Integration of Transcriptomic and Metabolomic Data Reveals Enhanced Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis in Mouse Uterus During Decidualization.

It has been long recognized that decidualization is accompanied by significant changes in metabolic pathways. In the present study, we used the GC-TOF-MS approach to investigate the global metabolite profile changes associated with decidualization of mouse uterus on day 8 of pregnancy. We identified a total of 20 differentially accumulated metabolites, of which nine metabolites were down-regulated and 11 metabolites were up-regulated.

Functionalized alginate with liquid-like behaviors and its application in wet-spinning.

Alginate is a kind of marine-derived plant polysaccharide with useful properties including inherent flame-retardancy and biocompatibility, yet poor flowability and low processing efficiency induced by high viscosity impede its further industrial applications. In this study, PEG-substituted tertiary amines were adapted to functionalize alginate with different molecular weight via acid-base reaction to improve the flowability. Based on alginate with low molecular weight, alginate fluids exhibited excellent flowability at room temperature in the absence of solvent.

Upregulation of DACT2 suppresses proliferation and enhances apoptosis of glioma cell via inactivation of YAP signaling pathway.

DACT2, one of the Dact gene family members, was shown to function as a tumor suppressor. However, its function in gliomas remains largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of DACT2, underlying molecular mechanisms and its clinical significance in glioma patients.

DCLK1 is correlated with MET and ERK5 expression, and associated with prognosis in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive cancer for which more effective treatments are needed. In this study, strong to moderate staining of MET and ERK5 was detected in 67.1 and 48% of the analyzed 73 human mesothelioma tumors, and significant correlation of MET and ERK5 expression was identified (P<0.

A preliminary exploration of the intravoxel incoherent motion applied in the preoperative evaluation of mediastinal lymph node metastasis of lung cancer.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the diagnostic value of the intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) for distinguishing non-metastatic from metastatic mediastinal lymph nodes in lung cancer.

Methods: IVIM-diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) exams were performed preoperatively on 66 patients with lung cancer from October 2015 to June 2016 in Beijing Chao-Yang Hospital, Capital Medical University. Fifty patients underwent enhanced chest computed tomography (CT) in our hospital, while the other 16 patients already had enhanced chest CT images when they were admitted.

Targeting YAP in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer that is resistant to current therapy. The poor prognosis of mesothelioma has been associated with elevated Yes-associated protein (YAP) activity. In this study, we evaluated the effect of targeting YAP in mesothelioma.

"Perfect" designer chromosome V and behavior of a ring derivative.

Perfect matching of an assembled physical sequence to a specified designed sequence is crucial to verify design principles in genome synthesis. We designed and de novo synthesized 536,024-base pair chromosome synV in the "Build-A-Genome China" course. We corrected an initial isolate of synV to perfectly match the designed sequence using integrative cotransformation and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated protein 9 (Cas9)-mediated editing in 22 steps; synV strains exhibit high fitness under a variety of culture conditions, compared with that of wild-type V strains.

A study on regional differences in decidualization of the mouse uterus.

Although regional differences in mouse decidualization have been recognized for decades, the molecular mechanisms remain understudied. In the present study, by using RNA-seq, we compared transcriptomic differences between the anti-mesometrial (AM) region and the mesometrial (M) region of mouse uterus on day 8 of pregnancy. A total of 1423 differentially expressed genes were identified, of which 811 genes were upregulated and 612 genes were downregulated in the AM region compared to those in the M region.

Inhibition of Glutathione Synthesis Induced by Exhaustive Running Exercise via the Decreased Influx Rate of L-Cysteine in Rat Erythrocytes.

Background/aims: The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of exhaustive exercise on L-cysteine uptake and its effect on erythrocyte glutathione (GSH) synthesis and metabolism.

Methods: Rats were divided into three groups: sedentary control (C), exhaustive running exercise (ERE) and moderate running exercise (MRE) (n=12 rats/group). We determined the L-cysteine efflux and influx in vitro in rat erythrocytes and its relationship with GSH synthesis.

