COX7AR is a Stress-inducible Mitochondrial COX Subunit that Promotes Breast Cancer Malignancy.

Cytochrome c oxidase (COX), the terminal enzyme of the mitochondrial respiratory chain, plays a key role in regulating mitochondrial energy production and cell survival. COX subunit VIIa polypeptide 2-like protein (COX7AR) is a novel COX subunit that was recently found to be involved in mitochondrial supercomplex assembly and mitochondrial respiration activity. Here, we report that COX7AR is expressed in high energy-demanding tissues, such as brain, heart, liver, and aggressive forms of human breast cancer cells.

Paeoniflorin inhibits human pancreatic cancer cell apoptosis via suppression of MMP-9 and ERK signaling.

Paeoniflorin exhibits anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidation effects, as well as specific pharmacological effects on smooth muscle and the immune, cardiovascular and central nervous systems. The present study aimed to investigate the anticancer effects of paeoniflorin on pancreatic cancer cells and to elucidate the mechanisms by which these effects occur. In the present study, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide and lactate dehydrogenase assays were performed to assess cell viability and cell cytotoxicity of BXPC-3 human pancreatic cancer cells, respectively.

Bergamottin isolated from Citrus bergamia exerts in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity in lung adenocarcinoma through the induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, mitochondrial membrane potential loss and inhibition of cell migration and invasion.

The objective of the present study was to investigate the in vitro and in vivo anticancer properties of bergamottin, a natural furanocoumarin, against human non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) A549 cells. We also studied its effect on cell proliferation, cell cycle arrest, cell invasion, cell migration as well as cell apoptosis. Antiproliferative activity of bergamottin was estimated by the MTT assay.

translocation is associated with early onset of disease and other clinicopathological features in Chinese female never-smokers with non-small-cell lung cancer.

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4-anaplastic lymphoma kinase (EML4-ALK) translocation is resistant to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), including gefitinib and erlotinib, but responds to the ALK-TKI crizotinib. Characterization of EML4-ALK translocation may provide invaluable information to facilitate disease diagnosis and improve the outcome of customized treatment. Although the occurrence of EML4-ALK translocation is likely to be affected by the smoking habits and gender of patients, the translocation has not been characterized extensively in female never-smokers with NSCLC.

Transcriptional signatures of unfolded protein response implicate the limitation of animal models in pathophysiological studies.

Background: The unfolded protein response (UPR) refers to intracellular stress signaling pathways that protect cells from the stress caused by accumulation of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The UPR signaling is crucially involved in the initiation and progression of a variety of human diseases by modulating transcriptional and translational programs of the stressed cells. In this study, we analyzed the gene expression signatures of primary stress sensors and major mediators of UPR pathways in a variety of tissues/organs of human and murine species.

Liver Malignancies Treated With Intra-Arterial Therapy: Assessment of Early Response as Quantified by Volumetric Enhancement Using Gadoxetate Disodium.

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the value of volumetric contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using gadoxetate disodium in early assessment of treatment response after intra-arterial therapy (IAT).

Materials And Methods: This prospective study included 21 patients (32 malignant lesions) who underwent MRI using gadoxetate disodium before and early after IAT. Two reviewers reported response by anatomic criteria including Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumor (RECIST), Modified RECIST (mRECIST), and European Association for the Study of Liver Disease and functional criteria including volumetric enhancement in hepatic arterial phase and portal venous phase.

[Associations between TOX3 rs3803662 polymorphisms and immunological markers of breast cancer].

Objective: TOX3 gene was considered to be breast cancer susceptibility gene in the European population and East Asian populations. This study was aimed to investigate the relevance of TOX3 gene rs3803662 single nucleotide polymorphisms and sporadic breast cancer susceptibility among the Han Nationality in Henan Province.

Methods: A case-control study was performed among 253 patients with sporadic breast cancer and 343 control subjects in Henan Province.

Sevoflurane impairs acquisition learning and memory function in transgenic mice model of Alzheimer's disease by induction of hippocampal neuron apoptosis.

