Advances in cancer vaccines for immunotherapy of prostate cancer / 中南大学学报(医学版)

Prostate cancer is currently one of the most common malignancies that endanger the lives and health of elderly men. In recent years, immunotherapy, which exploits the activation of anti-cancer host immune cells to accomplish tumor-killing effects, has emerged as a new study avenue in the treatment of prostate cancer. As an important component of immunotherapy, cancer vaccines have a unique position in the precision treatment of malignant tumors. Monocyte cell vaccines, dendritic cell vaccines, viral vaccines, peptide vaccines, and DNA/mRNA vaccines are the most often used prostate cancer vaccines. Among them, Sipuleucel-T, as a monocyte cell-based cancer vaccine, is the only FDA-approved therapeutic vaccine for prostate cancer, and has a unique position and role in advancing the development of immunotherapy for prostate cancer. However, due to its own limitations, Sipuleucel-T has not been widely adopted. Meanwhile, owing to the complexity of immunotherapy and the specificity of prostate cancer, the remaining prostate cancer vaccines have not shown good clinical benefit in large randomized phase II and phase III trials, and further in-depth studies are still needed.

Diagnostic value of 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT combined with prostate specific antigen derived indicators in gray area prostate cancer / 中南大学学报(医学版)

Objective:The incidence of prostate cancer is increasing every year,and precision diagnosis and treatment can help reduce unnecessary prostate punctures for prostate cancer patients in the gray area.This study aims to investigate the diagnostic value of 18F-prostate specific membrane antigen(PSMA)imaging combined with prostate specific antigen(PSA)-derived indicators for gray zone prostate cancer. Methods:A total of 107 patients who underwent 18F-PSMA PET/CT imaging for suspicious prostate cancer with tPSA of 4 to 10 μg/L(PSA gray zone)in a hospital were retrospectively included,and were divided into a prostate cancer group and a non-prostate cancer group based on pathological findings.Patients underwent PSA testing,18F-PSMA,and abdominal ultrasound,and age,tPSA,fPSA,f/tPSA,prostate volume,PSA density(PSAD),maximum standardized uptake value(SUVmax),and molecular imaging prostate specific membrane antigen(miPSMA)score were compared between the 2 groups.Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors the diagnosis of gray zone prostate cancer.Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curves were constructed to evaluate the efficacy of PSAD and SUVmax alone and in combination in diagnosing gray zone prostate cancer. Results:The volume of the prostate cancer group[42.00(34.00,58.00)cm3 vs 49.00(41.27,60.41)cm3]was smaller than that of the non-prostate cancer group(Z=-2.376,P=0.017),and the PSAD[(0.18±0.06)μg/(L·cm3)vs 0.15±0.05 μg/(L·cm3)]and SUVmax[18.63(8.03,28.57)vs 9.33(5.90,13.52)]were higher than those in the non-prostate cancer group(both P<0.05).The percentage of miPSMA score≥2 in the prostate cancer group was higher than that in the non-prostate cancer group(χ2=40.987,P<0.001).PSAD(OR= 22.154,95%CI 1.430 to 873.751,P=0.042)and SUVmax(OR=1.301,95%CI 1.034 to 1.678,P=0.009)were independent influential factors for the diagnosis of prostate cancer in the gray zone.The optimal cut-off values of PSAD and SUVmax were 0.22 μg/(L·cm3)and 8.02,respectively,and the AUCs for the diagnosis of prostate cancer in the gray zone alone and in combination were 0.628(95%CI 0.530 to 0.720,P<0.05)and 0.806(95%CI 0.718 to 0.876,P<0.05),0.847(95%CI 0.765 to 0.910,P<0.05),with sensitivities of 41.03%,76.92%,and 74.36%and specificities of 79.41%,89.71%,and 92.65%,respectively. Conclusion:PSAD and SUVmax are increased in patients with gray zone prostate cancer,and the combination of PSAD and SUVmax is of high value in diagnosing gray zone prostate cancer.

Identification and clinical transfusion of B (A) subgroup / 中国输血杂志

【Objective】 To carry out serological and molecular biological identification of B (A) subtype, and discuss the rational blood transfusion strategy. 【Methods】 Serological and direct sequencing methods were used to detect serotype and genotype of 7 cases of B (A) subtype, and cross matching was performed by saline medium and anti human globulin card to analyze the red blood cells(RBCs) transfusion strategy. 【Results】 The serology results of blood type of 7 samples were similar, with B(A)04/O01 in 3 cases, B(A)04/O02 in 2 cases and B(A)02/O01 in 2 cases. 7 cases of B (A) subtypes were matched with randomly selected blood donors of type O and B on the major side. 【Conclusion】 B(A) subtypes should be identified by genotyping techniques. Washed RBCs of type B and O can be used for B(A) blood type transfusion.

