microRNA-21 promotes tumor proliferation and invasion in gastric cancer by targeting PTEN.

Gastric cancer is one of the most common carcinomas in China. microRNAs, a type of non-coding RNA, are important specific regulators and are involved in numerous bioprocesses of an organism. microRNA-21 (miR-21) has been identified as the most suitable choice for further investigation because it is overexpressed in nearly all solid tumors; furthermore, it has been demonstrated that miR-21 is involved in the genesis and progression of human cancer.

Hypercholesterolemia abrogates sevoflurane-induced delayed preconditioning against myocardial infarct in rats by alteration of nitric oxide synthase signaling.

The aim of the current study was to determine whether hypercholesterolemia affects the delayed sevoflurane preconditioning against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury and, if so, the underlying mechanism. Male Sprague-Dawley rats fed 2% cholesterol-enriched chow for 8 weeks were subjected to sevoflurane preconditioning (2.4% vol/vol, 1 h) 24 h before myocardial ischemia was induced by occluding the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 120 min.

A heptamethine cyanine-based colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent chemosensor for the selective detection of Ag+ in an aqueous medium.

A highly selective and sensitive ratiometric fluorescent chemosensor for Ag(+) in aqueous solution was developed, in a linear range of 0.6 × 10(-7) to 50 × 10(-7) mol L(-1), based on a A-Ag(+)-A binding mode with a heptamethine cyanine motif containing one adenine moiety.

Effects of four different positive airway pressures on right internal jugular vein catheterisation.

Context: The right internal jugular vein (RIJV) is often used for central venous catheterisation in patients undergoing major surgery. The efficacy of this route correlates with the diameter of the vein which can be influenced by airway pressure.

Objective: To investigate four positive airway pressures (PAPs) in mechanically ventilated patients and to determine the most suitable of these for RIJV catheterisation.

Dexmedetomidine protects against oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced injury through the I2 imidazoline receptor-PI3K/AKT pathway in rat C6 glioma cells.

Objectives: To explore the protection and the mechanism of dexmedetomidine on the oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) insults in rat C6 glioma cells.

Methods: Cells were subjected to OGD then assessed by viability studies. After dexmedetomidine treatment, p-AKT, hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and RTP801 expression were measured.

Fast track multi-discipline treatment (FTMDT trial) versus conventional treatment in colorectal cancer--the design of a prospective randomized controlled study.

Background: Laparoscopy-assisted surgery, fast-track perioperative treatment are both increasingly used in colorectal cancer treatment, for their short-time benefits of enhanced recovery and short hospital stays. However, the benefits of the integration of the Laparoscopy-assisted surgery, fast-track perioperative treatment, and even with the Xelox chemotherapy, are still unknown. In this study, the three treatments integration is defined as "Fast Track Multi-Discipline Treatment Model" for colorectal cancer and this model extends the benefits to the whole treatment process of colorectal cancer.

[Sevoflurane postconditioning attenuates myocardial apoptosis in isolated rat hearts via a modulation of Bcl-2 family proteins].

Objective: To explore the effects of sevoflurane postconditioning on ischemic/reperfused myocardial apoptosis.

Methods: Isolated perfused rat hearts were randomly assigned into 3 groups: sham-operation (sham), ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) and sevoflurane postconditioning (SPC). Except for the sham group, the hearts were subjected to 40 min global myocardial ischemia and 120 min reperfusion.

Hypermethylated DNA as potential biomarkers for gastric cancer diagnosis.

Objectives: To demonstrate the diagnostic significance of methylation, an important molecular event in gastric carcinogenesis.

Design And Methods: We used methylation microarray to determine candidate genes, and performed MSP to evaluate the methylation status of them in tissues and sera. The effect of demethylation on mRNA expression was investigated by rt-PCR after gastric cancer cell lines were treated with 5-Aza-dC for 96 h.

Photothermal reshaping of gold nanoparticles in a plasmonic absorber.

