Upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14) is associated with poor prognosis in renal clear cell carcinoma-a bioinformatics analysis.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinase 14 (MMP14) has been reported to be upregulated in some types of cancer and to promote cancer cell invasion and metastasis. However, the expression profile and functional role of MMP14 in kidney renal clear cell carcinoma (KIRC) remains unknown. This study investigated the association between MMP14 expression level and prognosis in KIRC.

Inflammation-based different association between anatomical severity of coronary artery disease and lung cancer.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is associated with cancer. The role of inflammation in the association of CAD with cancer remains unclear. The study investigated whether inflammation could impact the relationship between CAD and lung cancer.

HBPred: a tool to identify growth hormone-binding proteins.

Hormone-binding protein (HBP) is a kind of soluble carrier protein and can selectively and non-covalently interact with hormone. HBP plays an important role in life growth, but its function is still unclear. Correct recognition of HBPs is the first step to further study their function and understand their biological process.

iLoc-lncRNA: predict the subcellular location of lncRNAs by incorporating octamer composition into general PseKNC.

Motivation: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a class of RNA molecules with more than 200 nucleotides. They have important functions in cell development and metabolism, such as genetic markers, genome rearrangements, chromatin modifications, cell cycle regulation, transcription and translation. Their functions are generally closely related to their localization in the cell.

Blocking p38 Signaling Reduces the Activation of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines and the Phosphorylation of p38 in the Habenula and Reverses Depressive-Like Behaviors Induced by Neuroinflammation.

Increasing evidence has demonstrated that neuroinflammation contributes to the development of depressive-like behaviors, in both animal models and human patients; however, the brain areas and signaling pathways involved are still elusive. Recent studies have suggested novel roles of the habenula in the onset of depression and other psychiatric disorders; however, there is no evidence for whether the habenula has a function in neuroinflammation-induced depression. Using an animal model of depression, which is induced by the repeated central administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), we examined whether cytokine expression and p38 signal activation in the habenula were involved in the depressive-like behaviors.

IonchanPred 2.0: A Tool to Predict Ion Channels and Their Types.

Ion channels (IC) are ion-permeable protein pores located in the lipid membranes of all cells. Different ion channels have unique functions in different biological processes. Due to the rapid development of high-throughput mass spectrometry, proteomic data are rapidly accumulating and provide us an opportunity to systematically investigate and predict ion channels and their types.

Exogenous FGF2 reverses depressive-like behaviors and restores the suppressed FGF2-ERK1/2 signaling and the impaired hippocampal neurogenesis induced by neuroinflammation.

Our previous work demonstrated that neuroinflammation evoked by triple repeated central LPS challenges inhibited adult hippocampal neurogenesis that were correlated with the depressive-like behavioral symptoms induced by neuroinflammation. These findings suggest that hippocampal neurogenesis might be one of biological mechanisms underlying depression induced by neuroinflammation and targeting neurogenesis might lead to new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of depression. In this study, we manipulated adult hippocampal neurogenesis using fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2), one crucial molecule modulating cell proliferation and survival in central nervous system, and investigate the involvement and the potential therapeutic effects of FGF2 on neuroinflammation-induced depression.

Pro54DB: a database for experimentally verified sigma-54 promoters.

Summary: In prokaryotes, the σ54 promoters are unique regulatory elements and have attracted much attention because they are in charge of the transcription of carbon and nitrogen-related genes and participate in numerous ancillary processes and environmental responses. All findings on σ54 promoters are favorable for a better understanding of their regulatory mechanisms in gene transcription and an accurate discovery of genes missed by the wet experimental evidences. In order to provide an up-to-date, interactive and extensible database for σ54 promoter, a free and easy accessed database called Pro54DB (σ54 promoter database) was built to collect information of σ54 promoter.

The shape effect of magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles on endocytosis, biocompatibility and biodistribution.

