Prognostic and clinicopathological value of ZIC1 in patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma.

The aim of the present study was to analyze the differences in zinc finger of the cerebellum 1 (ZIC1) expression between cervical cancer tissue, precancer tissue and normal cervical tissue to determine its clinicopathological and prognostic value in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to determine the mRNA expression levels of ZIC1 in 569 fresh-frozen biopsy tissues, and immunohistochemistry was performed to detect ZIC1 protein expression in 80 CSCC tissues and 320 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade III samples. The association of ZIC1 expression with the clinicopathological characteristics of CSCC was then analyzed using Cox regression analysis, and Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze the prognostic value. The level of ZIC1 mRNA expression in CSCC was significantly lower compared with normal cervical tissues and CIN I-III tissues (P<0.001). There was a negative correlation between ZIC1 immunoreactivity score (IRS) in CSCC tissue and adjacent noncancerous tissue (R=-0.279; P=0.012); the mean IRS of ZIC1 in CSCC tissue was 5.36±3.48, which was significantly lower compared with the corresponding adjacent noncancerous tissues (11.31±5.68; P<0.001) and CIN III samples (10.42±1.54; P<0.001). In addition, expression of ZIC1 was negatively associated with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage (P=0.027) and lymph node metastasis (P<0.001). In Cox regression analysis, ZIC1 expression [hazard ratio (HR), 0.61; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.40-0.92; P=0.018), FIGO staging (HR, 3.55; 95% CI, 2.35-5.37; P<0.001) and lymph node metastasis (HR, 2.50; 95% CI, 1.62-3.86; P<0.001) were three independent prognostic factors of overall survival. Furthermore, ZIC1 expression was also associated with disease-free survival (P=0.003). These results suggest that ZIC1 expression in CSCC may be lower than in normal cervical tissues or CIN tissues, and high expression of ZIC1 may be negatively associated with FIGO stage and lymph node metastasis. Therefore, ZIC1 may be a promising biomarker for the prognosis of CSCC.

Multifunctional testing system design for varicose vein therapy apparatus.

Varicose veins of lower extremity can be treated effectively with varicose vein therapy apparatus. In order to ensure its therapy effect, it is necessary to test the air tightness of pneumatic circuit and other related performance parameters. The traditional manual testing method has some problems, such as large error, low efficiency and so on. This paper developed a multifunctional testing system based on LabVIEW software to overcome these shortcomings. The system is a combination of software and hardware, which can realise key components calibration, pneumatic circuit air tightness testing, gasbag pressure-resistance performance testing, pressure sensor performance testing and air pump performance testing. The multifunctional testing system realises the goal of automated human-computer interaction testing, which has a bright future in the aspects of application prospect.

Activation of ß-catenin causes defects in embryonic development during maternal-to-zygotic transition in mice.

The early stage of embryogenesis is an important and complex cell-remodeling event in reproductive biology. To develop into a normal zygote, maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT) is especially important for both zygotic genome activation (ZGA) and degradation of maternal products during the early stage of embryonic development. ß-Catenin has been identified as an important regulator of embryonic development and adult stem cell division via the canonical Wnt/ß-catenin signalling pathway. However, the role of activated ß-catenin during MZT remains elusive. In the present study, we found that ß-catenin is mainly expressed during embryogenesis in the cell membrane from the zygote- to morula-stage embryos but not in MII oocytes. To analyze the function of activated ß-catenin during MZT, we conducted a ß-catenin activation assay during embryogenesis. Our results indicated that development beyond the two-cell stage was inhibited in zygotes with ß-catenin activation. Further analysis showed that activated form of ß-catenin protein was increased and the phosphorylated form of ß-catenin protein was decreased in culture embryos. Taken together, our study reveals that activation of ß-catenin may play a vital role in zygotic development, determining the developmental potential of mouse embryos.

Correlation between NM23 protein overexpression and prognostic value and clinicopathologic features of ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The prognostic value and clinicopathological features of NM23 (non-metastasis 23) have previously been assessed, but the results are controversial. Here, we attempted to clarify the correlation between NM23 expression and its prognostic value and the clinicopathological features in ovarian cancer (OC). METHODS: The relevant studies were identified using PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. We calculated the pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and clinicopathological features. We used OS to evaluate the prognostic value of NM23 expression in patients with OC. Subgroup analyses were used to explore the source of heterogeneity. RESULTS: We included 10 studies involving 894 patients in our assessment of the association between NM23 expression and OS for OC. Our data indicated that NM23 expression was not associated with improved OS (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.41-1.68, P = 0.61) or PFS (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.39-1.24, P = 0.22). Elevated NM23 expression was associated with differentiation grade (OR 0.35, 95% CI 0.2-0.6, P = 0.0002) and N status (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.14-0.78, P = 0.01), whereas there was no significant difference between NM23 expression and tumor stage (OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.45-2.66, P = 0.84). Subgroup analysis did not reveal any potential source of heterogeneity. No obvious publication bias was found. CONCLUSIONS: In OC, there is poor statistical significance between NM23 expression and OS and PFS, but NM23 expression is related to differentiation grade and N status. This meta-analysis reveals that NM23 expression is a potential factor of poor prognosis in OC. The prognostic role of NM23 in different OC stages in combination with the clinical characteristics suggests a novel approach for developing future therapeutic targets.