ABSTRACT
@#Maintaining bone homeostasis relies on the balance between bone remodeling involving bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts under physiological conditions. An increasing number of studies have shown that the ubiquitin-proteasome system plays an important role in bone remodeling. The ubiquitination process is reversible through the action of deubiquitinase (DUB), and ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) are the largest of the DUB families. This article summarizes the mechanisms by which USPs regulate bone homeostasis, including USP4 and USP7, by affecting bone formation through signaling pathways such as Wnt/β-catenin and cylindromatosis (CYLD) and regulating bone resorption through signaling pathways such as nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). In addition to affecting bone resorption and bone formation during bone reconstruction, the effect of USPs on bone is also reflected in the osteogenic differentiation of human periodontal membrane stem cells and implant bone binding. Future research should determine whether USPs have a greater regulatory effect on bone reconstruction and the specific mechanism of their regulatory effect to provide more approaches for the treatment of bone diseases.
ABSTRACT
Abstract Background: Relapse and metastasis of patients with Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the major obstacle to the long-term life of patients. Its mechanisms remain defined. Methods: A total of 48 CRC patients were enrolled and 68 samples were obtained from the peripheral blood of patients before or after treatments in this study. Twenty non-cancer patients were also detected as a negative control. Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs), including Epithelial CTCs (eCTCs), Mesenchymal (MCTCs), and epithelial/ mesenchymal mixed phenotypes (mixed CTCs), were identified by CanPatrolTM CTC enrichment and RNA in situ hybridization. The relationship between CTCs number and Progression-Free Survival (PFS) or Overall Survival (OS) was evaluated. Results: Thirty-four of 48 patients (70.8%) were found to have positive CTCs. Total CTCs and MCTCs in the post-treatment had a significant correlation PFS and OS. When total CTCs or MCTCs in 5 mL blood of patients were more than 6 CTCs or 5 MCTCs, PFS of the patients was significantly shorter (p < 0.05) than that in patients with less than 6 CTCs or 5 MCTCs. The patients with > 5 CTCs count changes were found to exhibit poor PFS and OS rates (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Total CTCs and MCTCs number detection in patients with colorectal cancer was very useful biomarker for predicting the prognosis of patients. Higher CTCs or MCTCs had poorer PFS and OS rates.
ABSTRACT
@#Defects in oral hard tissue caused by various factors have a negative impact on the functional and aesthetic results of prosthetic treatment. In recent years, the usage of bone tissue engineering for bone reconstruction has drawn widespread attention. Bone tissue engineering exhibits significant advantages, including the abundance of building materials and few side effects. In this paper, the composition and structure of dentin and its application in bone tissue engineering are reviewed, providing a new way to further optimize its performance. The results of a literature review show that the structure of dentin is very similar to that of autogenous bone. The inorganic component is mainly hydroxyapatite (HA), while the organic component is mainly collagen I, noncollagenous proteins (NCPs) and growth factors. Because of its unique composition, dentin can act as a scaffold and/or growth factor source through different processing methods. The deproteinization process removes most of the organic substances and creates a HA-based scaffold material with high porosity, which allows for vascularization and cellular infiltration. Demineralization increases dentin porosity by reducing the crystallinity of the mineralized components, so that part of HA, collagen fibers and growth factors are preserved. Demineralized dentin possesses various regulation functions ranging from differentiation, adhesion and proliferation of primitive cells and bone forming cell lineage. Extracted NCPs, as bioactive molecules, have been proved to play important roles that control cell differentiation, crystal nucleation and mineralization in bone formation. NCPs could be combined with variety of scaffold materials and modify their properties.
ABSTRACT
Methylophiopogonanone A (MO-A), a homoisoflavonoid extracted from Ophiopogon japonicus, has been shown to attenuate myocardial apoptosis and improve cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the hypolipidemic effects remain unknown. This study was performed to investigate a potential hypolipidemic effect of MO-A in hyperlipidemia rats, as well as its underlying mechanism of action. A rat model of hyperlipidemia was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Animals were randomly divided into three groups (n=8/group): normal control group (NC), HFD group, and HFD+MO-A (10 mg·kg-1·d-1) treatment group. The effects of MO-A on serum lipids, body weight, activity of lipoprotein metabolism enzyme, and gene expression of lipid metabolism were evaluated in HFD-induced rats. In HFD-induced rats, pretreatment with MO-A decreased the body weight gain and reduced serum and hepatic lipid levels. In addition, pretreatment with MO-A improved the activities of lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase in serum and liver, down-regulated mRNA expression of acetyl CoA carboxylase and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1c, and up-regulated mRNA expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α in the liver. Our results indicated that MO-A showed strong ability to ameliorate the hyperlipidemia in HFD-induced rats. MO-A might be a potential candidate for prevention of overweight and dyslipidemia induced by HFD.