Unlabelled: Although the aspect ratio (AR) play a crucial role in determining biological effects of homogeneous nanomaterials, studies available concerning how the shape contributes to biological effect of heterogeneous nanomaterials is limited. To systematically clarify the shape influence on the endocytosis, biocompatibility and biodistribution of magnetic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (M-MSNPs), three FITC-labeled M-MSNPs with different aspect ratio (AR=1, 2, and 4) were specifically designed and constructed through altering the ratios of CTAB/TEOS in a modified so-gel method. We have demonstrated that long-rod M-MSNP2 possessed higher intracellular internalization amount than the short-rod M-MSNP1 and the sphere-like M-MSNP0 in both cancer cells and normal cells due to the difference in the endocytosis pathways.

Prediction of phosphothreonine sites in human proteins by fusing different features.

Phosphorylation is one of the most important protein post-translation modifications. With the rapid development of high-throughput mass spectrometry, phosphorylation site data is rapidly accumulating, which provides us an opportunity to systematically investigate and predict phosphorylation in proteins. The phosphorylation of threonine is the addition of a phosphoryl group to its polar side chains group.

Natural protein sequences are more intrinsically disordered than random sequences.

Most natural protein sequences have resulted from millions or even billions of years of evolution. How they differ from random sequences is not fully understood. Previous computational and experimental studies of random proteins generated from noncoding regions yielded inclusive results due to species-dependent codon biases and GC contents.

Feasibility of laparoscopic extraperitoneal pelvic lymphadenectomy in gynecologic malignancies.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of laparoscopic extraperitoneal pelvic lymphadenectomy (LEPL) in gynecologic malignancies.

Methods: Twenty-nine women with cervical, ovarian or endometrial cancer underwent laparoscopic extraperitoneal pelvic lymphadenectomy between July 2008 and December 2010. The operating time, nodal yield, blood loss and complications were recorded.

An intramedullary nail with multifunctional interlocking for all types of fracture in both femurs.

Objective: A femoral compound interlocking intramedullary nail (FCIIN) was designed to treat all types of fractures between the trochanter and epicondyle of both femurs. It could substitute for femoral interlocking intramedullary nails (FIIN) at five points.

Methods: According to the morphological characteristics of the femoral medullary canal, the nail is designed to accommodate a 1250 mm radius of radian and a 135° neck-shaft angle.

A study on the mechanism of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy in vitro and in vivo in cervical cancer.

5-Aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) is a new ablation treatment for tumors, while its function mechanism in cervical cancer has not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effects of ALA-PDT on the cervical cancer cell line Me180, to search for optimal parameters of PDT. ALA-PDT on proliferation of Me180 was examined by MTT assay to find the optimal function parameters of ALA-PDT.

[Apoptosis-inducing effect of 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy (5-ALA-PDT) on cervical cancer cell lines].

Background & Objective: 5-Aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) is a new ablation treatment for tumors, while its function mechanism in cervical cancer is unclear. This study was to investigate the effects of ALA-PDT on cervical cancer cell lines.

Methods: The effects of ALA-PDT on proliferation of 8 human cervical cancer cell lines were examined by MTT assay to find out the optimal function parameters of ALA-PDT and the most sensitive cell line.

[Effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy on cervical cancer: in vivo experiment with nude mice].

Objective: To study the effects of 5-aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) on human cervical cancer, and to identify the best administration regimen with the least phototoxic reaction.

Methods: Seventy-two BALB/c nude mice underwent subcutaneous injection of human cervical cancer cells of the line Me180 so as to establish animal models, and then randomly divided into 6 equal groups: pure topical administration group (undergoing injection of ALA 60 mg/kg around the tumor), pure intravenous administration group (undergoing injection of ALA 250 mg/kg into the caudal vein), topical administration and PDT group (undergoing injection of ALA 60 mg/kg around the tumor and radiotherapy of 630 nm He-Ne laser 6 h after the drug administration), intravenous administration and PDT group (undergoing injection of ALA 250 mg/kg into the caudal vein and radiotherapy of 630 nm He-Ne laser 6 h after the drug administration), and control group (undergoing none of the treatment). 24 h later 6 mice from each group were killed with their tumors taken out.