Interleukin-12 inhibits the hepatocellular carcinoma growth by inducing macrophage polarization to the M1-like phenotype through downregulation of Stat-3.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is the third most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Novel early detection biomarkers and efficacious therapy strategies are needed. Macrophages recruited from circulation monocytes are the major component of solid cancer and play an important role in the carcinogenesis.

IL-12 could induce monocytic tumor cells directional differentiation.

Interleukin-12 (IL-12), a member of interleukin family, plays a critical role in immune responses and anti-tumor activity. In this study, the effects of IL-12 on monocytic tumor cell lines differentiation to macrophagocyte and its likely mechanism was investigated. We examined the differentiation markers, morphological and functional changes, and possible mechanism in IL-12-treated THP-1 and U937 cells.

IL-12 regulates B7-H1 expression in ovarian cancer-associated macrophages by effects on NF-κB signalling.

Background And Aim: B7-H1, a co-inhibitory molecule of the B7 family, is found aberrantly expressed in ovarian cancer cells and infiltrating macrophage/dendritic-like cells, and plays a critical role in immune evasion by ovarian cancer. IL-12, an inducer of Th1 cell development, exerts immunomodulatory effects on ovarian cancer. However, whether IL-12 regulates B7-H1 expression in human ovarian cancer associated-macrophages has not been clarified.

Integrated analysis of long non-coding RNAs and mRNA expression profiles reveals the potential role of lncRNAs in gastric cancer pathogenesis.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been shown to play a critical role in cancer biology and are frequently aberrantly expressed. Despite their important role in pathology, little is known mechanistically regarding their role in gastric cancer (GC) pathogenesis. To characterize the role of lncRNAs in GC pathogenesis, 8 paired human GC tissue samples and matched adjacent normal tissue were examined.

Fused polypeptide with DEF induces apoptosis of lung adenocarcinoma cells.

To analyze the effects of a new unknown peptide DEF on the growth of tumor cells, a fused polypeptide TAT-DV1-DEF was designed and synthesized. The lung adenocarcinoma cell line GLC-82 treated with TAT- DV1-DEF was analyzed with a cell counting kit 8, and the location of polypeptides in cells was observed under laser confocal microscopy. The efficiency of polypeptide transfection and changes in nuclear morphology were analyzed by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy, respectively.

[The study of the differential gene expression profiles related to toxic effects in rats exposed to silica].

Objective: To study the differential gene expression profiles related to toxic effects in rats exposed to silica.

Methods: Wistar rats exposed to SiO2 (50 mg/ml) and 1 ml normal saline by intratracheal injection served as the exposure and control groups, on the 14th day after exposure all rats were executed and the rat lung tissues were obtained. The differential gene expression profiles in the lung tissues of rats exposed to silica were detected using confocal fiber beads gene chip technique, and the differential expression profiling data were analyzed using the database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery (DAVID) bioinformation analysis tool.

¹H NMR-based serum metabolic profiling in compensated and decompensated cirrhosis.

Aim: To study the metabolic profiling of serum samples from compensated and decompensated cirrhosis patients.

Methods: A pilot metabolic profiling study was conducted using three groups: compensated cirrhosis patients (n = 30), decompensated cirrhosis patients (n = 30) and healthy controls (n = 30). A ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabonomics approach was used to obtain the serum metabolic profiles of the samples.

Use of duplex mutation primers for real-time PCR quantification of hepatitis C virus RNA in serum.

Background: The duplex mutation primers offer many advantages over other multi-labeled probes for real-time detection of amplification products.

Objectives: To develop and validate a novel real-time PCR for quantification of HCV RNA based on the duplex mutation primers technology.

Materials And Methods: The duplex mutation primers were selected in the highly conservative 5' non-coding region (5'NCR) of the HCV RNA.

Development of a novel quantitative real-time assay using duplex mutation primers for rapid detection of Candida species.