A Neural Circuit Controlling Virgin Female Aggression Induced by Mating-related Cues in Drosophila / 神经科学通报·英文版

Females increase aggression for mating opportunities and for acquiring reproductive resources. Although the close relationship between female aggression and mating status is widely appreciated, whether and how female aggression is regulated by mating-related cues remains poorly understood. Here we report an interesting observation that Drosophila virgin females initiate high-frequency attacks toward mated females. We identify 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), a male-derived pheromone transferred to females during mating, which promotes virgin female aggression. We subsequently reveal a cVA-responsive neural circuit consisting of four orders of neurons, including Or67d, DA1, aSP-g, and pC1 neurons, that mediate cVA-induced virgin female aggression. We also determine that aSP-g neurons release acetylcholine (ACh) to excite pC1 neurons via the nicotinic ACh receptor nAChRα7. Together, beyond revealing cVA as a mating-related inducer of virgin female aggression, our results identify a neural circuit linking the chemosensory perception of mating-related cues to aggressive behavior in Drosophila females.

Risk analysis and preventive strategies of implant placement in patients with hypertension / 中华口腔医学杂志

Recently, among the edentulous patients who undergo dental implants, the proportion of hypertensive patients remains high, which poses a greater challenge for clinicians to operate and to maintain the therapeutic effect. The present review comprehensively summarized clinical researches about the adverse effects on dental implants, outlined molecular mechanisms of the positive effects of various antihypertensive drugs on bone metabolism, and proposed that clinicians should select preventive strategies during preoperative and intraoperative procedures according to the blood pressure of patients with hypertension.

Research Hotspots and Frontiers of Immunotherapy for Prostate Cancer: A Visual Analysis / 肿瘤防治研究

Objective To visualize and analyze the literature related to immunotherapy for prostate cancer published in the past 20 years through bibliometric analysis, and to explore the research progress and cutting-edge trends in this field. Methods The Web of Science core collection database was searched for literature related to immunotherapy for prostate cancer published from 2002 to 2021. CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were used to visualize and analyze the data and map the evolution of hotspots. Results There were 2 326 papers were finally included after excluding irrelevant studies. The field of immunotherapy for prostate cancer is in a rapid development stage; the United States has a great influence and China has a significant latecomer advantage; the National Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and University of California, San Francisco are the main research institutions; American authors Gulley JL, Schlom J and Japanese author Itoh K have the highest number of publications. Currently, the main research hotspot is immune checkpoint inhibitors, and high-quality clinical trials are continuing to drive this process forward. Conclusion The exploration of novel immune pathways and the combination of different therapies will be the main trend of future research in immunotherapy for prostate cancer.

Exploratory screening of potential pan-cancer biomarkers based on The Cancer Genome Atlas database / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To screen potential pan-cancer biomarkers based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, and to provide help for the diagnosis and prognosis assessment of a variety of cancers.@*METHODS@#"GDC Data Transfer Tool" and "GDCRNATools" packages were used to obtain TCGA database. After data sorting, a total of 13 cancers were selected for further analysis. False disco-very rate (FDR) < 0.05 and fold change (FC) >1.5 were used as the differential expression criteria to screen genes and miRNAs that were up- or down-regulated in all the 13 cancers. In the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve), the area under the curve (AUC), the best cut-off value and the corresponding sensitivity and specificity were used to reflect diagnostic significance. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to calculate the survival probability and then the log-rank test was performed. Hazard ratio (HR) was calculated to reflect prognostic evaluation significance. DAVID tool were used to perform GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) enrichment analysis for differentially expressed genes. STRING and TargetScan tools were used to analyze the regulatory network of differentially expressed genes and miRNAs.@*RESULTS@#A total of 48 genes and 2 miRNAs were differentially expressed in all the 13 cancers. Among them, 25 genes were up-regulated, 23 genes and 2 miRNAs were down-regulated. Most differentially expressed genes and miRNAs had good ability to distinguish between the cases and controls, with AUC, sensitivity and specificity up to 0.8-0.9. Survival analysis results show that differentially expressed genes and miRNAs were significantly associated with patient survival in a variety of cancers. Most up-regulated genes were risk factors for patient survival (HR>1), while most down-regulated genes were protective factors for patient survival (0 < HR < 1). The enrichment analysis of GO and KEGG showed that the differentially expressed genes were mostly enriched in biological events related to cell proliferation. In the regulatory network analysis, a total of 13 differentially expressed genes and 2 differentially expressed miRNAs had regulatory and interaction relationships.@*CONCLUSION@#The 48 genes and 2 miRNAs that were differentially expressed in 13 cancers may serve as potential pan-cancer biomarkers, providing help for the diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of a variety of cancers, and providing clues for the development of broad-spectrum tumor therapeutic targets.

