The embryonic transcription factor Brachyury confers chordoma chemoresistance via upregulating CA9.

Being a rare malignant bone tumor on the axial skeleton, chordoma is locally invasive and has a high rate of recurrence. Despite extensive studies, the mechanisms of chordoma recurrence after surgical intervention, as well as resistance to radiation and chemotherapy, remain elusive. In this study, primary chordoma cell lines PCH1 and PCH2 were established and characterized by chordoma specific markers.

Ephedrine hydrochloride protects mice from -induced peritonitis.

is a Gram-positive (G) bacterium that causes a wide range of diseases in humans and livestock. Therefore, the development of innovative and effective therapies is essential for the treatment of -induced severe infections. Ephedrine hydrochloride (EH) is a compound derived from ephedrine and is widely used for the management of cardiovascular diseases and hypotension.

High expression of WWP1 predicts poor prognosis and associates with tumor progression in human colorectal cancer.

WWP1 (WW domain-containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1), which is frequently up-regulated in multiple human malignancies, has been demonstrated to play a critical function in cell proliferation, apoptosis and invasion. However, limited knowledge is known about the expression pattern and prognostic value of WWP1 in colorectal cancer (CRC). In this study, we firstly observed that WWP1 mRNA and protein is commonly up-regulated in CRC tissues compared with normal counterparts.

Whole exome-wide association study identifies a missense variant in SLC2A4RG associated with glioblastoma risk.

In this study, we conducted a genome-wide scan of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to identify coding variants that is associated with the risk of glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and most malignant subtype of glioma. We genotyped 1038 GBM cases and 1008 controls in a Chinese Han population using Illumina HumanExome Beadchip v1.0.

Overexpression of Increases Accumulation of Quinochalcone in Safflower.

, the dried petal of safflower ( L.) has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, in which quinochalcone glucosides such as hydrosafflower yellow A (HSYA), carthamin are uniquely present and have been identified as active compounds. In the present study, through sequencing of a safflower floret cDNA library and subsequent microarray analysis, we found 23 unigenes (5 , 1 , 5 , 6 , 2 , 2 , 2 ) involved in flavonoid pathway, of which 4 were up-regulated differentially during quinochalcone glucosides accumulation with the floret developing stage.

AP2/ERF Transcription Factor, , Positively Regulates Lignan Biosynthesis in through Activating Salicylic Acid Signaling and Lignan/Lignin Pathway Genes.

Lignans, such as lariciresinol and its derivatives, have been identified as effective antiviral ingredients in . Evidence suggests that the APETALA2/ethylene response factor (AP2/ERF) family might be related to the biosynthesis of lignans in . However, the special role played by the AP2/ERF family in the metabolism and its underlying putative mechanism still need to be elucidated.

Hydrogen sulfide prevents diaphragm weakness in cecal ligation puncture-induced sepsis by preservation of mitochondrial function.

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in the pathogenesis of diaphragm weakness during sepsis. Recently, hydrogen sulfide (HS), a gaseous transmitter endogenously generated by cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS), cystathionine-γ-lyase (CSE) and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3-MST), is found to improve mitochondrial function. The present study aimed to examine whether HS synthases are expressed in the diaphragm, and investigated the effect of HS donor in sepsis-induced diaphragm weakness and its relationship with mitochondrial function.

Skin Lesions in Swine with Decompression Sickness: Clinical Appearance and Pathogenesis.

Skin lesions are visual clinical manifestations of decompression sickness (DCS). Comprehensive knowledge of skin lesions would give simple but strong clinical evidence to help diagnose DCS. The aim of this study was to systematically depict skin lesions and explore their pathophysiological basis in a swine DCS model.

Inhibition of Toll-Like Receptor Signaling as a Promising Therapy for Inflammatory Diseases: A Journey from Molecular to Nano Therapeutics.

The recognition of invading pathogens and endogenous molecules from damaged tissues by toll-like receptors (TLRs) triggers protective self-defense mechanisms. However, excessive TLR activation disrupts the immune homeostasis by sustained pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines production and consequently contributes to the development of many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), infection-associated sepsis, atherosclerosis, and asthma. Therefore, inhibitors/antagonists targeting TLR signals may be beneficial to treat these disorders.

Autophagic degradation of FOXO3a represses the expression of to block cell apoptosis in cisplatin-resistant osteosarcoma cells.

Autophagy and apoptosis are the two major modes of cell death, and autophagy usually inhibits apoptosis. The current understanding has shown that there is a complex crosstalk between the components of these two pathways. Here, we describe a transcriptional mechanism that links autophagy to apoptosis.

Inflammation: The Common Pathway of Stress-Related Diseases.

While modernization has dramatically increased lifespan, it has also witnessed that the nature of stress has changed dramatically. Chronic stress result failures of homeostasis thus lead to various diseases such as atherosclerosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and depression. However, while 75%-90% of human diseases is related to the activation of stress system, the common pathways between stress exposure and pathophysiological processes underlying disease is still debatable.

Combination of circulating miR-19b-3p, miR-122-5p and miR-486-5p expressions correlates with risk and disease severity of knee osteoarthritis.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of circulating miRNAs profile with the risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA), and evaluate their correlation with clinical characteristics. This study was divided into two parts: exploration stage and validation stage. In exploration stage, 8 knee OA patients and 8 age and gender highly matched health controls (HCs) were recruited, and plasma sample were collected for microarray examination.