We developed a novel quantitative real-time PCR for quantitating Candida DNA based on the duplex mutation primer principle, in which a signal is generated by melting a duplex mutation primer during renaturation. The duplex mutation primers are much more specific than double-stranded DNA dyes such as SYBR-Green I and, unlike other probes, do not require the double-labeled synthesis of fluorophore and a quencher on the same molecule. A total of 176 clinical blood specimens were obtained from patients hospitalized in our hospital with clinically proven or suspected systemic Candida infection.

[CpG array analysis of histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation in patients with IgA nephropathy].

Objective: To investigate the aberrance of histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) in patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN).

Methods: In 15 patients with IgAN and 15 healthy volunteers, H3K4me3 variations in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were analyzed using chromatin immunoprecipitation and microarray analysis (ChIP-chip). ChIP real-time PCR was used to validate the microarray results.

Elevated β-arrestin1 expression correlated with risk stratification in acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the main subtype of childhood leukemia. Risk stratification is pivotal for ALL prognosis and individualized therapy. The current factors for risk stratification include clinical and laboratory features, cytogenetic characteristics of the blast, early response to chemotherapy, and genetic factors.

[Predictive value of human fatty acid binding protein for myocardial ischemia and injury in perioperative period of cardiac surgery].

Objective: To evaluate the value of human fatty acid binding protein (h-FABP) in predicting myocardial ischemia and injury in the perioperative period of cardiac surgery, we observed the dynamic changes of h-FABP in perioperative period of patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and ventricular septal defects repairing surgery, and evaluated the relationship of h-FABP and ischemia modified albumin (IMA), CK-MB, cTnI.

Methods: Patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (n=30) and ventricular septal defect repairing (n=30) surgery between February 2008 and December 2008 were included in this study. Venous blood sample was obtained at preoperative, aortic clamping, aortic unclamping of 10 min, 2 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h for the measurements of h-FABP, IMA, cTnI and CK-MB.

[Effect of hepatocyte growth factor gene transfection on biological features of lymphoma cells].

Objective: To investigate the biological effect of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on HGF gene-transfected Raji cells.

Methods: Total RNA was extracted from human hepatic tissue, HGF gene cDNA was amplified by RT-PCR, and then cloned into vector pVITRO2-mcs to construct recombinant eukaryotic expression vector pVITRO2-mcs-HGF. The recombinant vector was transfected to Raji cells, and the stably transfected cells were selected by homomycin B in serial passages, and confirmed by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, ELISA, immunocytohistochemistry.

[Cytogenetic and molecular characterization of partial trisomy 4q and partial monosomy 10q in a patient].

Objective: To ascertain the karyotype of a girl with moderate mental retardation and growth retardation, perform correlation analysis between chromosomal variation and phenotype, and investigate the application and superiority of array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) in clinical cytogenetic diagnosis.

Methods: G-banded chromosome analysis, array-CGH, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) were used to ascertain the karyotype of the patient and her relatives.

Results: G-banding analysis of the patient showed a derivative chromosome 10 with an extra fragment on its long arm terminal, both her father and grandmother had an apparently balanced translocation t(4;10)(q25;q26).

Macrophage-specific overexpression of antimicrobial peptide PR-39 inhibits intracellular growth of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in macrophage cells.

Although purified and synthesised PR-39 shows potent antibacterial effects in vitro, its ability to kill intracellular bacteria in macrophages, which are a major cause of refractory intracellular infection, has not yet been demonstrated. Both to enhance its antimicrobial potential and to reduce systemic side effects, it would be desirable to deliver PR-39 into macrophage cells and to limit its activation to the site of infection. To address this issue, PR-39 DNA was inserted into the eukaryotic expression plasmid pIRES2-EGFP and the adenoviral vector Ad-MSP, from which PR-39 can be specifically expressed in macrophage cells from the macrophage-specific promoter.

[The study on differential gene expression profiling in pulmonary tissue of rats exposed to silica early].

Objective: To study the differential gene expression profiling of rats exposed to silica using the normal rats as control.