Objectives: To investigate the mechanism and effect of sevoflurane on learning and memory function in transgenic mice model of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Methods: A total of 45 Tg2576 mice were used and randomly assigned to control, sham, and sevoflurane group. Spatial learning and memory ability were measured before and after sevoflurane exposure using morris water maze (MWM) and Y-maze behavioral tests.

A safety study of transumbilical single incision versus conventional laparoscopic surgery for colorectal cancer: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) is an emerging minimally invasive surgery to reduce abdominal incisions. However, despite the increasing clinical application of SILS, no evidence from large-scale, randomized controlled trials is available for assessing the feasibility, short-term safety, oncological safety, and potential benefits of SILS compared with conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS) for colorectal cancer.

Methods/design: This is a single-center, open-label, noninferiority, randomized controlled trial.

Fatigue-free, superstretchable, transparent, and biocompatible metal electrodes.

Next-generation flexible electronics require highly stretchable and transparent electrodes. Few electronic conductors are both transparent and stretchable, and even fewer can be cyclically stretched to a large strain without causing fatigue. Fatigue, which is often an issue of strained materials causing failure at low strain levels of cyclic loading, is detrimental to materials under repeated loads in practical applications.

Postoperative external beam irradiation with and without brachytherapy in pelvic node-positive IB1-IIA2 cervical cancer patients: a retrospective clinical study.

Background: This study assessed the survival outcomes and recurrent patterns in pelvic node-positive IB1-IIA2 cervical cancer patients treated with postoperative external beam irradiation with or without vaginal brachytherapy.

Methods: The records of 1149 cervical cancer patients received radical surgery between February 2008 and March 2010 were retrospectively reviewed. 126 stages IB1-IIA2 patients with positive pelvic lymph node (LN) were included and a total of 113 patients who received different postoperative radiation therapy were identified and analyzed.

Different methods for inducing adipose-derived stem cells to differentiate into Schwann-like cells.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to explore an effective method to induce adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) to differentiate into Schwann-like cells in vitro.

Material And Methods: Reagents were applied in two different ways (Dezawa inducing method and modified inducing method) in which inducers including β-mercaptoethanol (β-ME), all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), type I collagenase, forskolin, heregulin, basic fibroblast growth factor (BFGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were used in different ways to induce ADSCs of rats to differentiate into Schwann-like cells. After induction, the cell morphologic characteristics and the cellular immunohistochemical staining positive rate of anti-S100 and anti-GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein) antibodies and the gray value of immunocytochemical dye with anti-S100 and anti-GFAP antibodies and cell activity measured by the MTT method were compared with each other to evaluate the induction effects.

MiR-126 regulated breast cancer cell invasion by targeting ADAM9.

Accumulating evidence has shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) deregulation is commonly observed in human malignancies and crucial to cancer metastasis. Herein, we demonstrated that miR-126 play a suppressor role in human breast cancer cells invasion through the direct repression of a disintegrin and metalloprotease 9 (ADAM9). MiR-126 expression was investigated in forty cases of breast cancer specimens by real-time PCR.

MicroRNA-200c overexpression inhibits chemoresistance, invasion and colony formation of human pancreatic cancer stem cells.

Introduction: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to be 'seed cell' in cancer recurrence and metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as potential therapeutic candidates due to their ability to regulate multiple targets involved in tumor progression and chemoresistance. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of miRNA-200c (miR-200c) in regulating colony formation, invasion and chemoresistance of human pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs).

Shoulder Dysfunction After Radiotherapy in Surgically and Nonsurgically Treated Necks: A Prospective Study.

Our goal was to evaluate the shoulder dysfunction after radiotherapy in surgically and nonsurgically treated necks.A prospective pair matched design was performed. A total of 96 patients from 3 groups were enrolled in the study.

Analysis of postoperative PSA changes after ultrasound-guided permanent [125I] seed implantation for the treatment of prostate cancer.

The aim of this study was to explore postoperative changes in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and risk factors that influence the clinical effects of ultrasound-guided permanent [(125)I] seed implantation in the treatment of prostate cancer. From July 2009 to December 2012, 41 prostate cancer patients who underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided [(125)I] seed implantation were followed up for 3-56 months. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to their results: group A, benign rebound group, 31 cases; and group B, biochemical relapse group, 10 cases.