Application of less invasive surfactant administration and nasal high-frequency oscillation ventilation in the treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome in very low and extremely low birth weight preterm infants / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

Objective:To explore the application and treatment efficacy of less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) and nasal high-frequency oscillation ventilation (nHFOV) in very low and extremely low birth weight preterm infants with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS).Methods:A total of 85 very low and extremely low birth weight preterm infants with gestational age ranging between 27-32 weeks who were diagnosed with NRDS in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from July 2018 to October 2019 were enrolled.After being stratified by gestational age of >27-29 weeks, >29-30 weeks, >30-31 weeks, >31-32 weeks, the neonates were divided into the LISA group (40 cases) and the intubation-surfactant-extubation (INSURE) group (45 cases) by the random envelope method.The LISA group was subdivided into the continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) group (25 cases) and the nHFOV group (15 cases) by the same method.The patients in the INSURE group were infused with pulmonary surfactant (PS) through the endotracheal tube under positive airway pressure, and then treated with CPAP after extubation.The patients in the LISA group were first treated with CPAP and injected with PS through the gastric tube.After removing the gastric tube, the patients in the CPAP group were given CPAP-assisted ventilation, while the patients in the nHFOV group were given nHFOV-assisted ventilation or mechanical ventilation if nHFOV-assisted ventilation failed.The feasibility of LISA technology and nHFOV was observed, and the adverse reactions, mechanical ventilation, oxygen duration, hospital stay and the incidence of NRDS complications in different groups of the patients were compared.Results:(1) The mechanical ventilation rate (5.0% vs.22.2%), the incidence of broncho-pulmonary dysplasia (BPD) (20.0% vs.42.2%) and the incidence of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) (12.5% vs.42.2%) in the LISA group were significantly lower than those in the INSURE group (all P<0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in total oxygen duration, hospitalization duration, intraventricular he-morrhage (IVH), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) between the LISA group and the INSURE group (all P>0.05). (2) There was no significant difference in adverse reactions between the LISA group and the INSURE group as well as between the CPAP group and the nHFOV group (all P>0.05). (3) The younger the gestational age at birth, the higher the incidence of NRDS complications.Patients in the LISA group had a lower incidence of NPDS complications than patients of the same gestational age in the INSURE group, but the diffe-rence was not statistically significant (all P>0.05). (4) There was no significant difference in the mechanical ventilation rate and the incidence of BPD, IVH, PVL, NEC and ROP complications between the CPAP group and the nHFOV group (all P>0.05). Conclusions:In the treatment of very low and extremely low birth weight preterm infants with NRDS at the gestational age of 27-32 weeks, LISA technology is a safe and effective PS delivery method, which can reduce the mechanical ventilation rate and the incidence of BPD and PVL.The nHFOV can be used as an initial model for respiratory support of NRDS preterm infants with very low and ultra-low birth weight.LISA combined with nHFOV is applicable to the treatment of preterm infants with NRDS.

Whole-Brain Monosynaptic Inputs to Hypoglossal Motor Neurons in Mice / 神经科学通报·英文版

Hypoglossal motor neurons (HMNs) innervate tongue muscles and play key roles in a variety of physiological functions, including swallowing, mastication, suckling, vocalization, and respiration. Dysfunction of HMNs is associated with several diseases, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sudden infant death syndrome. OSA is a serious breathing disorder associated with the activity of HMNs during different sleep-wake states. Identifying the neural mechanisms by which the state-dependent activities of HMNs are controlled may be helpful in providing a theoretical basis for effective therapy for OSA. However, the presynaptic partners governing the activity of HMNs remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we used a cell-type-specific retrograde tracing system based on a modified rabies virus along with a Cre/loxP gene-expression strategy to map the whole-brain monosynaptic inputs to HMNs in mice. We identified 53 nuclei targeting HMNs from six brain regions: the amygdala, hypothalamus, midbrain, pons, medulla, and cerebellum. We discovered that GABAergic neurons in the central amygdaloid nucleus, as well as calretinin neurons in the parasubthalamic nucleus, sent monosynaptic projections to HMNs. In addition, HMNs received direct inputs from several regions associated with respiration, such as the pre-Botzinger complex, parabrachial nucleus, nucleus of the solitary tract, and hypothalamus. Some regions engaged in sleep-wake regulation (the parafacial zone, parabrachial nucleus, ventral medulla, sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus, dorsal raphe nucleus, periaqueductal gray, and hypothalamus) also provided primary inputs to HMNs. These results contribute to further elucidating the neural circuits underlying disorders caused by the dysfunction of HMNs.