We experimentally demonstrate that a metamaterial nanostructure can have a localized heating response owing to plasmonic resonances in the near-infrared wavelength range (from 1.5 to 2 µm). With a broadband nanosecond-pulse light, the temperature of composing gold particles in the nanostructure can be easily increased to over 900K within only several nanoseconds, resulting in re-shaping of the particles.

ErbB2 activation contributes to de-differentiation of astrocytes into radial glial cells following induction of scratch-insulted astrocyte conditioned medium.

Radial glial cells play a significant role in the repair of spinal cord injuries as they exert critical role in the neurogenesis and act as a scaffold for neuronal migration. Our previous study showed that mature astrocytes of spinal cord can undergo a de-differentiation process and further transform into pluripotential neural precursors; the occurrence of these complex events arise directly from the induction of diffusible factors released from scratch-insulted astrocytes. However, it is unclear whether astrocytes can also undergo rejuvenation to revert to a radial glial progenitor phenotype after the induction of scratch-insulted astrocytes conditioned medium (ACM).

Dysregulated expression of dicer and drosha in breast cancer.

Large-scale profiling approaches have revealed global down-regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) in several human cancer types including breast cancer. Altered expression of Dicer and Drosha, two key enzymes in the miRNA maturation, is believed to be one of the most important mechanisms. By using quantitative real-time RT-PCR (QT-PCR), we examined the expression of Dicer and Drosha in 49 pairs of matched human breast cancer tissues.

Radical gastrectomy with combined splenectomy: unnecessary.

Unlabelled: BACKROUND/AIMS: To analyze the prognostic value of gastric cancer surgery combined with splenectomy for gastric cancer patients.

Methodology: Retrospective study was performed on 112 patients who underwent radical gastrectomy for upper third, upper and middle third, and entire stomach cancer, 61 patients underwent spleen-preserving modified radical lymphadenectomy (spleen-preservation group), and the remaining 51 patients underwent D2 radical lymphadenectomy with splenectomy (splenectomy group). Postoperative morbidity rate and the 5-year survival rate were compared.

Observations on Copy Number Variations in a Kidney-yang Deficiency Syndrome Family.

We have performed an analysis of a family with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome (KDS) in order to determine the structural genomic variations through a novel approach designated as "copy number variants" (CNVs). Twelve KDS subjects and three healthy spouses from this family were included in this study. Genomic DNA samples were genotyped utilizing an Affymetrix 100 K single nucleotide polymorphism array, and CNVs were identified by Copy Number Algorithm (CNAT4.

Knockdown of metallopanstimulin-1 inhibits NF-κB signaling at different levels: the role of apoptosis induction of gastric cancer cells.

The ribosomal protein S27 (metallopanstimulin-1, MPS-1) has been reported to be a multifunctional protein, with increased expression in a number of cancers. We reported previously that MPS-1 was highly expressed in human gastric cancer. Knockdown of MPS-1 led to spontaneous apoptosis and repressed proliferation of human gastric cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.

Gender-related difference of sevoflurane postconditioning in isolated rat hearts: focus on phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt signaling.

Background: Previous studies have reported that female gender confers cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, partly because estrogen activates phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/Akt (PI3K/Akt) pathway. We have previously proven that cardioprotection of sevoflurane postconditioning is mediated by PI3K/Akt pathway in male rats. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the cardioprotection of sevoflurane postconditioning is influenced by gender, and the role of PI3K/Akt pathway in such gender difference.

Helicobacter pylori induces promoter hypermethylation and downregulates gene expression of IRX1 transcription factor on human gastric mucosa.

Background And Aim: Gene silence of IRX1 tumor suppressor by promoter CpG methylation combined with loss of heterozygosity (LOH) has been identified in human gastric cancer. This study investigated the association between methylation of IRX1 and Helicobacter pylori infection in gastric mucosa tissues and cell line.

Methods: IRX1 methylation was studied by methylation specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) and bisulfate sequencing polymerase chain reaction (BSP) methods in gastric mucosa tissues from H.

