Chemically Cross-Linked Hammerhead Ribozyme as an Efficient RNA Interference Tool.

RNA-cleaving ribozymes are promising candidates as general tools of RNA interference (RNAi) in gene manipulation. However, compared with other RNA systems, such as siRNA and CRISPR technologies, the ribozyme tools are still far from broad applications on RNAi due to their poor performance in the cellular context. In this work, we report an efficient RNAi tool based on chemically modified hammerhead ribozyme (HHR).

Rheumatoid arthritis and hypothyroidism: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.

Object: Though significant correlations between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and hypothyroidism have been found in earlier observational studies, their underlying causal relationship is still unknown. Mendelian randomization (MR) was used in the current study to assess the bidirectional causation between RA and hypothyroidism.

Method: We gathered summary data from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of RA and hypothyroidism in people of European descent.

Clinical Characterization of Mismatch Repair Gene-Deficient Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer.

Mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) prostate cancer is rare and has not been well studied. We aimed to evaluate the clinical characterization of dMMR metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. The MMR genes include MLH1, MLH3, MSH2, MSH6, PMS1, PMS2, and EPCAM, and were analyzed by targeted sequencing of plasma cell-free DNA samples.

Gene set based systematic analysis of prostate cancer and its subtypes.

A gene set based systematic analysis strategy is used to investigate prostate tumors and its subclusters with focuses on similarities and differences of biological functions. Dysregulation of methylation status, as well as RAS/RAF/ERK and PI3K-ATK signaling pathways, were found to be the most dramatic changes during prostate cancer tumorigenesis. Besides, neural and inflammation microenvironment is also significantly divergent between tumor and adjacent tissues.

MicroRNA‑494 inhibits apoptosis of murine vascular smooth muscle cells in vitro.

Apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is a process that regulates vessel remodeling in various cardiovascular diseases. The specific mechanisms that control VSMC apoptosis remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate whether microRNA‑494 (miR‑494) is involved in regulating VSMC apoptosis and its underlying mechanisms.

The effect of metformin therapy on incidence and prognosis in prostate cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The relationship between metformin and prostate cancer (PCa) remains controversial. To clarify this association, the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane library databases were systematically searched from their inception dates to May 23, 2018, using the keywords "metformin" and "prostate cancer" to identify the related studies. The results included incidence, overall survival (OS), PCa-specific survival (CSS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS), which were measured as hazard ratios (HR) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) using Review Manager 5.

Spider peptide toxin lycosin-I induces apoptosis and inhibits migration of prostate cancer cells.

Spider toxins are molecularly diverse and some display not only a strong antibacterial effect but also exhibit significant inhibition of tumor growth and promote tumor cell apoptosis. The aim of the present investigation was to explore different antitumor effects of the spider peptide toxin lycosin-I through different pathways at different concentrations. It was found that by inactivating STAT3 pathway, high concentrations of lycosin-I induce apoptosis in prostate cancer cells and low concentrations of lycosin-I inhibit the migration of prostate cancer cells.