Finite element analysis of the comprehensive impact of scar and maxillary expansion combined with protraction on the development of maxilla with cleft lip and palate after repair operation / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the comprehensive impact of scar and maxillary expansion combined with protraction on the development of maxilla with cleft lip and palate after repair operation.@*METHODS@#In the original finite element model of the maxilla with cleft palate, a finite element model of the maxilla with cleft lip and palate was established by using Boolean operation in ANSYS. Scar force after cleft lip and palate repair and maxillary expansion force combined with protraction were added simultaneously to process the stress analysis.@*RESULTS@#Maxillary deformation occurred in the three-dimensional direction. The comparison of displacements was as follows: X-axis>Z-axis>Y-axis.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Maxillary growth is significantly inhibited in the three-dimensional direction under the comprehensive impact of scar and maxillary expansion combined with protraction after repair operation, especially transverse and sagittal growth.

Knockout of glutathione peroxidase 5 down-regulates the piRNAs in the caput epididymidis of aged mice / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

The mammalian epididymis not only plays a fundamental role in the maturation of spermatozoa, but also provides protection against various stressors. The foremost among these is the threat posed by oxidative stress, which arises from an imbalance in reactive oxygen species and can elicit damage to cellular lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. In mice, the risk of oxidative damage to spermatozoa is mitigated through the expression and secretion of glutathione peroxidase 5 (GPX5) as a major luminal scavenger in the proximal caput epididymidal segment. Accordingly, the loss of GPX5-mediated protection leads to impaired DNA integrity in the spermatozoa of aged Gpx5

Mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (Mtor) is required for spermatogonial proliferation and differentiation in mice / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Spermatogonial development is a vital prerequisite for spermatogenesis and male fertility. However, the exact mechanisms underlying the behavior of spermatogonia, including spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) self-renewal and spermatogonial proliferation and differentiation, are not fully understood. Recent studies demonstrated that the mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling pathway plays a crucial role in spermatogonial development, but whether MTOR itself was also involved in any specific process of spermatogonial development remained undetermined. In this study, we specifically deleted Mtor in male germ cells of mice using Stra8-Cre and assessed its effect on the function of spermatogonia. The Mtor knockout (KO) mice exhibited an age-dependent perturbation of testicular development and progressively lost germ cells and fertility with age. These age-related phenotypes were likely caused by a delayed initiation of Mtor deletion driven by Stra8-Cre. Further examination revealed a reduction of differentiating spermatogonia in Mtor KO mice, suggesting that spermatogonial differentiation was inhibited. Spermatogonial proliferation was also impaired in Mtor KO mice, leading to a diminished spermatogonial pool and total germ cell population. Our results show that MTOR plays a pivotal role in male fertility and is required for spermatogonial proliferation and differentiation.

Pre-operative 8 am plasma total cortisol level predicts survival for adrenal cortical carcinoma after surgery / 中华泌尿外科杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of preoperative 8 am plasma total cortisol level (PTC) on the prognosis of adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC).Methods A total of 44 patients from January 2009 to October 2017 with ACC were included,PTC level within one week before surgery,clinical and pathological data were collected.The mean age of the patients was (45.2 ± 15.2) years.There were 27 females and 17 males.The mean tumor diameter was (63.6 ± 20.7) mm.There were 20 cases with functional ACC,in which 18 patients presented symptoms associated with Cushing syndrome.According to ENSAT stage,9 patients were staged as stage Ⅰ,and 35 were staged as stage Ⅱ.The median pre-operative 8 am PTC was 572.6 nmol/L,range from 89.3 to 1 118.7 nmol/L.Open adrenalectomy was employed in 23 patients and laparoscopic approach in 21 patients.The optimal cut-off value of pre-operative PTC was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and patients were divided into two groups with high PTC and low PTC values.Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw the survival curve,univariate and multivariate Cox regression were used to explore factors influencing the prognosis of ACC patients.Results The median follow-up duration was 42 months,range from 3-104 months.The optimal cut-off value was determined as 476.2 nmol/L,baseline and clinic-pathologic characteristics differences between two groups were not statistical significant (P ＞ 0.05).The overall survival (OS) in the high PTC group was shorter than that in the low PTC group [median 18months (20-104 months) vs.40 months (5-98 months),P =0.014],and the recurrence free survival (RFS) of patients in the high PTC group was also shorter than that in the low PTC [median 26 months (0-104 months) vs.50 months (5-98 months),P =0.028).In univariate analysis,age,gender,tumor stage,preoperative PTC,and symptoms were correlated with postoperative OS and RFS (P ＜ 0.05).After adjusting for age,gender,tumor stage,symptoms,multivariate Cox regression showed that pre-operative high PTC was an independent prognostic factor associated with a decreased OS (HR =2.086,95 ％ CI 1.495-2.287,P =0.014) and decreased RFS (HR =2.234,95％ CI 1.546-2.334,P =0.045).Conclusion The preoperative morning PTC is an independent risk factor for the prognosis of ACC.

