Natural products as inhibitors against pancreatic cancer cell proliferation and invasion: possible mechanisms.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the gastrointestinal tumors with the lowest survival rate and the worst prognosis. At the time of diagnosis, the majority of patients have missed the opportunity for radical surgical resection and opt for chemotherapy as their primary treatment choice. And drug resistance emerges during the application of the most widely used chemotherapeutic regimens such as modified FOLFIRINOX regimen, gemcitabine monotherapy or 5-Fluorouracil combination therapy, which further reduces the therapeutic efficacy.

Sex effects on differentiating patients with major depressive disorder from bipolar disorder in depressive state: A fMRI study with follow-up.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is difficult to discriminate from major depressive disorder (MDD) before the appearance of mania or hypomania. This study was designed to identify whether patients with MDD and those who converted to BD are distinguishable using dynamic amplitude low-frequency fluctuations (dALFF) and describe the sex effects on the identification of the two disorders.

Methods: We compared the dALFF values of 35 BD patients who converted from MDD during the 2-year follow-up, 99 MDD patients, and 130 healthy controls (HCs) using two-way ANOVA.

TRIM27 is an adverse prognostic biomarker and associated with immune and molecular profiles in right-sided colon cancer.

Right-sided colon cancer (RCC), as an independent tumor entity, shows a poor prognosis. It is imperative to detect immune microenvironment-related genes for predicting RCC patient prognosis and study their function in RCC. Tripartite motif-containing 27 (TRIM27) was identified as a risk signature from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets by using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, differentially expressed analysis, and univariate Cox analysis.

Graphene-based strain sensor with sandwich structure and its application in bowel sounds monitoring.

Surgery is one of the primary treatment modalities for gastrointestinal tumors but can lead to postoperative ileus (POI), which can aggravate pain and increase costs. The incidence of POI can be effectively reduced by monitoring bowel sounds to assist doctors in deciding the timing of transoral feeding. In this study, we prepared a flexible strain sensor based on a graphene composite material and tested the feasibility of sensor monitoring of bowel sounds using simultaneous stethoscope and sensor monitoring.

Altered dynamic amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation between bipolar type I and type II in the depressive state.

Background: Bipolar disorder is a chronic and highly recurrent mental disorder that can be classified as bipolar type I (BD I) and bipolar type II (BD II). BD II is sometimes taken as a milder form of BD I or even doubted as an independent subtype. However, the fact that symptoms and severity differ in patients with BD I and BD II suggests different pathophysiologies and underlying neurobiological mechanisms.

Analysis of alterations of serum inflammatory cytokines and fibrosis makers in patients with essential hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy and the risk factors.

Objective: This study mainly analyzed the alterations of serum inflammatory cytokines (ICs) and fibrosis makers in patients with essential hypertension (EH) and the risk factors (RFs).

Methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 145 patients with EH admitted from January 2013 to January 2018 were selected as the research subjects, among which 89 patients without left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) were included in the EH group and 56 patients with LVH were set as the LVH group. In addition, another 50 healthy subjects who underwent physical examination during the same period were selected as the healthy control (HC) group.

An RNA-binding protein-related risk signature can predict the prognosis and tumor immunity of patients with testicular germ cell tumors.

Background: The functions of RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) in the occurrence and development of tumors remain largely unexplored. We established a risk signature based on RBPs to predict the prognosis, tumor-related immunity, and treatment benefits of patients with testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs).

Methods: A risk signature was built based on RBPs closely related to survival obtained from TGCT data in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database.

MiR-200c-3p affects cochlear hair cells damaged by oxidative stress via modulating Taok1 expression.

Objective: The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of miR-200c-3p in cochlear hair cells injured by oxidative stress (OS) and the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: The OS injury model of HEI-OC1 cells was induced by 100 μmol/L tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BHP). The expression of miR-200c-3p in HEI-OC1 was detected by RT-PCR, the levels of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were determined with ELISA, and the expression levels of Taok1 and apoptosis-related proteins were measured by Western Blot.

Construction of a ceRNA network in hepatocellular carcinoma and comprehensive analysis of immune infiltration patterns.

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a type of refractory malignant tumor with high fatality rate. Currently, immunotherapy and competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) are research hotspots in HCC, but the relationship between ceRNA and the immune microenvironment in HCC is unclear.

Methods: Firstly, a differentially expressed circRNA-miRNA-mRNA network was constructed from the GEO database, and functional enrichment analysis was performed.

IL-17 signaling pathway plays a key role in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma with ethnic specificity.

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common aggressive head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and racial disparities have been reported to exist in it. However, its molecular mechanism and associated ethnic specificity are still unclear. Here, we leveraged mRNA expression data from 2 gene expression omnibus datasets (GSE142083 & GSE117005) of Chinese samples and the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) datasets of Caucasian samples to demonstrate the expression signature of LSCC.

iTRAQ quantitative proteomic analysis differentially expressed proteins and signal pathways in henoch-schönlein purpura nephritis.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) has been considered as a major cause of chronic renal failure in children and a condition which can worsen clinical outcomes in adults. At present, the molecular mechanisms of HSPN are still unclear. In this study, iTRAQ quantitative proteomic analysis was performed on renal tissues collected from patients with HSPN and compared with those of patients after nephrectomy (controls).

WISP1 indicates poor prognosis and regulates cell proliferation and apoptosis in gastric cancer via targeting AKT/mTOR signaling pathway.

Purpose: Gastric cancer (GC) is a serious threat to human health. We aimed to explore the effects of Wnt1 induced signaling protein 1 (WISP1) on GC.

Methods: The WISP1 expressions in GC tissues were detected using immunohistochemistry and qRT-PCR.

Long-term exposure to low-intensity environmental noise aggravates age-related hearing loss via disruption of cochlear ribbon synapses.

