Evaluation of the clinical value of capsule endoscopy in patients with unexplained abdominal pain / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To evaluate the clinical value of capsule endoscope in the diagnosis of unexplained abdominal pain. 【Methods】 We made a retrospective analysis of 191 patients with unexplained abdominal pain who sought medical help in our hospital and 25 normal controls. Capsule endoscopy was performed in both groups, small bowel lesions were detected, and clinical data were collected for further analysis. 【Results】 The total small bowel lesion detection rate was 52.87% (101/191) in abdominal pain (AP) patients and 20% (5/25) in the control group, respectively. The detection rate of significant findings (ulcers, erosions, polyps, diverticula, parasites, and neoplastic organisms) was only 16.23% (31/191) in AP patients. In the non-significant findings, no statistical difference in the detection rates for vascular malformation, capillary dilation, and lymphoid follicular hyperplasia were found between the two groups, while the detection rate of intestinal lymphangiectasia was significantly higher in the AP patients (23.56% vs. 4%, P<0.05, OR=7.089). 【Conclusion】 Capsule endoscopy can be an optional choice for diagnosis of unexplained abdominal pain, while the relationship between positive findings and abdominal pain should be further investigated.

Mechanism of sinomenine in regulating M2 macrophage polarization induced by gastric cancer cells / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To study the role and mechanism of sinomenine in the macrophage polarization induced by gastric cancer cells. 【Methods】 Sinomenine was added to gastric cancer cells BGC-823 and MKN-45， cell viability was measured by CCK-8， cell proliferation was measured by colony formation experiment， Co-culture and Transwell cell migration experiments were used to evaluate the recruitment and polarization of macrophages by sinomenine， flow cytometry was used to evaluate the polarization of macrophages， and qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the expression of gene RNA and protein levels. 【Results】 Sinomenine could inhibit the proliferation of gastric cancer cells and the recruitment of gastric cancer cells to macrophages， thus promoting macrophage M2 polarization. It simultaneously inhibited the expression of STAT6 as well as the expression and phosphorylation of C/EBPβ. When STAT6 is overexpressed， it could reduce these inhibitory effects of sinomenine on gastric cancer cells. Further research found that STAT6 mediated the secretion of IL-6 by gastric cancer cells， which was the cause of sinomenine-mediated macrophage recruitment and M2 polarization. 【Conclusion】 The natural drug sinomenine has a good tumor-suppressing ability against gastric cancer， directly inhibits the survival and migration of gastric cancer cells， and inhibits the expression of IL-6 and the M2 phenotype in the tumor microenvironment， reshapes the tumor environment， and reduces the risk of M2 type macrophages for gastric cancer tumors.

Effects of hsa_circ_0045943 targeting miR-106a on the biological characteristics of gastric cancer cells / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To investigate the effects of hsa_circ_0045943 targeting miR-106a on the biological characteristics of gastric cancer cells and its mechanism. 【Methods】 Human gastric cancer cells MKN-45， AGS and gastric mucosal epithelial cells GES-1 were cultured； circ_0045943 was detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The overexpression and silencing of circ_0045943 adenovirus vectors OE-circRNA and sh-circRNA together with their negative controls OE-NC and sh-NC were constructed and transfected； CCK-8 method was used to detect the proliferation activity of AGS cells after overexpression and silencing of circ_0045943； TUNEL method was used to detect the cell apoptosis； transwell assay was used to detect the cell migration and invasion； and would healing assay was used to detect the cell migration. Starbase database screened the binding site of miR-106a and circ_0045943. Real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-106a， and the expression of circ_0045943 and the changes of miR-106a after the treatment of OE-circRNA and sh-circRNA. 【Results】 Real-time PCR showed that the expression of circ_0045943 decreased in gastric cancer cells MKN-45 and AGS compared to GES-1 （Pboth<0.001）. CCK-8 showed that the absorbance value of AGS cells in OE-circRNA group was lower than that in sh-circRNA group （P24 h<0.01， P48 h<0.001， and P72 h<0.001）. TUNEL showed the number of apoptotic AGS cells increased after overexpression of circ_0045943， but decreased after silencing of circ_0045943. Transwell assay showed that the migration and invasion of AGS cells were lower in OE-circRNA group than in sh-circRNA group （Pboth<0.001）. The wound healing assay showed that the migration rate of AGS cells in OE-circRNA group was the lowest， but was high in sh-circRNA group （P<0.001）. Starbase retrieved that circ_0045943 and miR-106a had complementary binding sequences. Real-time PCR showed that miR-106a was highly expressed in gastric cancer cells （P<0.001）， and the expressions of circ_0045943 and miR-106a significantly differed after treatment with OE-circRNA and sh-circRNA （Pboth<0.001）. With the increase or decrease of circ_0045943， the expression of miR-106a changed in the opposite direction. 【Conclusion】 Circ_0045943 has low expression in gastric cancer， and promoting or inhibiting circ_0045943 expression may regulate the proliferation， apoptosis， migration and invasion of gastric cancer cells by targeting miR-106a.