Methods: Animal models were established using intratracheal injection of the lung and 22 107 genes were screened in the differential expression profiling of silicosis by using oligonucleotide bead array. Differential expression profiling data were analyzed by using DAVID bioinformation software.

[The clinical significance of real-time fluorescence PCR quantification of hepatocyte growth factor mRNA expression in acute leukemia].

Objective: To detect quantitatively hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) mRNA expressions of bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNCs) in acute leukemia (AL) and investigate its clinical significance.

Methods: Total mRNA of quantitated bone marrow MNCs isolated from 67 de novo AL cases was extracted and then cDNA was synthesized. Expression of HGF mRNA was quantified absolutely using real-time fluorescence quantification PCR (FQ-PCR).

Study of serum argininosuccinate lyase determination for diagnosis of liver diseases.

The objectives of this research were to establish an automatic analysis method for the determination of serum argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) and to investigate the value of serum ASL test in the diagnosis of various liver disorders. According to the chemical reaction catalyzed by ASL, an enzyme-coupled reaction system was designed, and a methodology evaluation of this method was performed. A total of 291 patients with various liver diseases, 247 patients with nonliver disease and 32 healthy controls, were recruited, their serum levels of ASL and traditional hepatopathy markers, including alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin (TBil), were all determined, and their diagnostic values in liver diseases were analyzed and compared.

[Construction and targeting study of eukaryotic expression vector modulated by a macrophage-specific promoter].

Aim: To construct a macrophage-specific eukaryotic expression vector and to investigate its expressing specificity.

Methods: Macrophage-specific promoter was synthesized using PCR, and substituted the CMV promoter of eukaryotic expression vector pEGFP-N1 to construct a recombinant vector (pSP-GFP), which were cotransfected with pERFP-N1 vector into different cell lines. The green fluorescent protein (GFP) and red fluorescent protein (RFP) was observed by fluorescence microscopy, and the target specificity of macrophage-specific promoter was judged by comparison of expressed level of GFP and RFP in various cell lines.

Roles of serum clara cell protein 16 and surfactant protein-D in the early diagnosis and progression of silicosis.

Objective: To study roles of Clara cell protein 16 (CC16) and surfactant protein-D (SP-D) as serum biomarkers in the early diagnosis and the pathogenesis of silicosis.

Methods: Thirty healthy volunteers, 30 silica-exposed workers, and 30 workers with suspected silicosis and phase I silicosis were included. Serum CC16 and SP-D concentrations were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

[Determination of serum argininosuccinate lyase in diagnosing liver diseases].

Objective: To investigate the value of the determination of the levels of serum argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) in diagnosing various liver diseases.

Methods: Two hundred and ninety-one patients with various liver diseases, 257 patients with non-liver disease, and 32 healthy controls were recruited for this study and their serum ASL, ALT, AST, GGT, LDH, ALP, and total bilirubin (TBil) levels were determined. Liver biopsies were performed on 31 patients with hepatopathy.

[Utilizing 2-DE and MALDI-TOF MS/MS to screen differentially expressed serum proteins of silicosis].

Objective: To establish 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) images and seek differentially expressed serum proteins for understanding the pathogenesis of silicosis.

Methods: 2-DE and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS/MS) were used to screen differentially expressed serum proteins among silica-exposed population, suspect of silicosis (0+), phase one (I) group with silicosis and control group(non silica exposure).

Results: Complement C4, leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein and alpha-1-antitrypsin were significantly highly expressed in suspect of silicosis (0+) group(P < 0.

[Changes of Clara cell protein and surfactant protein-D in serum of patients with silicosis].

Objective: To explore changes of Clara cell protein (CC16) and surfactant protein-D (SP-D) in the serum of patients with silicosis.

Method: The concentrations of CC16 and SP-D were measured in the serum by sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The subjects consisted of 30 healthy volunteers and 90 silica-exposed workers including silica-exposed group, the silicosis of suspects group (0(+)) and the silicosis phase I group, 30 subjects each groups.