[Retracted] Study of miR-143 expression in stomach cancer.

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.9173.].

Recent advances in 2D metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes): synthesis and biological application.

As a new two-dimensional (2D) material, transition metal carbides and nitrides (MXenes) have attracted much attention because of their excellent physical and chemical properties. In recent years, MXenes have been widely applied in the biological field due to their high biocompatibility, abundant surface groups, good conductivity, and photothermal properties. Here, the main synthesis methods of MXenes and the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each method are presented in detail. Then, the latest developments of MXenes in the biological field, including biosensing, antibacterial activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radical scavenging, tissue repair and antitumor therapy are comprehensively reviewed. Finally, the current challenges and future development trends of MXenes in biological applications are discussed.

Reversible Zn2+-induced 3D self-assembled aerogel of carboxyl modified copper indium diselenide quantum dots: mechanism and application for inkjet printing anti-counterfeiting.

Three-dimensional (3D) self-assembled quantum dot (QD) aerogels have attracted attention due to the combined properties of both QDs and porous materials. However, the difficulty and complexity of structural composition control limit the practical application of 3D self-assembled QDs. Hence, convenient, available and multifunction QD aerogels need to be explored to promote broader practical applications. Herein, we propose a universal and facile self-assembly method of copper indium selenium (CISe) QD aerogels based on coordination interaction between Zn2+ and carboxyl. Both experiments and Monte Carlo simulations indicate that QDs are aggregated into oligomers by Zn2+, and then the oligomers are gradually interconnected to each other to form a 3D network as the concentration of Zn2+ increases. Moreover, Zn2+-induced 3D self-assembled aerogel could be depolymerized by EDTA reversibly. In combination with CISe QDs, Zn-CISe aerogel has been successfully applied in green pollution-free environment-friendly anti-counterfeiting and encryption systems.

Bidirectional Regulatory Mechanisms of Jaceosidin on Mitochondria Function: Protective Effects of the Permeability Transition and Damage of Membrane Functions.

Many natural products could induce apoptosis through mitochondrial pathways. However, direct interactions between natural products and mitochondria have rarely been reported. In this work, the effects and regulatory mechanisms of Jaceosidin on the isolated rat liver mitochondria have been studied. The results of the experiments which by introducing exogenous Ca2+ illustrated that Jaceosidin has the protective effects on the structure and function of the isolated mitochondria. These protective effects were related to the chelation of Ca2+ with Jaceosidin. Besides, Jaceosidin could scavenge reactive oxygen species produced during electron transport, and weaken the mitochondrial lipid peroxidation rate, which may be attributed to the antioxidant effect of phenolic hydroxyl groups of Jaceosidin. In addition, Jaceosidin has some damage effects on mitochondrial function, such as the inhibition of mitochondrial respiration and the increase of mitochondrial membrane fluidity. These results of this work provided comprehensive information to clarify the mechanisms of Jaceosidin on mitochondria, which may be the bidirectional regulatory mechanisms.

LDHA Suppression Altering Metabolism Inhibits Tumor Progress by an Organic Arsenical.

Based on the potential therapeutic value in targeting metabolism for the treatment of cancer, an organic arsenical PDT-BIPA was fabricated, which exerted selective anti-cancer activity in vitro and in vivo via targeting lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) to remodel the metabolic pathway. In details, the precursor PDT-BIPA directly inhibited the function of LDHA and converted the glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation causing ROS burst and mitochondrial dysfunction. PDT-BIPA also altered several gene expression, such as HIF-1α and C-myc, to support the metabolic remodeling. All these changes lead to caspase family-dependent cell apoptosis in vivo and in vitro without obvious side effect. Our results provided this organic arsenical precursor as a promising anticancer candidate and suggested metabolism as a target for cancer therapies.

Study of miR-143 expression in stomach cancer.

The present study was planned to investigate miR-143 expression during stomach cancer. The study explored the relationship between miR-143 expression and clinicopathological characteristics including proliferation, migration and apoptosis of stomach cancer cells. Sixty-three samples from each of stomach cancer tissue and surrounding tissue were obtained. Total RNA was extracted. The expression levels of miR-143 from stomach cancer tissue as well as from surrounding tissue were measured by semi-quantitative PCR. The effects of miR-143 overexpression on the migration of stomach cancer cells were examined by Transwell assay. The effects of miR-143 overexpression on the apoptosis of stomach cancer cells were examined by flow cytometer. The expression level of miR-143 was significantly decreased in stomach cancer tissues in comparison to surrounding tissues (P<0.01). Moreover, the expression of miR-143 related well with the tumor size, TNM stage, lymphatic metastasis and relapse (P<0.01). On the other hand, stomach cancer cell line with overexpression of miR-143, showed significant decline in proliferation rate and migration rate comparison to control cells (P<0.01). However, it showed significant higher in apoptosis rate (P<0.01). The present study concluded that expression of miR-143 is low during stomach cancer. Further, higher expression levels of miR-143 have the ability to decline proliferation and migration of stomach cancer cells. In this manner, the expression level of miR-143 could be used as an important factor to determine the severity of stomach cancer.

