Emodin ameliorates matrix degradation and apoptosis in nucleus pulposus cells and attenuates intervertebral disc degeneration through LRP1 in vitro and in vivo.

Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide, with a strong correlation to intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Inflammation-induced extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation plays a major role in IDD's progression. Emodin, known for its anti-inflammatory effects and ability to inhibit ECM degradation in osteoarthritis, but its role in IDD is unclear.

TAK-715 alleviated IL-1β-induced apoptosis and ECM degradation in nucleus pulposus cells and attenuated intervertebral disc degeneration ex vivo and in vivo.

Background: Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is one of the most common disorders related to the spine. Inflammation, apoptosis and extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation contribute to disc degeneration in nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs). This study focused on the role and mechanism of the p38 inhibitor TAK-715 in intervertebral disc degeneration.

IMperm: a fast and comprehensive IMmune Paired-End Reads Merger for sequencing data.

The adaptive immune receptor repertoire (AIRR), consisting of T- and B-cell receptors, is the core component of the immune system. The AIRR sequencing is commonly used in cancer immunotherapy and minimal residual disease (MRD) detection of leukemia and lymphoma. The AIRR is captured by primers and sequenced to yield paired-end (PE) reads.

Correlation between posterior paraspinal muscle atrophy and lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration in patients with chronic low back pain.

Background: Although enormous studies have been devoted to solving the problem of intervertebral disc degeneration/herniation, little attention is paid to the effect of paraspinal muscles on it. We aimed to investigate the correlation between paraspinal muscle atrophy and lumbar disc degeneration to recognize paraspinal muscle atrophy and its importance to the spine.

Patients And Methods: A total of 107 patients were enrolled in the study (65 females, 42 males; age 50.

ScRNA-seq and bulk RNA-seq reveal the characteristics of ferroptosis and establish a risk signature in cholangiocarcinoma.

Ferroptosis is a recently discovered mode of cell death that inhibits tumor growth. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is a powerful tool for analyzing tumor heterogeneity and the immune microenvironment at the single-cell level. We used CIBERSORT to identify cellular immune scores and found that monocytes had significantly infiltrated and were correlated with prognosis in cholangiocarcinoma.

Methodology established for the detection of circulating tumor DNA by hybridization capture.

Roche's AVENIO ctDNA analysis kits and bioinformatics analysis (the AVENIO system) are accessible to all NGS laboratories. We have developed an approach, namely the Sec-Seq system, and compared the accuracy, sensitivity, repeatability and economic cost between the AVENIO system and the Sec-Seq system. Both methods share the comparable accuracy and sensitivity in detecting the variant allele frequency of 0.

AOSRV: Development and preliminary performance assessment of a new robotic system for autonomous percutaneous vertebroplasty.

Background: Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) is one of the most effective treatments for patients with vertebral fracture that need surgical treatment, and surgical robotics are promising tools to provide surgeons with improved precision, surgical efficiency and reduce radiation exposure. However, there are currently few robotics that are developed to help assist with PVP.

Methods: A new spinal surgical robotic system 'AOSRV' for autonomous vertebral puncture and bone cement injection was designed and customised in this study.

Glomus tumor of uncertain malignant potential within the cervical spine: a case report.

The case report details the first glomus tumor (GT) of uncertain malignant potential within the cervical spine. The patient had been experiencing neck pain and numbness of the left side of her body for 3 months. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a lesion with the dimensions 22 mm × 11 mm in the left side of the intervertebral foramen and epidural of C1-5.

Integrative analysis of long non-coding RNA and messenger RNA expression in toll-like receptor 4-primed mesenchymal stem cells of ankylosing spondylitis.

Background: The precise pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is still largely unknown at present. Our previous study found that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) downregulated and performed immunoregulatory dysfunction in mesenchymal stem cells from AS patients (AS-MSCs). The aim of this study was to explore the expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in TLR4-primed AS-MSCs, and to clarify the potential mechanisms.

Prediction of a Potential Mechanism of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration Based on a Novel Competitive Endogenous RNA Network.

Low back pain which resulted from intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is a common health problem that afflicts people all over the world. Due to the lack of an overall understanding of the molecular interactions involved in IDD, we hope to better understand the pathogenetic mechanisms that drive the degenerative process. The purpose of this study is to obtain mRNAs, miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs associated with IDD gained from public databases and to establish an interaction network.

Surgical Resection of Solitary Bone Plasmacytoma of Atlas and Reconstruction with 3-Dimensional-Printed Titanium Patient-Specific Implant.

Background: Solitary plasmacytoma of bone (SPB) is a rare malignancy of localized osseous lesion consisting of neoplastic monoclonal plasma cells. Recommended treatment of SPB includes a combination of surgery and radiation therapy. We present a rare case of SPB lesion in the atlas requiring surgical resection, followed by restoration of atlas stability with a custom 3-dimensional-printed (3DP) patient-specific implant (PSI).

Statistical analysis of mutant allele frequency level of circulating cell-free DNA and blood cells in healthy individuals.

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in plasma has emerged as a potential important biomarker in clinical diagnostics, particularly in cancer. However, somatic mutations are also commonly found in healthy individuals, which interfere with the effectiveness for cancer diagnostics. This study examined the background somatic mutations in white blood cells (WBC) and cfDNA in healthy controls based on sequencing data from 821 non-cancer individuals and several cancer samples with the aim of understanding the patterns of mutations detected in cfDNA.