YAP1 regulates ABCG2 and cancer cell side population in human lung cancer cells.

A small population of cancer cells called cancer-initiating cells or cancer stem cells (CSCs) are involved in drug resistance, metastasis, and cancer relapse. Finding pathways that regulate CSC is very important for clinical therapy. ATP-binding cassette sub-family G member 2 (ABCG2) plays a role in side population (SP) cell formation and contributes to chemotherapy resistance in common forms of cancer.

Oncogenic targets Mmp7, S100a9, Nppb and Aldh1a3 from transcriptome profiling of FAP and Pirc adenomas are downregulated in response to tumor suppression by Clotam.

Intervention strategies in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients and other high-risk colorectal cancer (CRC) populations have highlighted a critical need for endoscopy combined with safe and effective preventive agents. We performed transcriptome profiling of colorectal adenomas from FAP patients and the polyposis in rat colon (Pirc) preclinical model, and prioritized molecular targets for prevention studies in vivo. At clinically relevant doses in the Pirc model, the drug Clotam (tolfenamic acid, TA) was highly effective at suppressing tumorigenesis both in the colon and in the small intestine, when administered alone or in combination with Sulindac.

Viral and Bacterial Etiology of Acute Diarrhea among Children under 5 Years of Age in Wuhan, China.

Background: Acute diarrhea remains the serious problem in developing countries, especially among children under 5 years of age. Currently, only two or three common diarrhea pathogens were screened at most hospitals in China. The aim of this study was to provide a wide variety of diarrhea pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance patterns in children under 5 years of age.

YAP promotes erlotinib resistance in human non-small cell lung cancer cells.

Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a main mediator of the Hippo pathway, which promotes cancer development. Here we show that YAP promotes resistance to erlotinib in human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. We found that forced YAP overexpression through YAP plasmid transfection promotes erlotinib resistance in HCC827 (exon 19 deletion) cells.

Characteristics of bacterial pathogens associated with acute diarrhea in children under 5 years of age: a hospital-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Acute diarrhea is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children, particularly in those under the age of 5 years. Rotavirus is recognized as the leading cause of acute diarrhea in children, however, the contribution of bacterial pathogens as causative agents varies throughout the world. Here we report a hospital-based prospective study to analyze the characteristics of bacterial pathogens associated with acute diarrhea in children under 5 years of age.

Clinical evaluation of postoperative chemotherapy based on genetic testing in patients with stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: We performed a retrospective analysis to evaluate whether a postoperative chemotherapy selection method based on four tumoral gene expression tests would improve prognosis in patients with stage IIIA non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after surgery.

Methods: Between January 2007 and July 2011, 148 patients with stage IIIA NSCLC underwent radical lobectomy with four cycles of adjuvant postoperative chemotherapy. Forty-five patients had tailored treatment plans based on the results of tumoral gene expression tests.

Comparing genetic variants detected in the 1000 genomes project with SNPs determined by the International HapMap Consortium.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) determined based on SNP arrays from the international HapMap consortium (HapMap) and the genetic variants detected in the 1000 genomes project (1KGP) can serve as two references for genomewide association studies (GWAS). We conducted comparative analyses to provide a means for assessing concerns regarding SNP array-based GWAS findings as well as for realistically bounding expectations for next generation sequencing (NGS)-based GWAS. We calculated and compared base composition, transitions to transversions ratio, minor allele frequency and heterozygous rate for SNPs from HapMap and 1KGP for the 622 common individuals.

Three-Point Bending Fracture Behavior of Single Oriented Crossed-Lamellar Structure in Shell.

