ABSTRACT
Objective: This research aims to refresh the limited understanding about the canal and vascular structures within the epiphysis and metaphysis of the tibia and femur and their oncological significance. Methods: This study was started with characterization of a novel structure using radiographs and anatomic dissections, followed by a descriptive clinical study with 55 participants to investigate the effects of tumors on this novel discovery and a retrospective cohort study with 82 participants to investigate whether the structure would be a risk factor for tumor recurrence after the curettage of giant cell tumor of bone. Results: A new anatomical knee structure, the Lijianmin-Chengkun (LC) complex, was discovered in healthy adults, and its clinical implications were examined in this study. This new-found anatomical structure is composed of an epiphyseal and metaphyseal canal which surrounds a blood vessel, foramen, and foramen-covered synovium. All LC complexes showed similar radiographical, anatomical, and histological characteristics and were located within specific tibial and femoral intercondylar regions. These LC complexes seem to facilitate tumor residue and extension and may be a risk factor for tumor recurrence after curettage of femoral and tibial giant cell tumors (P = 0.031). Conclusion: The LC complexes are related to local tumor recurrence and bidirectional tumor dissemination between intraosseous and intraarticular regions. These findings have opened up a new perspective and may provide new targets for intervention in malignant and aggressive tumors around the knee joint.
ABSTRACT
DNA ligase (LIG) plays a key role in connecting the 3'-OH end of a DNA strand to the 5'-P end of another DNA strand, resulting in the formation of a phosphodiester bond. It has been reported that LIGs (including LIG1, LIG3 and LIG4) play important roles in the occurrence and progression of many cancers. However, the role of LIGs in breast cancer (BC) is still unclear. In this study, we aim to reveal the expression level, function, and prognostic value of LIGs in BC. Bioinformatic tools were used to study the expression level, potential function and prognostic value of LIG1 and LIG3 in BC patients. ENCORI was used to predict microRNAs (miRNAs) that regulate LIG1 and LIG3 and established a valuable miRNA-mRNA regulation network for BC. We found that the expression of LIG1 and LIG3 was upregulated in BC and predicted high relapse-free survival (RFS) in BC patients. Functional annotation analysis was performed to reveal the role of LIG1 and LIG3 in BC. In addition, hsa-miR-22-3p was identified to be potentially involved in the regulation of LIG3. We suggest that LIG1 and LIG3 are novel valuable prognostic biomarkers for BC and has-miRNA-22-3p may be a potential therapeutic target for BC.
ABSTRACT
In order to control the release of mesalazine (MSZ) in the gastrointestinal tract to achieve better pharmacological effects in the colon, in this study, MSZ was added to hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (HP-ß-CD) to form a water-soluble HP-ß-CD/MSZ inclusion complex. Then, the inclusion compound was loaded into the structure of the bilayer polyelectrolyte complex microsphere formed by alginate (Alg), chitosan (Cs), and kappa carrageenan (κ-Car) as the hydrogel carrier, and the hydrogel beads with colon-specific release MSZ after oral administration were formed. The formed hydrogel beads have different swelling capabilities in different pH media and have the greatest swelling degree under pH 7.4. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading of hydrogel beads can reach up to 83.23 and 18.31%, respectively, and the size of hydrogel beads can be reduced to less than 1 mm after drying, so that the size of oral administration can be reached. In vivo experiments also showed that the formed hydrogel beads had a better therapeutic effect on colitis than free drugs, and the microspheres were biodegradable, so the double-layer pH-sensitive microspheres could be effectively used in colon-targeting drug delivery.
ABSTRACT
Herein, an electrochemical sensing platform based on zwitterionic peptide with a hierarchical structure was constructed for ultralow fouling and highly sensitive protein quantification. Through the combination of CPPPPEKEKEKEK and CPPPPEKEKEK peptides, hierarchical antifouling peptide brushes were formed and exhibited excellent antifouling property, which can be further modified with alpha fetoprotein (AFP) aptamer to achieve highly sensitive detection of AFP. The hierarchical peptide brush-based sensor system achieved an AFP quantification range from 1.0 fg mL-1 to 1.0 ng mL-1, with a very low limit of detection as low as 0.59 fg mL-1. In addition, due to the superior antifouling property of the newly designed hierarchical peptide brushes, the electrochemical biosensor supported the quantification of AFP in solutions with a high concentration of nonspecific proteins without sacrifice in sensitivity. It is worth noting that the constructed antifouling biosensor ensured quantitative recruitment of AFP in clinical serum samples with acceptable accuracy when compared with the commonly used method in the hospital. The strategy of constructing sensing interfaces based on designed hierarchical peptide brushes provided an effective way to develop biosensors with both excellent antifouling capability and high sensitivity.