Noise pollution is a major public hazard. Previous studies have shown that environmental noise affects the reorganization of the auditory cortex and leads to behavioral abnormality; however, the effects of long-term environmental noise exposure on the inner ear and hearing remain to be elucidated. In this study, we simulated environmental noise with a long-term 70 dB sound pressure level "white" noise, observed its effect on the inner ears of C57BL/6J mice, and developed an model for mechanistic studies.

LPPR4 promotes peritoneal metastasis via Sp1/integrin α/FAK signaling in gastric cancer.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies which has high incidence and mortality worldwide. Peritoneal dissemination is the main route of metastasis in advanced GC. However, few reliable diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers are available for peritoneal metastasis of GC.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma inside lateral ventricle: a rare case report and literature review.

Pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma (PXA) is a relatively rare, low grade astrocytic tumor that usually affects children as well as young adults. The reported cases were predominantly located superficially in the temporal lobe. To our knowledge, so far only two cases of PXA occurring in lateral ventricle were reported in English literature.

Protective effect of berberine on high glucose and hypoxia-induced apoptosis via the modulation of HIF-1α in renal tubular epithelial cells.

Berberine (BBR), derived from Huanglian (), is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine. In the current study, we investigated the effects of BBR in high glucose (HG) and hypoxia-induced apoptosis with normal rat renal tubular epithelial (NRK-52E) and human kidney proximal tubular cells (HK-2) and further explored the underlying molecular mechanism of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Apoptosis in NRK-52E and HK-2 cells induced by HG (30 mM)/hypoxia and anti-apoptosis with BBR pretreatment (30 μM) were analyzed by using the terminal uridine nick 3' end labeling method.

The influence of cell morphology on microfluidic single cell analysis.

Microfluidics has been widely used in single cell analysis. Current protocols allow either spread or round cells to be analyzed. However, the contribution of cell morphology to single cell analysis has not been noted.

Long noncoding RNA TOB1-AS1, an epigenetically silenced gene, functioned as a novel tumor suppressor by sponging miR-27b in cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancers in females, accounting for a majority of cancer-related deaths in worldwide. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified as critical regulators in many tumor-related biological processes. Thus, investigation into the function and mechanism of lncRNAs in the development of cervical cancer is very necessary.

Role of miRNA-21/PTEN on the high glucose-induced EMT in human mesothelial peritoneal cells.

Objective: To explore the effects of miRNA-21/phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) on the high glucose-stimulated epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in human peritoneal mesothelial cells (HPMCs).

Methods: HPMCs were cultured under control conditions, or with high glucose (HG), HG with miRNA-21 mimic or a miRNA-21 inhibitor. Expression of miRNA-21, α-smooth muscle actin, >fibronectin, E-cadherin and PTEN were measured by real time PCR, Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining.

Long non-coding RNA NEAT1 promotes proliferation, migration and invasion of human osteosarcoma cells.

Long non-coding RNAs (LncRNAs) have been identified to play a crucial role in tumorigenesis and the progression of many types of tumors. However, the clinical significance and biological function of lncRNA nuclear-enriched abundant transcript 1(NEAT1) in human osteosarcoma remains unknown. Here, we investigated the role of NEAT1 in human osteosarcoma cell lines and clinical tumor samples.

Interleukin enhancer binding factor 2 is a prognostic biomarker for breast cancer that also predicts neoadjuvant chemotherapy responses.

Interleukin enhancer binding factor 2 (ILF2) participates in several aspects of DNA and RNA metabolism and regulates gene expression at multiple levels; however, its role in breast cancer remains undefined. The variant statuses of in human breast cancer were evaluated using the COSMIC database. Altered expression in normal breast tissue relative to cancer tissue and in breast cancer patients with different clinicopathological characteristics, molecular subtypes, clinical outcomes and chemotherapy responses were examined using the Oncomine, GOBO, Kaplan-Meier plotter and GEO datasets.

PAK4 enhances TGF-β1-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition through activating β-catenin signaling pathway in renal tubular epithelial cells.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of renal tubular epithelial cells contributes to development and progression of renal interstitial fibrosis in CKD. p21-activated kinase 4 (PAK4) is a member of serine/threonine protein kinases but the role of PAK4 in renal fibrosis remains unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of PAK4 on transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-treated human renal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2 cells) and aimed to elucidate probable mechanisms for its fibrogenic effects.

Tumor-to-tumor metastasis: lung adenocarcinoma metastasizing to intracranial benign meningioma as a first clinical manifestation, with literature review.

We report a case of lung adenocarcinoma metastasizing to intracranial meningioma as a first clinical manifestation. Surgeons should be aware of this rare lesion. A 70-year-old Chinese woman was admitted to our hospital with a complaint of progressive left hemiparesis, predominantly of the upper extremity, for 20 days.

Expression of E-cadherin, vimentin and β-catenin in ameloblastoma and association with clinicopathological characteristics of ameloblastoma.

Objective: Ameloblastoma shows invasive growth and is susceptible to recurrence. This study aimed to detect the expression of E-Cadherin, Vimentin and β-Catenin (proteins related to epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT) in the ameloblastoma and to explore association with clinicopathological characteristics of ameloblastoma.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the protein expression of E-Cadherin, Vimentin and β-Catenin in the ameloblastoma, and its association with clinicopathological characteristics of ameloblastoma was further evaluated.

A meta-analysis: could we predict the malignancy of solid pseudopapillary neoplasm?

Objective: To evaluate the risk factors influencing the malignant potential of solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (SPN).

Methods: This meta-analysis used MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE and web of science including 14 cohort studies reporting the risk factors influencing the malignant potential after the initial operation on SPN up to March 2017. Review Manager Software 5.