender are determinants of inter-subject variability in pitavastatin pharmacokinetics.

A pharmacokinetics study was conducted in 12 Chinese volunteers following a single dose of 1 mg, 2 mg and 4 mg of pitavastatin calcium in an open-label, randomized, three-period crossover design. Plasma concentrations of pitavastatin acid and pitavastatin lactone were determined by a HPLC method. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ABCB1, ABCG2, SLCO1B1, CYP2C9 and CYP3A5 were determined by TaqMan (MGB) genotyping assay.

An overview of ABC and SLC drug transporter gene regulation.

Membrane transporters play a significant role in drug absorption, distribution and excretion, and they consequently affect the pharmacokinetics, efficacy and safety of a drug. Under certain circumstances, such as pathological processes or exposure to certain substances, the expression of drug transporters is modified in cells. Change in transporter expression and function may affect cellular drug disposition resulting in different drug responses.

[Etiology survey on virus of acute respiratory infection in Guangzhou from 2006 to 2009].

Objective: To investigate the pathogens of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in Guangzhou from 2006 to 2009.

Methods: A total of 1554 cases of ARI patients in Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College from September 2006 to September 2009, were recruited in the survey. The sample of throat and pharyngeal swab were collected from each patient.

[Research progress of zebrafish used in drug metabolism].

Zebrafish is widely used as a model organism in the process of drug discovery. It expresses drug metabolizing enzymes like cytochrome P450 (CYP450), uridine 5'-diphospho-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) and nuclear receptors like pregnane X receptor (PXR), aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), etc. This article summarized the profiles of main drug metabolizing enzymes and nuclear receptors, and reviewed the advances on xenobiotics metabolism in zebrafish.

Is acquired symmetrical acrokeratoderma a new dermatosis? Two case reports and Chinese literature review.

Background: A series of cases characterized by symmetrical acral hyperkeratosis, mainly involving the dorsal surface of the hands, feet, and wrists, but sparing the palmoplantar areas, as well as rapid immersion upon exposure to water have been recently described in China, but similar disorders have not been reported in the English literature.

Methods: The clinicopathologic features of two cases of acquired symmetrical acrokeratoderma were reported and 27 Chinese patients were reviewed.

Results: The disorder typically occurred in young or middle aged men.

[Molecular epidemiological characteristics of norovirus gastroenteritis outbreaks in Guangdong from 2005 to 2008].

To study the molecular epidemiological characteristics of norovirus gastroenteritis outbreaks in Guangdong, we collected fecal and anal swabs specimens from 24 outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis from 2005 to 2008 to detect norovirus. Specimens were detected by RT-PCR and then sequenced. The descriptive data were also collected.

[Investigation of human metapneumovirus in children with acute respiratory tract infections in Guangzhou areas].

Objective: To find out the status of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infection in children under 14 years old with acute respiratory tract infections (ARI) in Guangzhou, analyze the epidemiology and clinical characteristics among the hMPV-infected children, and provide some basis for research of hMPV.

Methods: All 521 throat and pharyngeal swabs were collected among the children with acute respiratory tract infections in outpatient departments and those admitted to the wards from September 2006 to August 2008. Then total nucleic acid was extracted from respiratory specimens.

Multiple outbreaks of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis due to a variant of coxsackievirus A24: Guangdong, China, 2007.

Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) is usually caused by enterovirus 70, coxsackievirus A24(CA24v) and adenoviruses. Several outbreaks of AHC caused by a CA24v have occurred since it was imported into China in 1971. Multiple outbreaks of AHC reappeared in 10 cities of Guangdong during June to November in 2007.