Manipulation of light with α transformation media.

A type of transformation media called α media is proposed by performing a direct transformation to the metric tensor of another kind of media, called seed media. Light rays in an α medium correlate to those in its seed medium through a simple displacement or rotation relation. Three types of commonly encountered anisotropic media are covered by the concept of α media: (1) media of slab shape, having continuous translational symmetry with respect to two Cartesian coordinate components; (2) media of cylindrical shape, having cylindrical rotational symmetry and continuous translational symmetry along the longitudinal direction; (3) media of spherical shape, having spherical rotational symmetry, with two principal axes along the symmetry directions, and with the material parameters in the same sign.

Nasogastric decompression for radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer: a prospective randomized controlled study.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the necessity of a nasogastric decompression in radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer patients by a prospective randomized controlled trial.

Methods: From 2007 to 2009, 161 gastric cancer patients who underwent radical gastrectomy were randomly selected and entered into three groups: tube group (TG), intra-operative tube group (ITG), and no-tube group (NTG). The variables studied among the groups were demographic characteristics, surgical characteristics, postoperative recovery and complications.

Layered metal-dielectric waveguide: subwavelength guidance, leveraged modulation sensitivity in mode index, and reversed mode ordering.

We describe a layered metal-dielectric waveguide, whose fundamental mode has an effective index as high as 7.35 at 1.55 μm, enabling subwavelength spatial confinement.

Evidence for a novel autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa linked to chromosome 1p22.1-q12 in a Chinese family.

Purpose: To identify the causative genetic locus in a Chinese autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP) family that contained seven affected members in three generations.

Methods: After clinical diagnosis and exclusion of all mapped genes and loci, the SLINK program was used to simulate the maximum logarithm of the likelihood ratio (LOD) score for a linkage study in this small family. A genome-wide scan was performed using microsatellite markers at 10 cM intervals.

Effects of dexmedetomidine on the release of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor from rat astrocyte cells.

Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been found to improve neuronal survival after transient global or focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Astrocyte cells may possess beneficial properties that promote neuronal recovery by secreting neurotrophic factors, such as glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of DEX on GDNF release from astrocytes and the possible mechanisms involved.

Design of invisibility cloaks with an open tunnel.

In this paper we apply the methodology of transformation optics for design of a novel invisibility cloak which can possess an open tunnel. Such a cloak facilitates the insertion (retrieval) of matter into (from) the cloak's interior without significantly affecting the cloak's performance, overcoming the matter exchange bottleneck inherent to most previously proposed cloak designs.We achieve this by applying a transformation which expands a point at the origin in electromagnetic space to a finite area in physical space in a highly anisotropic manner.

α-MSH inhibits TNF-α-induced maturation of human dendritic cells in vitro through the up-regulation of ANXA1.

α-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH), an anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory neuropeptide, has been shown to be effective in the experimental treatment of autoimmune diseases and allograft rejection. However, its regulatory mechanism is still unclear. Mature dendritic cells (DCs) are pivotal initiators of immune response and inflammation.

Serologic antienzyme rate of Epstein-Barr virus DNase-specific neutralizing antibody segregates TNM classification in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: We investigate the value of pretreatment serologic antienzyme rate (AER) of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNase-specific neutralizing antibody complementing TNM staging in prognostication of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).

Patients And Methods: Pretreatment serum samples from 1,303 patients with untreated NPC were collected and examined for AER. After a 10-year follow-up period, the prognoses of the patients, classified by their clinical stage with AER, were assessed by multivariate analysis.

The mitotic kinase Aurora-A induces mammary cell migration and breast cancer metastasis by activating the Cofilin-F-actin pathway.

The mitotic kinase Aurora-A (Aur-A) is required to form the bipolar spindle and ensure accurate chromosome segregation before cell division. Aur-A dysregulation represents an oncogenic event that promotes tumor formation. Here, we report that Aur-A promotes breast cancer metastasis.