MicroRNA-200c overexpression plays an inhibitory role in human pancreatic cancer stem cells by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition.

Aim: Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are believed to be the 'seed cell' in cancer recurrence and metastasis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as potential therapeutic candidates due to their ability to regulate the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of miRNA-200c (miR-200c) on the EMT, tumorigenesis, colony formation, invasion and chemoresistance of human pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs).

TKTL1 expression and its downregulation is implicated in cell proliferation inhibition and cell cycle arrest in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

It is well known that tumor cells mainly depend on the nonoxidative pathway of the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and transketolase-like 1 (TKTL1), a kind of crucial metabolism enzyme, participates in the regulation of PPP; notably, overwhelming evidence has demonstrated that TKTL1 plays pivotal roles in the development and progression of multiple tumors. However, there were no reports about the role of TKTL1 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Here, we investigated TKTL1 expression and preliminarily elucidated its underlying biological functions in ESCC.

Matrine suppresses proliferation and induces apoptosis in human cholangiocarcinoma cells through suppression of JAK2/STAT3 signaling.

Background: Constitutive activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling contributes to apoptosis resistance in cholangiocarcinoma. The aim of this study is to check whether matrine, an alkaloid isolated from traditional Chinese herb Sophora flavescens ait, can exert cytotoxic effects against cholangiocarcinoma cells via inactivation of STAT3 signaling.

Methods: Mz-ChA-1 and KMCH-1 cholangiocarcinoma cells were treated with matrine at 0.

Increased expression of the lncRNA PVT1 is associated with poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer patients.

Aim: Long non-coding RNA PVT1 (lncRNA PVT1) has been identified and it plays an oncogenic role in various human cancers. However, its roles in pancreatic cancer remain unclear. The aim of this paper was to explore the PVT1 expression levels and relationship with survival of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and to establish the significance of PVT1 in the development and progression of PDAC.

A silica-polymer composite nano system for tumor-targeted imaging and p53 gene therapy of lung cancer.

In our study, a silica-polymer composite nano system (MB-NSi-p53-CS ternary complexes) composed of methylene blue-encapsulated amine-terminated silica nanoparticles (MB-NSi) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) were successfully developed for tumor-targeted imaging and p53 gene therapy of lung cancer. MB was employed as a NIR probe for in vivo imaging, MB-NSi nanoparticles were served as gene vector, while CS was applied to be a coating and targeting polymer. MB-NSi-p53-CS ternary complexes displayed nanosized diameter, effective p53 condensation ability, efficient p53 protection profile, and superior bovine serum albumin stability in vitro.

Expression of long non-coding RNA LOC285194 and its prognostic significance in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Introduction: Dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) plays critical roles in tumor progression. lncRNA LOC285194 was previously shown to be correlated with aggressive clinicopathological features and poor prognosis in several cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate relationship between LOC285194 expression and clinical outcomes in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

Combination of acellular nerve graft and schwann cells-like cells for rat sciatic nerve regeneration.

Objective: To investigate the effect of tissue engineering nerve on repair of rat sciatic nerve defect.

Methods: Forty-five rats with defective sciatic nerve were randomly divided into three groups. Rats in group A were repaired by acellular nerve grafts only.

Preliminary clinical research on epiphyseal distraction in osteosarcoma in children.

Background: The feasibility of distal femur epiphysis preservation through epiphyseal distraction by external fixator in childhood osteosarcoma was explored.

Methods: Between July 2007 and May 2011, 10 children who were suffering from distal femur osteosarcoma received epiphyseal distraction by external fixator, combined with tumor resection and repair with massive allograft bone to preserve the epiphysis of the distal femur and knee function. There were six male and four female patients, 9- to 14-years old (average 10.

MEF2 transcription factors promotes EMT and invasiveness of hepatocellular carcinoma through TGF-β1 autoregulation circuitry.

Invasion and metastasis is the main causes leading to the death of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients. However, the underlying mechanism is still to be explored. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) is a stronger inducer of HCC cell invasion.