Pharmacokinetics and drug safety of oral infectious disease during pregnancy / 华西口腔医学杂志

Pregnancy is a time of particular vulnerability in terms of physiologic changes resulting in higher risk of oral infectious diseases. There is emerging evidence showing that irrational dental treatment and drug therapy are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including infant malformation or spontaneous abortion. This article reviews the pharmacokinetics of medications in pregnant women and the fetus and introduces a guideline for drug therapy and common dental drugs used during pregnancy.

Transperitoneal versus extraperitoneal robot-assisted radical prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer / 中华男科学杂志

Objective@#To compare the clinical effects of transperitoneal (Tp) versus extraperitoneal (Ep) robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) in the treatment of localized prostate cancer.@*METHODS@#We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, Wanfang, CNKI, and CBM for the articles comparing the clinical effect Tp-RARP with that of Ep-RARP in the treatment of localized prostate cancer published from January 2000 to November 2016. All the articles must meet the inclusion criteria, that is, dealing with at least one of the following aspects: operation time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative catheterization time, length of bed confinement, perioperative complications, positive surgical margins, bowel-related complications, postoperative anastomotic leakage, and postoperative urinary continence. We subjected the data obtained to statistical analysis using the RevMan5.3 software.@*RESULTS@#Two randomized controlled trials and six case-control studies were included in this meta-analysis, involving 451 cases of Tp-RARP and 676 cases of Ep-RARP. Compared with Tp-RARP, Ep-RARP showed significantly shorter operation time (WMD = 21.39, 95% CI: 7.54－35.24, P = 0.002), shorter length of bed confinement (WMD = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.61－1.09, P <0.001), and lower rate of bowel-related complications (RR = 9.74, 95% CI: 3.26－29.07, P <0.001). However, no statistically significant differences were found between the two strategies in intraoperative blood loss (WMD = －8.12, 95% CI: －27.86－11.63, P = 0.42), postoperative catheterization time (WMD = 0.17, 95% CI: －0.55－0.21, P = 0.38), or the rates of perioperative complications (RR = 1.34, 95% CI: －0.97－1.87, P = 0.08), positive surgical margins (RR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.95－1.61, P = 0.12), anastomotic leakage (RR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.46－2.10, P = 0.95), urinary continence at 3 months (RR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.91－1.00, P = 0.05) and urinary continence at 6 months (RR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.97－1.02, P = 0.82).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Ep-RARP has the advantages of shorter operation time, shorter length of bed confinement and lower rate of bowel-related complications over Tp-RARP, and therefore may be a better option for the treatment of localized prostate cancer. However, more multi-centered randomized controlled clinical trials are needed for further evaluation of these two approaches.

Comparison of balloon dilation and YAG laser endouretertomy in treatment of secondary ureteric stricture / 中国内镜杂志

Objective To compare the efficacy of balloon dilation and YAG laser endouretertomy in treatment of secondary ureteric stricture . Methods 32 patients with secondary ureteral stricture were randomly divided into balloon dilatation group and holmium laser cut group, 16 cases in each, respectively. The two kinds of treatment efficacy was compared after two years postoperative follow-up. Results The clinical results of the two groups showed no statistical differences at the third, sixth and twelfth month follow-up (P > 0.05), and there were no statistical differences in the overall effective rates (P > 0.05). The clinical results of the two groups showed no statistical difference at the twenty-fourth month follow-up (P < 0.05), and the overall effective rates had statistical difference (P < 0.05). Conclusions Balloon dilation and YAG laser endouretertomy in treatment of secondary ureteral stricture have the same short-term clinical effects. But the middle-term efficacy of YAG laser endouretertomy is superior to that of balloon dilation.