The three-point bending strength and fracture behavior of single oriented crossed-lamellar structure in shell were investigated. The samples for bending tests were prepared with two different orientations perpendicular and parallel to the radial ribs of the shell, which corresponds to the tiled and stacked directions of the first-order lamellae, respectively. The bending strength in the tiled direction is approximately 60% higher than that in the stacked direction, primarily because the regularly staggered arrangement of the second-order lamellae in the tiled direction can effectively hinder the crack propagation, whereas the cracks can easily propagate along the interfaces between lamellae in the stacked direction.

Comparison of RNA-seq and microarray-based models for clinical endpoint prediction.

Background: Gene expression profiling is being widely applied in cancer research to identify biomarkers for clinical endpoint prediction. Since RNA-seq provides a powerful tool for transcriptome-based applications beyond the limitations of microarrays, we sought to systematically evaluate the performance of RNA-seq-based and microarray-based classifiers in this MAQC-III/SEQC study for clinical endpoint prediction using neuroblastoma as a model.

Results: We generate gene expression profiles from 498 primary neuroblastomas using both RNA-seq and 44 k microarrays.

Optimal Scan Time of 18F-FDG PET in Identifying Therapeutic Efficacy Secondary to Radiofrequency Ablation of Lung Cancer: Case Report.

Positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has become a major treatment approach for small tumors. Identifying this quantitative dynamic 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (18F-FDG) activity at the primary lesion can minimize misdiagnosis and allow an opportunity to reintervene. Here, we report 3 patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent the ablative therapy with split-dose 18F-FDG fused PET/CT scans for early identification of residual tumors and follow-up evaluation of treatment.

Modularization of genetic elements promotes synthetic metabolic engineering.

In the context of emerging synthetic biology, metabolic engineering is moving to the next stage powered by new technologies. Systematical modularization of genetic elements makes it more convenient to engineer biological systems for chemical production or other desired purposes. In the past few years, progresses were made in engineering metabolic pathway using synthetic biology tools.

Molecular docking to identify associations between drugs and class I human leukocyte antigens for predicting idiosyncratic drug reactions.

Idiosyncratic drug reactions (IDRs) are rare, somewhat dose-independent, patient-specific and hard to predict. Human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in humans, are highly polymorphic and are associated with specific IDRs. Therefore, it is important to identify potential drug-HLA associations so that individuals who would develop IDRs can be identified before drug exposure.

Application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in giant bullae resection.

A patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung bullae was admitted to our hospital. He suffered respiratory failure and was given mechanical ventilation. However, the bullae became more and more large and compressed the lungs on both sides.

An investigation of biomarkers derived from legacy microarray data for their utility in the RNA-seq era.

Background: Gene expression microarray has been the primary biomarker platform ubiquitously applied in biomedical research, resulting in enormous data, predictive models, and biomarkers accrued. Recently, RNA-seq has looked likely to replace microarrays, but there will be a period where both technologies co-exist. This raises two important questions: Can microarray-based models and biomarkers be directly applied to RNA-seq data? Can future RNA-seq-based predictive models and biomarkers be applied to microarray data to leverage past investment?

Results: We systematically evaluated the transferability of predictive models and signature genes between microarray and RNA-seq using two large clinical data sets.

Efficacy of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors in non-small-cell lung cancer patients with/without EGFR-mutation: evidence based on recent phase III randomized trials.

Background: EGFR mutation might be a predictive factor for applying EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs, including gefitinib, erlotinib and afatinib) in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLS) patients. Thus, it is necessary to pool previous trials to compare the effect of EGFR-TKIs versus cytotoxic chemotherapy in EGFR mutation positive (mut+) and negative (mut-) patients.

Material And Methods: This study identified 8 first-line and 9 second-line phase III trials in databases.

TIPE2 protein negatively regulates HBV-specific CD8⁺ T lymphocyte functions in humans.

Cytotoxic T cell-mediated killing of virus-infected hepatocytes is an important pathogenic process of hepatitis B. However, its underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. TNFAIP8L2 (TIPE2) is a newly described anti-inflammatory protein that is essential for maintaining immune homeostasis.