Mechanism of polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 on the proliferation and metastasis of gastric cancer cells / 中华消化杂志

Objective:To explore the expression of polypyrimidine tract-binding protein 1 (PTBP1) in gastric cancer (GC) tissues and GC cell lines, and the role of PTBP1 in the proliferation and metastasis of GC cells.Methods:From January to June in 2019 at The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi′an Jiaotong University, the cancer tissues and corresponding para-cancer tissues of GC patients underwent surgical resection were collected. The Kaplan-Meier Plotter database was used to analyze the survival of GC patients. The expression of PTBP1 was down-regulated by transfecting small interfering RNA (siRNA) in human GC cell lines SGC7901 and AGS with relatively high expression of PTBP1. The cells were divided into blank control group, negative control group, and PTBP1 knockdown group. The expression of PTBP1 at mRNA and protein level were detected by real-time fluorescence quantification polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting. At 24, 48, 72 and 96-hour after transfection, the effect of PTBP1 on the proliferation of GC cells was observed by 3-(4, 5 dimethylthiazol)-2, 5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) experiment. The changes of invasion and migration of GC cells after down-regulation of PTBP1 were detected by transwell assay. The expression changes of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers E-cadherin, N-cadherin and vimentin after down-regulation of PTBP1 in GC cells were determined by Western blotting. Indenpendent samples t test, analysis of variance and rank sum test were used for statistical analysis. Results:The Kaplan-Meier Plotter prognostic analysis showed that the overall survival of GC patients with high PTBP1 expression was shorter than that of GC patients with low PTBP1 expression (9.2 months, 6.2 months to 17.2 months vs. 19.0 months, 14.5 months to 28.4 months), and the difference was statistically significant ( Z=5.31, P<0.05). The results of RT-qPCR showed that in GC cell lines SGC7901 and AGS, the expression of PTBP1 at mRNA level of PTBP1 knockdown group was lower than that of blank control group and negative control group (SGC7901: 0.78±0.11 vs.3.10±0.19 and 2.99±0.23; AGS: 0.80±0.09 vs. 3.55±0.24 and 3.50±0.18), and the differences were statistically significant ( tSGC7901=10.57 and 8.08, tAGS=10.91 and 13.42; all P<0.01). The results of Western blotting indicated that in GC cell lines SGC7901 and AGS, the expression of PTBP1 at protein level of PTBP1 knockdown group was lower than those of blank control group and negative control group (SGC7901: 0.38±0.04 vs. 1.42±0.05 and 1.35±0.09; AGS: 0.17±0.02 vs. 1.52±0.08 and 1.38±0.45), and the differences were statistically significant ( tSGC7901=15.94 and 10.57, tAGS=16.60 and 20.80; all P<0.01). The results of MTT showed that at 48, 72 and 96-hour after transfection the absorbance values of PTBP1 knockdown group decreased by 0.25±0.01, 0.38±0.02, and 0.84±0.04 as compared with those of negative control group, and the decrease was the most significant at 96-hour after transfection, and the differences were statistically significant ( t=10.21、14.32, both P<0.01). The results of transwell experiment demonstrated that the number of invasion and migration cells of PTBP1 knockdown group were both less than that of the blank control group and the negative control group (SGC7901: 42.00±5.91 vs. 116.40±10.23 and 114.40±10.43; 39.60±6.77 vs. 125.80±11.51 and 122.40±5.90; AGS: 40.20±7.25 vs. 115.60±14.63 and 117.40±9.12; 36.00±5.20 vs. 122.40±12.10 and 125.40±12.74), and the differences were statistically significant ( tSGC7901=14.07, 13.50, 14.43 and 20.62; tAGS=10.27, 14.75, 14.68 and 16.76; all P<0.01). The results of Western blotting showed that the expression of E-cadherin of PTBP1 knockdown group was higher than that of the blank control group and the negative control group (SGC7901: 1.42±0.05 vs. 0.53±0.05 and 0.57±0.03; AGS: 1.34±0.04 vs. 0.54±0.03 and 0.61±0.01), however the expression levels of N-cadherin and vimentin were both lower than those of the blank control group and the negative control group (SGC7901: 0.50±0.03 vs. 1.64±0.05 and 1.46±0.07; 0.32±0.07 vs. 1.42±0.07 and 1.33±0.07; AGS: 0.37±0.06 vs. 1.47±0.04 and 1.36±0.04; 0.41±0.04 vs. 1.53±0.06 and 1.37±0.04), and the differences were statistically significant ( tSGC7901=11.63, 13.19, 18.83, 11.68, 11.43 and 10.43; tAGS= 15.02, 16.23, 14.67, 12.97, 14.45 and 17.18; all P<0.01). Conclusions:The expression levels of PTBP1 increase in GC tissues and cells, which may be involved in regulating the proliferation, metastasis and EMT of GC cells.

Infection control measures and practice in gastrointestinal endoscopy departments during the novel coronavirus infection period / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

【Objective】 To explore and evaluate infection control measures of preventing cross-contamination of novel coronavirus during gastrointestinal endoscopy treatment. 【Methods】 According to the hospital’s infection control requirements and related documents, infection control measures were formulated and implemented by combining with our actual clinical situation, including the management of the endoscope room, management and protection of patients and endoscopists. Then, we evaluated the effect of these measures. 【Results】 From January 25 to March 10, 2020, a total of 71 patients (53 males and 18 females) completed gastrointestinal endoscopy treatment, with an average age of 54 years (28-81 years). There were 36 (50.7%) cases of emergency treatment. All patients had been kept in quarantine for about 14 days (24±13), and no cross-contamination of novel coronavirus occurred. 【Conclusion】 During the novel coronavirus infection epidemic period, reasonable and effective measures should be taken to minimize the risk of infection in doctors and patients. The endoscope center should strengthen preoperative screening and management of patients, master indications of endoscopic procedures, complete endoscopists’ management and protection work, strictly follow the specifications of sterilizing gastrointestinal endoscopes, and construct the layout of "three zones and two passages".

Saikosaponin-d simultaneously induces apoptotic and paraptosis-like cell death in hepatoma cells / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective: To investigate the cell death-inducing effect of saikosaponin-d (SSD) on human hepatoma Hep3B cells and its potential mechanism. Methods: Hepatoma Hep3B cells were divided into five groups: blank control group, DMSO (vehicle) group, and three SSD treatment groups treated with various doses of SSD (5, 10, and 15 μmol/L). MTT assay was used to evaluate cell viability. Flow cytometer was employed to quantitatively detect the percentage of dead cells after Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. Apoptosis was detected morphologically after Hoechst 33258 staining. The activity of caspase-3 apoptotic protease was determined by spectrophotometry. Cell morphologic changes were observed with an inverted microscope. Western blotting and Real-time PCR were employed to evaluate the expression levels of C/EBP homology (CHOP) protein and mRNA, respectively. Results: MTT assay showed that SSD inhibited the viability of human hepatoma Hep3B cells in concentration- and time-dependent manners. Sinomenine hydrochloride induced the death of Hep3B cells in a concentration-dependent manner indicated by flow cytometry. After staining with Hoechst 33258, the nuclei of SSD-treated cells showed nucleosomal agglutination, nucleosomal shrinkage and fragmentation under the fluorescence microscope, which are the characteristics of apoptotic cells. SSD significantly activated the key apoptotic executor caspase-3. The occurrence of paraptosis, characterized by extensive cytoplasmic vacuoles, was observed in SSD-treated cells under an inverted microscope. The pretreatment of a pancaspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK completely inhibited caspase-3 activity triggered by SSD, but only partially suppressed cell death and could not reduce the cytoplasmic vacuolation in SSD-treated cells. The protein and mRNA expressions of CHOP, a stress-inducible molecule, were upregulated by SSD, which could not be inhibited by Z-VAD-FMK. Conclusion: SSD can simultaneously induce caspase-dependent apoptosis and caspase-independent paraptosis in human hepatoma Hep3B cells. The upregulated expression of CHOP may be the mechanism involved in SSD-induced paraptosis.

Magnetic tracer technique in laparoscopic localization for gastrointestinal lesions / 中华消化内镜杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the feasibility and safety of magnetic tracer technique for preoperative endoscopic marking in laparoscopic surgery.@*Methods@#In the preliminary study, a total of 8 patients with gastric (n=3) or colorectal (n=5) tumors underwent endoscopic magnetic marking before laparoscopic surgery from April to June in 2019. First, a magnet was attached to the lesion by 2 titanium clips under the endoscope. Second, during the subsequent laparoscopic operations, the other magnet was sent to the vicinity of the lesion through the laparoscopic tunnel. The magnet in the abdominal cavity was quickly attracted to the one in the gastrointestinal tract to successfully locate the lesions. Data of preoperative marking and operations of 8 patients were reviewed.@*Results@#All 8 lesions were marked successfully, rapid and accurate intraoperative positioning was achieved. The mean time of endoscopic marking was 5.75±2.45 minutes, and the mean time of intraoperative localization was 1.94±0.56 minutes. All patients underwent laparoscopic tumor resections with accurate localization. The mean proximal and distal resection margins of colorectal tumors were 105 mm and 74 mm respectively. No complications occurred.@*Conclusion@#Magnetic tracer technique for laparoscopic localization, simple, safe and accurate for gastrointestinal lesions, can be performed without additional equipment or endoscopic procedures involved.

Differential expression of C/EBP beta in human normal liver cells and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines and its correlation with cell death related to endoplasmic reticulum stress / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To detect the expression profile of transcription factor C/EBPβ in human immortalized normal hepatic cell lines and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines so as to determine the correlation between C/EBP3 with cell death mediated by endoplasmic reticulum stress in hepatocellular cells.Methods We cultured the human immortalized normal hepatic cells lines HHL5 and HL7702 and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines SMMC7721;Bel7402,HepG2 and Hep3B.Hep3B cells were used as the cell model in tunicamycin-induced endoplasmic reticulum stress.Cellular morphology was observed under an inverted optical microscope.MTT assay was used to assess the inhibition of cell growth.To detect cell apoptosis,the cells were dyed with Hoechst 33258 and observed using a fluorescence microscope.RToPCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of at mRNA and protein levels,respectively.Results We found that normally the mRNA and protein isoform of C/EBPβ,C/EBPβ-1,were both expressed in all of the four hepatocellular cell lines and the two immortalized normal hepatic cell lines,while C/EBPβ protein isoform C/EBPβ-3 was only expressed in the two immortalized normal hepatic cell lines.Tunicamycin increased the expressions of both mRNA and protein of C/EBPβ in Hep3B cells and the increase of protein isoform C/EBPβ-3 was the most remarkable.In Hep3B cells,cell death was induced by tunicamycin through endoplasmic reticulum stress activity.Apoptosis as well as paraptosis was observed in tunicamycin-induced cell death.Conclusion C/EBPβ-3,one of the protein isoforms of C/EBPβ,is only expressed in normal hepatic cell lines,but not in hepatocellular cell lines.C/EBPβ is involved in cell death mediated by endoplasmic reticulum stress activity in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Expression of DNMT3B gene in hepatocellular carcinoma and its effect on proliferation, invasion and metastasis of hepatoma cells / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To investigate the expression of DNA methyltransferase 3b (DNMT3B) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its effect and mechanism on the proliferation,invasion and migration of HCC cells.Methods The expression of DNMT3B gene was detected by qRT-PCR in 46 cases of HCC tissues and corresponding adjacent tissues;the results and clinical pathological parameters were analyzed.SiRNA targeting DNMT3B was transfected into MHCC97-H cells by RNA interference (RNAi) technique.The mRNA and protein expression levels of related genes were detected by qRT-PCR and Western blot.The cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay,and the invasion and migration abilities were measured by Transwell assay.Results In 46 HCC patients,the expression of DNMT3B (73.91％) was significantly higher in HCC than in adjacent normal tissue.The high expression of DNMT3B gene was associated with histological type and tumor size of HCC (all P＜0.05).Inhibition of DNMT3B gene expression decreased proliferation,invasion and migration of MHCC97-H cells.Interference with DNMT3B gene increased the expressions of tumor suppressor genes RASSFA1,APC and MTSS1 at mRNA and protein levels.Conclusion DNMT3B is associated with the progression of HCC.It may inhibit the proliferation,invasion and migration of HCC cells by regulating the methylation of downstream tumor suppressor gene.

The effects of saikosaponin-d on the expression of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell BECN1 and autophagic function / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

ABSTRACT:Objective To observe the influence of saikosaponin-d (SSd)on the proliferation and the function of autophagy of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)cell line SMMC-7721 to explore the possible mechanisms. Methods SMMC-7721 was cultured invitro and then treated with SSd of various concentrations (5.0,7.5,10.0, 12.5,15.0 and 17.5 mg/L)for 24,48 and 72 h.We used MTT to detect cell proliferation,selected the optimal concentration and time,and detected the expressions of BECN1 at mRNA and protein levels by PCR and Western blot.Results The inhibition rate of the proliferation of SMMC-7721 cell line increased with the increase of the concentration of SSd,and the highest inhibition rate (60%)appeared when the concentration reached 12.5 mg/L. The expression of BECN1 in the group with SSd was obviously higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). 3-MA decreased not only the expressions of BECN1 at mRNA and protein levels but also the expression of BECN1 when used in conjunction with SSd.Conclusion The inhibiting function of SSd on SMMC-7721 presents a dependency between drug concentration and function time,basically in line with the drug dose-effect relationship. SSd induces the occurrence of autophagic cell death through up-regulating the expression of BECN1 ,thus inhibiting the proliferation of SMMC-7 7 2 1 .

Efficacy and Safety of Radiofrequency Ablation Combined with Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization for Hepatocellular Carcinomas Compared with Radiofrequency Ablation Alone: A Time-to-Event Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and safety of combined radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) with RFA alone for hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies that compared the clinical or oncologic outcomes of combination therapy of TACE and RFA versus RFA for the treatment of HCC were identified through literature searches of electronic databases (Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane Library, China Biology Medicine disc, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Google Scholar). Hazard ratios (HRs) or odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were combined as the effective value to assess the summary effects. The strength of evidence was rated by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system. RESULTS: Six RCTs with 534 patients were eligible for inclusion in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that the combination of TACE and RFA is associated with a significantly longer overall survival (HR = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.49-0.78, p < 0.001) and recurrence-free survival (HR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.40-0.76, p < 0.001) in contrast with RFA monotherapy. The seemingly higher incidence of major complications in the combination group compared with RFA group did not reach statistical significance (OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.39-3.55, p = 0.78). CONCLUSION: In patients with HCC, the combination of TACE and RFA is associated with significantly higher overall survival and recurrence-free survival, as compared with RFA monotherapy, without significant difference in major complications.

Saikosaponin D inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis via C/EBPβ-p53 signal pathway in human hepatoma HepG2 cells / 药物分析学报

Objective To investigate the anticancer effects and detailed mechanisms of Saikosaponin D (SSD) in human hepatoma HepG2 cells. Methods Cell proliferation and apoptosis were tested by MTT assay and Annexin-V/PI assay respectively. The expressions of CCAAT enhancer binding protein β(C/EBPβ) and p53 were detected by RT-PCR and Western blotting. Results SSD inhibited cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner and induced apoptosis at the concentration of 5.0mg/L. SSD significantly increased the mRNA and protein levels of C/EBPβ and p53 in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion SSD exerts its anticancer effect by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis partly through C/EBPβ-p53 signal pathway in HepG2 cells.