Clinical Investigation for Blood Levels of Cystetine C and Superoxide Dismutase in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome Related Hypertension / 中国循环杂志

Objective: To observe blood levels of cystetine C (Cys C) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndromes (OSAS) related hypertension (HP). Methods: A total of 102 HP patients received polysomgography (PSG) in our hospital from 2013-01 to 2013-12 were studied. According to apnea hypopnea index (AHI), the patients were divided into 2 groups: OSAS with HP (OH) group, n=55 patients with AHI≥5 and HP group,n=47 patients with AHI0.05. Conclusion: Blood levels of Cys C in OH and HP groups were higher than Control group, Cys C in OH group was higher than HP group; SOD levels in OH and HP groups were lower than Control group, SOD in OH group was lower than HP group. The relationships between Cys C, SOD and OH severity were unclear.

Scapaundulin C, a novel labdane diterpenoid isolated from Chinese liverwort Scapania undulate, inhibits acetylcholinesterase activity / 中国天然药物

In the present study, scapaundulin C (1), a new labdane diterpenoid, and four related known compounds scapaundulin A (2), 5α, 8α, 9α-trihydroxy-13E-labden-12-one (3), 5α, 8α-dihydroxy-13E-labden-12-one (4), and (13S)-15-hydroxylabd-8 (17)-en-19-oic acid (5), were isolated from the Chinese liverwort Scapania undulate (L.) Dum., using column chromatography. The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of 1D- and 2D-NMR analyses. The acetylcholinesterase (AchE) inhibitory activity was evaluated using a bioautographic TLC assay and the cytotoxic activity was evaluated by the MTT method. All the compounds were reported for the first time to exhibit moderate AchE inhibitory activity with minimal inhibitory quantities ranging from 250 to 500 ng. All the compounds were tested for their cytotoxicity against five human tumor cell lines, A549, K562, A2780, Hela, and HT29, and compounds 3 and 4 exhibited moderate inhibitory effects on the growth of A2780 cells.

Roles of transforming growth factor-β1 in cancer stem cells / 国际肿瘤学杂志

Tumor stem cells are responsible for metastasis and relapse of cancer.Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) plays an important role in the proliferation and differentiation of tumor stem cells.In many cancers such as breast carcinoma,hepatocellular carcinoma,pancreatic carcinoma,lung carcinoma,glioma and gallbladder carcinoma,the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by TGF-β1 can inhibit proliferation of cancer cell,enrich tumor stem cells and increase invasive capability and drug resistance of cancer.

The development of a rapid loop-mediated indirect PCR method for detection and differentiation of highly and lowly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus / 病毒学报

The aim of this study is to establish the method of loop-mediated indirect PCR assay for detection of Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) infection and differentiation of highly pathogenic PRRSV (HP-PRRSV) and lowly pathogenic PRRSV (LP-PRRSV). Based on the alignments of ORF2 gene sequences and ORFla gene sequences of PRRSV Chinese isolates deposited in GenBank, two pairs of specific probes were designed and labeled to both ends of the soybean Lectin gene fragment by PCR, respectively. The probe-labeled soybean Lectin genes were used to be reporter genes for detection and differentiation of PRRSV. After one round strand displacement reaction, the reporter genes were amplified by reverse PCR. The specific PCR products were 193bp, 355bp for HP-PRRSV and 193bp, 442bp for LP-PRRSV, respectively. The method could detect 5. 6 TCID50/mL LP-PRRSV RNA and 18 TCIDs0/ mL HP-PRRSV RNA, and co-infection did not affect detection sensitivity. No amplification was observed with other porcine originated pathogens including CSFV, PPV, PRV, PCV2, ETEC and Haemophilus parasui. Twenty clinical samples were used for comparative testing with conventional PCR. Fourteen samples were found positive for PRRSV by the loop-mediated indirect PCR, of which 4 were LP-PRRSV, 9 HP-PRRSV and 1 LP/HP-PRRSV co-infection, consistent with the conventional PCR test results. In conclusion, the loop-mediated indirect PCR is a simple, rapid, sensitive and specific etiologic diagnosis tool, and suitable for the differential diagnosis of HP/LP-PRRSV, especially for identification of mixed infection of HP/LP-PRRSV.