Mitochondrial morphology and function impaired by dimethyl sulfoxide and dimethyl Formamide.

In this work, the effects of two non-ionic, non-hydroxyl organic solvents, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and dimethyl formamide (DMF) on the morphology and function of isolated rat hepatic mitochondria were investigated and compared. Mitochondrial ultrastructures impaired by DMSO and DMF were clearly observed by transmission electron microscopy. Spectroscopic and polarographic results demonstrated that organic solvents induced mitochondrial swelling, enhanced the permeation to H+/K+, collapsed the potential inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM), and increased the IMM fluidity. Moreover, with organic solvents addition, the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM) was broken, accompanied with the release of Cytochrome c, which could activate cell apoptosis signaling pathway. The role of DMSO and DMF in enhancing permeation or transient water pore formation in the mitochondrial phospholipid bilayer might be the main reason for the mitochondrial morphology and function impaired. Mitochondrial dysfunctions induced by the two organic solvents were dose-dependent, but the extents varied. Ethanol (EtOH) showed the highest potential damage on the mitochondrial morphology and functions, followed by DMF and DMSO.

The role of katanin p60 in breast cancer bone metastasis.

p60 is a subunit of katanin involved in microtubule-severing. Previous studies of p60 were primarily focused on microtubule regulation and cell cycle regulation. More recent research has demonstrated that katanin p60 possesses a function in prostate cancer bone metastasis; however, its role in breast cancer bone metastasis remains unclear. In the present study, immunohistochemistry was used to analyze the expression of katanin p60 in primary and bone metastatic breast cancer. The role of up- and downregulated katanin p60 was investigated using cell proliferation, and migration experiments. Overall, katanin p60 was highly expressed in breast cancer bone metastatic tissue compared with primary tumor tissue. In breast cancer cells, overexpression of katanin p60 inhibited cell proliferation, but promoted cell migration, whereas silencing katanin p60 expression promoted cell proliferation but inhibited cell migration. Overall, the present study indicated that katanin p60 serves a role in cell proliferation and migration, and thus may be a novel therapeutic target for prevention of breast cancer metastasis.

Expression of survivin and its splice variants in gastric cancer.

Survivin variants specific real time quantitative RT-PCR was developed to analyze their expression in 53 paired cancer and para-cancerous tissues, and the expression of the wild-type survivin protein was detected by immunohistochemistry. The results showed that survivin mRNA and protein were expressed in gastric cancer and para-cancerous tissues. The survivin-2B was dominantly expressed in para-cancerous tissues, whereas the survivin-DeltaEx3 was more frequently detected in cancer tissues. The positive rate of survivin-2a was 100% in both cancer and para-cancerous tissues, but its relative transcript expression level was not significantly increased in cancer tissues in comparison with para-cancerous tissues. The correlation analysis revealed that the expression of survivin-2a mRNA was significantly associated with that of total survivin (r (s)=0.4178, P=0.0018), whereas inversely to that of survivin-DeltaEX3 (r (s)=-0.4506, P=0.0007). It was suggested that survivin-2a may act as an antagonist of survivin-DeltaEX3. The balance between antiapoptotic survivin iso-forms and nonantiapoptotic ones may play an important role in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Promising value is hinted to analyze survivin and its variants in tumor early diagnosis and distinguishing malignant tumors from benign ones.

Rapid quantification of hepatitis B virus DNA by direct real-time PCR from serum without DNA extraction.

The purpose of this study was to quantify hepatitis B virus DNA by direct real-time PCR from serum without the need for DNA extraction. Crossing point (Cp) values were determined automatically using the second derivative maximum mode. Since serum samples from patients are inevitably haemolysed, lipaemic or icteric, the interference of endogenous substances from the serum in real-time PCR was evaluated. The result showed that, although serum protein quenched the intensity of fluorescence, the Cp value adopted to calculate the quantity of DNA copies remained unchanged. Importantly, real-time PCR from serum with or without DNA extraction reached a high level of concordance. This direct serum PCR method without the DNA extraction and gel electrophoresis allows for substantial labour and cost savings. In addition, it is also suitable for rapid DNA quantification during clinical diagnosis.