Soluble purified recombinant C2ORF40 protein inhibits tumor cell growth by decreasing telomerase activity in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

The chromosome 2 open reading frame 40 () gene is a candidate tumor suppressor gene for a variety of tumors. Previous results by the present authors revealed that the C2ORF40 protein is a secreted protein. However, the exact biological function of secreted C2ORF40 protein in carcinogenesis has not been thoroughly investigated.

Caveolin-1 affects tumor drug resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by regulating expressions of P-gp and MRP1.

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common cancer in China, and multidrug resistance (MDR) remains one of the biggest problems in ESCC chemotherapy. In this study, we aimed to investigate the mechanism of Caveolin-1, an integral membrane protein, on regulating ESCC MDR. First, immunohistochemistry was used to check the protein expression of Caveolin-1, MDR-related protein of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), and multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) in 84 pathologically characterized ESCC tissues, matched adjacent tumor, and adjacent normal-looking tissues.

Soluble purified recombinant C2ORF40 protein inhibits esophageal cancer cell proliferation by inducing cell cycle G phase block.

Chromosome 2 open reading frame 40 (C2ORF40) plays a significant role in numerous processes, including cell differentiation, senescence, apoptosis, inflammation and neuroendocrine hormone regulation. Moreover, C2ORF40 is a candidate tumor suppressor gene in a variety of tumors, and is closely associated with prognosis. Bioinformatics analysis has indicated that pro-C2ORF40 is a secreted protein with a signal peptide.

[A comparative analysis of the changes of transcriptome after fusion of esophageal cancer cells with human umbilical mesenchymal stem cells].

Objective: To compare the transcriptome of esophageal cancer cells (EC9706), human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and after fusion of esophageal cancer cells with MSCs, and to further study their different expression profiles and the changes of their signaling pathways.

Methods: We examined the gene expression profiles of these cells with transcriptome microarray using LIMMA package and several web-based applications, such as DAVID, ToppGene and MSigDB. The resulting sets of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were comprehensively analyzed to identify the pathways and their changes after the cell fusion.

Prognostic significance of tumor-infiltrating CD8⁺ or CD3⁺ T lymphocytes and interleukin-2 expression in radically resected non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Altered immunoresponse is associated with tumorigenesis and cancer progression. This study assessed the levels of tumor-infiltrating CD3 + or CD8 + T lymphocytes and interleukin-2 (IL-2) protein in radically resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues to predict overall survival (OS) of the patients.

Methods: Paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 129 NSCLC patients were retrospectively collected for immunostaining of CD8 + , CD3 + , and IL-2 expression.

[Isolation and characterization of side population cells in human gastric cancer cell line BGC-823].

Objective: Isolate and characterize the side population (SP) cells with potency of stem cells from human gastric carcinoma cell line BGC-823.

Methods: SP and non-SP cells were sorted from BGC-823 cells by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) using Hoechst33342 staining. The tumorigenic ability of the SP cells was assessed by in vivo transplantation into non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency mice.

[Mechanism of loss of human esophageal cancer-related gene 4 (ECRG4) gene expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell line EC9706].

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of loss of human esophageal cancer-related gene 4 (ECRG4) expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC.)

Methods: PCR-SSCP and DNA sequencing analysis were used to detect the mutation of ECRG4 exons in esophageal cancer and matched adjacent normal tissues of 80 patients. DNA bisulfite-modifying ssPCR sequencing assay was used to examine the methylation status of ECRG4 promoter in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma EC9706 cells.

Inhibition effects of all trans-retinoic acid on the growth and angiogenesis of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma in nude mice.

Background: The potential application of retinoic acid receptor activators, such as all trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), for treating various cancers have been studied both pre-clinically and clinically. Whether ATRA has an anticancer effect on human esophageal squamous cancer cell (ESCC) is still unknown. We have explored the anticancer effect of ATRA in ESCC, and in this study, the effects of ATRA on levels and patterns of expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signal transduction pathway in transplantable tumor growth of the human ESCC cell line, EC9706, in nude mice.

Fusion of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells with esophageal carcinoma cells inhibits the tumorigenicity of esophageal carcinoma cells.

Prior studies on the biology and therapeutic application of human stem cells in human malignancies have reported mixed results. Some evidence shows the use of stem cell transplantation is an important tool in the treatment of several hematologic and non-hematologic malignancies while some others suggest both human stem cells and mature stromal cells can contribute to the development and growth of human malignancies. Aiming to provide more evidence on this controversial issue, we investigated the effect of cell fusion of mesenchymal stem cells with esophageal carcinoma cells on tumorigenesis.

[Research advances in induced pluripotent stem cells].

Differentiated somatic cells can be directly reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells in vitro. Similarly to embryonic stem (ES) cells, iPS cells have pluripotency to differentiate into all cell types and capability to self-renew themselves indefinitely. Without immune rejection and ethical issues, patient-specific iPS cells promise to be an ideal tool for regenerative medicine, drug screening, and toxicity testing.

[Mechanism of apoptosis of esophageal cancer EC9706 in nude mice induced by all-trans retinoic acid].

Objective: To investigate the mechanism of apoptosis of EC9706 tumor-bearing nude mice induced by all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA).

Methods: Human esophageal carcinoma cell line EC9706 cells were inoculated into nude mice to establish the solid tumor model. The tumor models were divided into the following groups: ATRA group, fluorouracil group, the two-drugs combination group, and with an equal volume fraction of solvent as the control group.