Ferulic Acid Improves Functional Recovery after Acute Spinal Cord Injury in Rats by Inducing Hypoxia to Inhibit microRNA-590 and Elevate Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expressions.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is the leading cause of paralysis, disability and even death in severe cases, and neural stem cells (NSCs) transplant has been employed for repairing SCI. Ferulic acid (FA) is able to promote neurogenesis in various stem cell therapies. We aimed to investigate the effect of FA on NSC transplant therapy, and the underlying mechanism, in improving functional recovery in SCI rat model.

RIZ1 negatively regulates ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C/UbcH10 via targeting c-Myc in meningioma.

RIZ1 has been considered as an important tumor suppressor gene. Our previous studies have already demonstrated that the expression of RIZ1 is closely related to the occurrence and development of meningioma. In addition, we also found that the expression of UbcH10 was related to the pathologic grade of meningioma which also affected the prognosis of these patients.

Low-expression of TMEM100 is associated with poor prognosis in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Transmembrane protein 100 (TMEM100) was first identified as a transcript from the mouse genome. Recent studies have demonstrated that TMEM100 is involved in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) malignancy. However, the distribution and clinical significance of TMEM100 in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) remains poorly understood.

microRNA-383 mediates high glucose-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis in retinal pigment epithelial cells by repressing peroxiredoxin 3.

Hyperglycemia-mediated damage to retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells plays a central role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. Dysregulation of microRNA (miR)-383 modulates pancreatic beta cell survival in diabetes; however, its role in diabetic retinopathy remains unclear. In this study, we examined the expression of miR-383 in ARPE-19 human RPE cell lines after high glucose treatment and investigated its functions in high glucose-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and apoptotic responses.

Hydrostatin-SN1, a Sea Snake-Derived Bioactive Peptide, Reduces Inflammation in a Mouse Model of Acute Lung Injury.

Snake venom has been used for centuries as a traditional Chinese medicine. Hydrostatin-SN1 (H-SN1), a bioactive peptide extracted from the venom gland T7 phage display library, was reported to have the ability to reduce inflammation in a dextran sulfate sodium-induced murine colitis model. In this study, we sought to investigate the inhibitory potential of H-SN1 on inflammation in a murine model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI), and elucidate the anti-inflammatory mechanism in LPS-stimulated RAW 264.

Stable Internal Reference Genes for Normalizing Real-Time Quantitative PCR in under Hormonal Stimuli and UV Irradiation, and in Different Plant Organs.

(Nees) Bremek, the plant source for many kinds of drugs in traditional Chinese medicine, is widely distributed in South China, especially in Fujian. Recent studies about mainly focus on its chemical composition and pharmacological effects, but further analysis of the plant's gene functions and expression is required to better understand the synthesis of its effective compounds. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a powerful method for gene expression analysis.

Time Course of Endothelial Dysfunction Induced by Decompression Bubbles in Rats.

Decompression stress can cause endothelial injury, leading to systematic inflammation and prothrombotic phenomena. Our previous work found that endothelial injury following decompression correlated positively with bubble formation. This study aimed to investigate the time course of endothelial injury and the relationship with bubble amounts.

Severe Chromoblastomycosis-Like Cutaneous Infection Caused by .

species are saprophytic filamentous fungi commonly found in the soil, dung, and animal fur. Subcutaneous infection caused by this organism is rare in humans. We report a case of subcutaneous fungal infection caused by in a 38-year-old woman.

TLR4-dependent internalization of CX3CR1 aggravates sepsis-induced immunoparalysis.

Sepsis, the most severe manifestation of infection, poses a major challenge to health-care systems around the world. Limited ability to clean and remove the pathogen renders difficulty in septic patients to recover from the phase of immunoparalysis. The present study found the vital role of CX3CR1 internalization on sepsis-induced immunoparalysis.

Picroside II protects against sepsis via suppressing inflammation in mice.

Picroside II, an iridoid compound extracted from Picrorhiza, exhibits anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities. We explored the protective effects and mechanisms of picroside II in a mouse model of sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP), using three groups of mice: Group A (sham), Group B (CLP+NS) and Group C (CLP+20 mg/kg picroside II). The mortality in mice with sepsis was decreased by the administration of picroside II, and lung injury was alleviated simultaneously.

Down-regulation of long non-coding RNA FOXD3 antisense RNA 1 (FOXD3-AS1) inhibits cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in malignant glioma cells.

Growing evidence indicates that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play key roles in cancer initiation and progression. However, little is known about the therapeutic significance of lncRNAs in glioma. In this study, we explored the tumorigenic role of a classical lncRNA, FOXD3 antisense RNA 1 (FOXD3-AS1) in glioma.

Propionate Ameliorates Dextran Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis by Improving Intestinal Barrier Function and Reducing Inflammation and Oxidative Stress.

Propionate is a short chain fatty acid that is abundant as butyrate in the gut and blood. However, propionate has not been studied as extensively as butyrate in the treatment of colitis. The present study was to investigate the effects of sodium propionate on intestinal barrier function, inflammation and oxidative stress in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice.