Phloretin inhibits transmissible gastroenteritis virus proliferation via multiple mechanisms.

Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), an enteropathogenic coronavirus, has caused huge economic losses to the pig industry, with 100% mortality in piglets aged 2 weeks and intestinal injury in pigs of other ages. However, there is still a shortage of safe and effective anti-TGEV drugs in clinics. In this study, phloretin, a naturally occurring dihydrochalcone glycoside, was identified as a potent antagonist of TGEV. Specifically, we found phloretin effectively inhibited TGEV proliferation in PK-15 cells, dose-dependently reducing the expression of TGEV N protein, mRNA, and virus titer. The anti-TGEV activity of phloretin was furthermore refined to target the internalization and replication stages. Moreover, we also found that phloretin could decrease the expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines induced by TGEV infection. In addition, we expanded the potential key targets associated with the anti-TGEV effect of phloretin to AR, CDK2, INS, ESR1, ESR2, EGFR, PGR, PPARG, PRKACA, and MAPK14 with the help of network pharmacology and molecular docking techniques. Furthermore, resistant viruses have been selected by culturing TGEV with increasing concentrations of phloretin. Resistance mutations were reproducibly mapped to the residue (S242) of main protease (Mpro). Molecular docking analysis showed that the mutation (S242F) significantly disrupted phloretin binding to Mpro, suggesting Mpro might be a potent target of phloretin. In summary, our findings indicate that phloretin is a promising drug candidate for combating TGEV, which may be helpful for developing pharmacotherapies for TGEV and other coronavirus infections.

CircRNA (circ)_0007823 Contributes to Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Progression and Cisplatin Resistance via the miR-182-5p/FOXO1 Pathway.

Cisplatin (DDP) is used for the clinical management of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the development of drug resistance limits its therapeutic efficacy. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are known to be involved in tumor DDP resistance. In our previous study, we reported that circ_0007823 expression is downregulated and correlated with adverse prognosis in TNBC. However, its association with DDP resistance remains unclear. This study aimed to determine the role of circ_0007823 and miR-182-5p in DDP-resistant TNBC and explore the underlying mechanisms. First, expression profiles circ_0007823, microRNA (miR)-182-5p, and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) in TNBC cells were determined. Additionally, biological characteristics of cells, including apoptosis, cell cycle, proliferation, and migration, were analyzed using various assays. Luciferase reporter and rescue assays were used to determine the correlations among circ_0007823, miR-182-5p, and FOXO1 expression. MiR-182-5p was overexpressed in DDP-resistant TNBC cells. MiR-182-5p knockdown suppressed the invasiveness and increased the apoptosis of drug-resistant cells, contributing to G1 arrest and S phase reduction. Mechanistically, circ_0007823 targeted miR-182-5p, and its overexpression drastically reduced the promotional effects of the miR-182-5p mimic on the aggression and transfer ability of drug-resistant cells. Furthermore, FOXO1 overexpression increased the sensitivity of cells to DDP and reduced their malignant progression. Therefore, FOXO1 was established as the downstream target of miR-182-5p that may be used to treat DDP-resistant TNBC. In summary, circ_0007823 overexpression attenuated DDP resistance in TNBC via the miR-182-5p-FOXO1 axis, indicating the therapeutic potential of circ_0007823 DDP-resistant TNBC treatment.

Self-Assembled Monolayer and Nanoparticles Coenhanced Fragmented Silver Nanowire Network Memristor.

Silver nanowire (AgNW) networks with self-assembled structures and synaptic connectivity have been recently reported for constructing neuromorphic memristors. However, resistive switching at the cross-point junctions of the network is unstable due to locally enhanced Joule heating and the Gibbs-Thomson effect, which poses an obstacle to the integration of threshold switching and memory function in the same AgNW memristor. Here, fragmented AgNW networks combined with Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) and mercapto self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are devised to construct memristors with stable threshold switching and memory behavior. In the above design, the planar gaps between NW segments are for resistive switching, the AgNPs act as metal islands in the gaps to reduce threshold voltage (Vth) and holding voltage (Vhold), and the SAMs suppress surface atom diffusion to avoid Oswald ripening of the AgNPs, which improves switching stability. The fragmented NW-NP/SAM memristors not only circumvent the side effects of conventional NW-stacked junctions to provide durable threshold switching at >Vth but also exhibit synaptic characteristics such as long-term potentiation at ultralow voltage (≪Vth). The combination of NW segments, nanoparticles, and SAMs blazes a new trail for integrating artificial neurons and synapses in AgNW network memristors.

Hsa_circ_0007823 Overexpression Suppresses the Progression of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer via Regulating miR-182-5p-FOXO1 Axis.

Background: This study aimed to analyze the specific expression of hsa_circ_0007823 in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and explore the roles and related molecular mechanisms of hsa_circ_0007823 in TNBC. Materials and Methods: Relative hsa_circ_0007823 levels in TNBC tissues and cell lines were examined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The value of hsa_circ_0007823 levels was evaluated in patients' clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic prediction. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to determine the relationship between hsa_circ_0007823, miR-182-5p, and FOXO1. The effect of circ_0007823 overexpression on the growth of TNBC cells was investigated in vitro and in vivo. Results: Lower levels of hsa_circ_0007823 were found in TNBC tissues and cell lines and were closely associated with lymph node metastasis, poorer overall and disease-free survival rates. MiR-182-5p was significantly up-regulated, whereas FOXO1 was down-regulated in TNBC cell lines. The miR-182-5p inhibition up-regulated FOXO1 in TNBC cells. Dual-luciferase reporter assays showed that hsa_circ_0007823, miR-182-5p, and FOXO1 interacted with each other. Overexpression of circ_0007823 significantly inhibited the viability, migration, and invasion of TNBC cell lines, but promoted apoptosis. In vivo experiments showed that circ_0007823 overexpression inhibited tumor growth and down-regulated miR-182-5p and up-regulated FOXO1. Conclusion: Hsa_circ_0007823 overexpression could suppress the growth, invasion, and migration of TNBC cells, and inhibit tumor growth by regulating miR-182-5p/FOXO1.

High Sensitivity, Wide Linear-Range Strain Sensor Based on MXene/AgNW Composite Film with Hierarchical Microcrack.

Stretchable strain sensors suffer the trade-off between sensitivity and linear sensing range. Developing sensors with both high sensitivity and wide linear range remains a formidable challenge. Different from conventional methods that rely on the structure design of sensing nanomaterial or substrate, here a heterogeneous-surface strategy for silver nanowires (AgNWs) and MXene is proposed to construct a hierarchical microcrack (HMC) strain sensor. The heterogeneous surface with distinct differences in cracks and adhesion strengths divides the sensor into two regions. One region contributes to high sensitivity through penetrating microcracks of the AgNW/MXene composite film during stretching. The other region maintains conductive percolation pathways to provide a wide linear sensing range through network microcracks. As a result, the HMC sensor exhibits ultrahigh sensitivity (gauge factor ≈ 244), broad linear range (ɛ = 60%, R2 ≈ 99.25%), and fast response time (<30 ms). These merits are confirmed in the detection of large and subtle human motions and digital joint movement for Morse coding. The manipulation of cracks on the heterogeneous surface provides a new paradigm for designing high-performance stretchable strain sensors.

CCN1 upregulates IL-36 via AKT/NF-κB and ERK/CEBP ß-mediated signaling pathways in psoriasis-like models.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder characterized by epidermal keratinocyte hyperproliferation and inflammatory infiltration. CCN1 (also termed CYR61 or cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61) is an extracellular matrix-associated protein that is involved in multiple physiological functions. In psoriasis, we recently demonstrated that the overexpression of CCN1 promoted keratinocyte proliferation and activation. Furthermore, CCN1 was highly expressed in psoriatic skin lesions from psoriasis vulgaris patients. Here, we dissect the underlying molecular mechanism in imiquimod (IMQ) and interleukin (IL)-23-induced psoriasis-like models. Our results demonstrate that CCN1 can significantly upregulate IL-36 production in the murine skin of IMQ and IL-23-induced psoriasis-like models. Injection of CCN1-neutralizing antibody improved epidermal acanthosis and significantly reduced IL-36 production in vivo. These results suggest that CCN1 can be a critical upstream pro-inflammatory factor in psoriasis. In primary normal human epidermal keratinocytes, we demonstrated that CCN1 can selectively induced the production of IL-36α and IL-36γ through the activation of the protein kinase B (AKT)/nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK)/CCAAT/enhancer binding protein ß (CEBPß) signaling pathways via integrin receptor α6ß1 in vitro. Our results suggest that targeting CCN1 can be a potential therapeutic strategy for psoriasis.

Bifunctional M13 Phage as Enzyme Container for the Reinforced Colorimetric-Photothermal Dual-Modal Sensing of Ochratoxin A.

"Point of care" (POC) methods without expensive instruments and special technicians are greatly needed for high-throughput analysis of mycotoxins. In comparison, the most widely used screening method of the conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) confronts low sensitivity and harmful competing antigens. Herein, we develop a plasmonic-photothermal ELISA that allows precise readout by color-temperature dual-modal signals based on enzymatic reaction-induced AuNP aggregation for highly sensitive detection of ochratoxin A (OTA). The bifunctional M13 phage carrying OTA that mimics the mimotope on the end of p3 proteins and abundant biotin molecules on the major p8 proteins is adopted as an eco-friendly competing antigen and enzyme container for amplifying the signal intensity. Under optimal conditions, both colorimetric and photothermal signals enable good dynamic linearity for quantitative OTA detection with the limits of detection at 12.1 and 8.6 pg mL-1, respectively. Additionally, the proposed ELISA was adapted to visual determination with a cutoff limit of 78 pg mL-1 according to a vivid color change from deep blue to red. The recoveries of OTA-spiked corn samples indicate the high accuracy and robustness of the proposed method. In conclusion, our proposed strategy provides a promising method for eco-friendly and sensitive POC screening of OTA. Moreover, it can be easily applied to other analytes by changing the involved specific mimotope sequence.

Circulating Cysteine Rich Protein 61 (Cyr61, CCN1) in Chinese Adults: Distribution and Reference Intervals.

BACKGROUND: The circulating levels of Cyr61 (also known as CCN1) may prove to have great clinical value in the diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of many disorders in humans. However, the reference intervals (RIs) for this analyte in human subjects have not previously been well established. Therefore, establishing RIs and determining the distribution of circulating Cyr61 levels are very important for future clinical studies and could provide an orientation value for exploring its clinical usefulness. METHODS: The Cyr61 levels in 2,514 healthy Chinese Han subjects (1,250 males and 1,264 females, aged 18 - 88 years, recruited from 4 hospitals in Shanghai and Fujian) were measured with a sandwich ELISA (R&D Systems, USA). The RIs were determined in a manner consistent with the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines. RESULTS: The levels of serum Cyr61 showed a non-Gaussian distribution. A statistically significant difference was observed between the males and females such that the median level of Cyr61 in the males was significantly higher than that in the females. Furthermore, the Cyr61 levels significantly increased with age in the female group whereas no difference was observed among the different age groups among the males. The RIs for serum Cyr61 were 3.3 - 184 pg/mL and 5.0 - 182 pg/mL in females aged 18 - 45 and 46 - 88 years, respectively. The RI for serum Cyr61 was 4.0 - 198 pg/mL in the males. CONCLUSIONS: The RIs for serum Cyr61 were established among Chinese Han individuals. The effects of age and gender on the distribution characteristics of serum Cyr61 were studied, revealing that the RIs were gender and, in females, age-specific, which may suggest that a female hormone, estrogen plays a role in the regulation of Cyr61 expression in vivo.

CYR61, a potential biomarker of tumor inflammatory response in epithelial ovarian cancer microenvironment of tumor progress.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have found that inflammatory response is involved in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. Advanced ovarian cancer is often presented with ascites that is rich in cytokines, inflammatory factors or cancer cells. Therefore, it is important to study the microenvironment of ascites in order to further clarify the occurrence and progression of ovarian cancer. As a pro-inflammatory factor, the Cyr61 expression patterns are inconsistent in human tumors. Although it has been reported that Cyr61 is related to the progression of ovarian cancer, its specific mechanism is not yet clear. This study sought to evaluate the Cyr61 levels of ascites, serum and different tissues of ovarian cancer to explore the potential association of Cyr61with the tumor-associated inflammatory microenvironment of EOC. METHODS: Tumor specimens were procured from patients with ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma and ovarian serous cystadenoma. Cyr61 and IL-6 levels of serum or ascites were determined by ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay), while Cyr61 expressions of different ovarian tumor tissues were evaluated by IHC (Immunohistochemistry). Then the correlation of Cyr61 level in ascites with clinicopathologic features was analyzed. And other laboratory data were obtained from medical records. RESULTS: Both in ascites and serum, significantly higher Cyr61 levels were found in ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma. In malignant ascites, higher Cyr61 level of ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma was more closely associated with FIGO stage, initial tumor size > 10 cm and the residual tumor size. And the increased IL-6 level was linearly related to Cyr61 level. Moreover, the serum levels of Cyr61, IL-6 and CRP in advanced stage of ovarian cancer were much higher than those in early stage. Lastly, the IHC data demonstrate that Cyr61 expression of ovarian serous adenocarcinoma was higher than that of ovarian serous cystadenoma, but it was lower than the paired metastatic lesions. CONCLUSIONS: As a pro-inflammatory factor, increased ascites Cyr61 level is associated with FIGO stage, initial tumor size > 10 cm and the residual tumor size. Moreover, serum Cyr61 may be used as a potential marker for EOC inflammatory response. Finally, Cyr61 may be involved in the process of tumor metastasis and progression by producing IL-6 and CRP in the EOC inflammatory microenvironment.

Acute phase reactant serum amyloid A in inflammation and other diseases.

Acute-phase reactant serum amyloid A (A-SAA) plays an important role in acute and chronic inflammation and is used in clinical laboratories as an indicator of inflammation. Although both A-SAA and C-reactive protein (CRP) are acute-phase proteins, the detection of A-SAA is more conclusive than the detection of CRP in patients with viral infections, severe acute pancreatitis, and rejection reactions to kidney transplants. A-SAA has greater clinical diagnostic value in patients who are immunosuppressed, patients with cystic fibrosis who are treated with corticoids, and preterm infants with late-onset sepsis. Nevertheless, for the assessment of the inflammation status and identification of viral infection in other pathologies, such as bacterial infections, the combinatorial use of A-SAA and other acute-phase proteins (APPs), such as CRP and procalcitonin (PCT), can provide more information and sensitivity than the use of any of these proteins alone, and the information generated is important in guiding antibiotic therapy. In addition, A-SAA-associated diseases and the diagnostic value of A-SAA are discussed. However, the relationship between different A-SAA isotypes and their human diseases are mostly derived from research laboratories with limited clinical samples. Thus, further clinical evaluations are necessary to confirm the clinical significance of each A-SAA isotype. Furthermore, the currently available A-SAA assays are based on polyclonal antibodies, which lack isotype specificity and are associated with many inflammatory diseases. Therefore, these assays are usually used in combination with other biomarkers in the clinic.

Cyr61/CCN1 induces CCL20 production by keratinocyte via activating p38 and JNK/AP-1 pathway in psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a common chronic skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperplasia and inflammation. Cysteine-rich angiogenic inducer 61 (Cyr61/CCN1) has recently been implicated in psoriasis pathogenesis by promoting keratinocyte activation. However, the mechanisms by which CCN1 enhances cutaneous inflammation are not fully understood. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated the role of CCN1 on the expression of CCL20 in human keratinocyte. METHODS AND RESULTS: By double-label immunofluorescence staining, we first identified that the expression of CCN1 colocalized well with CCL20 production in the epidermis of psoriasis skin lesion. Furthermore, in vivo, blocking or knockdown CCN1 expression ameliorated skin inflammation and reduced the expression of CCL20 in both imiquimod and IL-23-induced psoriasis-like mouse models, which indicated that CCN1 might be involved in the regulation of CCL20 production in psoriasis. Next, in vitro, we stimulated primary normal human epidermal keratinocyte (NHEK) with exogenous protein CCN1 and found that CCN1 directly upregulated CCL20 production independent of TNF-α, IL-22 and IL-17 pathway. Lastly, the signaling pathway study showed that CCN1 enhanced the binding of AP-1 to the CCL20 promoter via crosstalk with p38 and JNK. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that CCN1 stimulates CCL20 production in vitro and in vivo, and thus supports the notion that overexpressed CCN1 in hyperproliferating keratinocyte is functionally involved in the recruitment of inflammatory cells to skin lesions affected by psoriasis.

CCN1 promotes IL-1ß production in keratinocytes by activating p38 MAPK signaling in psoriasis.

CCN1, an extracellular protein also known as cysteine-rich protein 61 (Cyr61), is a novel pro-inflammatory factor involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis. As an inflammatory disease, psoriasis is characterized by keratinocyte activation-induced epidermal hyperplasia and cytokine-mediated inflammation. We demonstrated in our previous study that CCN1 promoted keratinocyte activation in psoriasis. However, the role of CCN1 in regulating inflammation in psoriasis is still unknown. Here, we showed that CCN1 increased inflammatory cytokine IL-1ß production in keratinocytes. Furthermore, endogenous ATP and caspase-1 were required for mature IL-1ß production stimulated by CCN1 in keratinocytes. After binding to the receptor of integrin α6ß1, CCN1 activated the downstream p38 MAPK signaling pathway, thus inducing the expression of IL-1ß. In addition, we inhibited CCN1 function in mouse models of psoriasis, and decreased IL-1ß production was observed in vivo. Overall, we showed that CCN1 increased IL-1ß production via p38 MAPK signaling, indicating a role for CCN1 protein in regulating inflammation in psoriasis.

Cyr61 participates in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis via promoting MMP-3 expression by fibroblast-like synoviocytes.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and potential mechanism of Cysteine-rich 61 (Cyr61) on stimulating MMP-3 expression by fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: Primarily cultured RA FLS were treated with exogenous Cyr61 protein or Cyr61-siRNA, then, MMP-3 expression was analyzed by real-time PCR, western blotting and ELISA. Signal transduction pathways in Cyr61-induced MMP-3 production were examined by real-time PCR, western blotting, confocal microscopy, luciferase reporter assay. Mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) were treated with anti-Cyr61 monoclonal antibodies (mAb), or IgG1 as control and MMP-3 in the joint was detected by IHC, real-time PCR and western blotting. RESULTS: High expressed MMP-3 and Cyr61 were positively correlated in RA ST; Cyr61 stimulated MMP-3 production in FLS of RA patients in an IL-1ß and TNF-α independent manner. Cyr61 induced MMP-3 could further enhance the invasive ability of RA FLS. Mechanistically, we found that Cyr61 promoted MMP-3 production via the P38, JNK-dependent AP-1 signaling pathway. Blockage of Cyr61 function with monoclonal antibody could decrease MMP-3 expression in the joints of CIA mice. CONCLUSION: This study provides new evidence that Cyr61 participates in RA pathogenesis not only as a pro-inflammatory factor but also plays a key role in bone erosion via promoting MMP-3 expression. We suggest that targeting of Cyr61 may represent a potential strategy in RA treatment.

Unique immunomodulatory effect of paeoniflorin on type I and II macrophages activities.

It has been widely accepted that macrophages are divided into M1 "pro-inflammatory" macrophages and M2 "anti-inflammatory" macrophages and an uncontrolled macrophage polarization plays an important role in the pathogenesis of different diseases. As the main substance of total glucosides of peony, paeoniflorin (PF), has been widely used to treat autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases for years. Mechanistically, PF has been found to alter activities of many immune cells, which could further reduce inflammation and tissue damage. However, whether and how PF affects macrophages activities in vitro remains unknown. In current study, using M1 and M2 cells generated from mouse bone marrow precursors, we explored the role of PF in regulating M1/M2 cells activity in vitro. The results showed that PF inhibited LPS-induced M1 activity by reducing iNOS expression and NO production via decreasing LPS/NF-κB signaling pathway; whereas, PF enhanced IL-4-provoked M2 function by up-regulating Arg-1 production and activity via increasing IL-4/STAT6 signaling pathway. Our new finding indicates that PF can suppress M1 cells activity and enhance M2 cells function simultaneously, which could help to ameliorate autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases in clinical treatment.

Paeoniflorin ameliorates symptoms of experimental Sjogren's syndrome associated with down-regulating Cyr61 expression.

Paeoniflorin (PF), an active compound extracted from Paeony root, has been used in therapy of autoimmune diseases with effective clinical efficiency and higher safety. Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic, systemic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease. In this study, we demonstrated that novel pro-inflammatory factor Cyr61/CCN1 was up-regulated in epithelial cells of salivary glands of primary SS patients and submandibular gland autoantigen-induced experimental SS mice. Blocking Cyr61 expression with special monoclonal antibody improved saliva secretion by ameliorating inflammatory infiltration and cytokines production in vivo. Furthermore, we showed that PF could alleviate inflammation by down-regulating Cyr61 expression in experimental SS mice. In conclusion, our new findings revealed for the first time that Cyr61 involves the pathogenesis of primary SS and PF alleviates SS-like symptoms associated with inhibiting Cyr61 expression, providing new insights into the potential molecular mechanism of PF in primary SS treatment.

Paeoniflorin selectively inhibits LPS-provoked B-cell function.

B cells are important in the development of autoimmune disorders through mechanisms involving dysregulated polyclonal B-cell activation, production of pathogenic antibodies, and targeting which reduces inflammation and tissue damage effectively but often leads to patients suffering from secondary infection. Paeoniflorin (PF) is the main substance of the Total glucosides of peony and has been widely used to treat autoimmune diseases for years. However, whether PF affects B cell activity remains unknown. In this study, using purified murine spleen B cells, we analyzed the effects of PF on B-cell function in vitro. We found that PF inhibited the expression of CD69/CD86 and the proliferation of B cells stimulated by LPS. In addition, PF reduced the B-cell differentiation and immunoglobulin production that was stimulated by LPS. Interestingly, PF did not alter B-cell activation and proliferation provoked by anti-CD40 or IL-4. These results indicated for the first time that PF inhibits B-cell activation, proliferation and differentiation by selectively blocking the LPS/TLR4 signaling pathway. Furthermore, our data suggest that PF selectively inhibits inflammation and tissue damage mediated by LPS-activated B cells but does not alter CD40/CD40L- or IL-4-provoked B-cell function in autoimmune diseases treatment, which might aid in protecting patients from secondary infection.

Vasostatin inhibits VEGF-induced endothelial cell proliferation, tube formation and induces cell apoptosis under oxygen deprivation.

Anti-angiogenesis treatment has been a promising new form of cancer therapy. Endothelial cells are critical for vascular homeostasis and play important roles in angiogenesis, vascular and tissue remodeling. Vasostatin, the 180 amino acid N-terminal fragment of the calreticulin protein, is reported to be a potent endogenous inhibitor of angiogenesis, suppressing tumor growth. However, the mechanism of these effects has not been sufficiently investigated. This study was performed to investigate the possible mechanism of vasostatin effects on primary cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). We found that vasostatin could inhibit the cell viability of HUVEC and induce cell apoptosis through mitochondrial pathways via activation of caspase-3 under oxygen deprivation conditions. Meanwhile, vasostatin also inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor-induced proliferation and tube formation of HUVEC. The possible mechanism of vasostatin-inhibited proliferation of HUVEC could be through down-regulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase. These findings suggest that vasostatin could regulate endothelial cell function and might be used in anti-angiogenesis treatment.

[Carrier screening for spinal muscular atrophy in 4719 pregnant women in Shanghai region].

OBJECTIVE: Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a common and fatal autosomal recessive disorder. Approximately 94% of SMA patients are caused by homozygous deletion of SMN1 gene. SMA carrier screening is recommended considering the high carrier frequency (1 in 35-50) as well as severity of the disease. METHODS: A prospective population-based cohort study was carried out on 4719 pregnant women from Shanghai region. Copy numbers of SMN1 and SMN2 genes were effectively determined with denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) technique. The method has detected 94% of SMA cases with deletion or conversion of the SMN1 genes. RESULTS: Ninety SMA carriers with only one copy of the SMN1 gene were identified among the 4719 pregnant woman. The carrier rate was 1.9%. Respectively, 1.2% and 0.6% of the carriers were caused by SMN1 gene deletion and SMN1 gene conversion. CONCLUSION: Through this study, we have determined the frequency of SMA mutation carriers in a population of pregnant women. The result may provide a basis for genetic counseling in order to reduce the rate of SMA affected births.

Cell-free DNA in blood is a potential diagnostic biomarker of breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a highly malignant disease in women. A convenient screening tool with high accuracy for early detection, not only in high-risk individuals but in the general population, is necessary. Two hundred breast cancer patients, 100 healthy controls and 100 hyperplasia patients were enrolled in this study. Samples were randomly assigned into training or testing cohorts. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to explore the optimal concentration of cell-free DNA (GAPDH) in the training cohort and the cut-off point was validated in the testing cohort. The results showed that both in the training and testing cohorts, the overall accuracy of classification between cancer, healthy controls and hyperplasia was higher than 0.9. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value also reached 0.9, with the exception of the negative predictive value in the testing cohort. This study provides useful information on the use of concentration of free DNA for breast cancer detection. These findings need to be validated in a large prospective trial prior to clinical application.

Prevent cervical cancer by screening with reliable human papillomavirus detection and genotyping.

The incidence of cervical cancer is expected to rise sharply in China. A reliable routine human papillomavirus (HPV) detection and genotyping test to be supplemented by the limited Papanicolaou cytology facilities is urgently needed to help identify the patients with cervical precancer for preventive interventions. To this end, we evaluated a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol for detection of HPV L1 gene DNA in cervicovaginal cells. The PCR amplicons were genotyped by direct DNA sequencing. In parallel, split samples were subjected to a Digene HC2 HPV test which has been widely used for "cervical cancer risk" screen. Of the 1826 specimens, 1655 contained sufficient materials for analysis and 657 were truly negative. PCR/DNA sequencing showed 674 infected by a single high-risk HPV, 188 by a single low-risk HPV, and 136 by multiple HPV genotypes with up to five HPV genotypes in one specimen. In comparison, the HC2 test classified 713 specimens as infected by high-risk HPV, and 942 as negative for HPV infections. The high-risk HC2 test correctly detected 388 (57.6%) of the 674 high-risk HPV isolates in clinical specimens, mislabeled 88 (46.8%) of the 188 low-risk HPV isolates as high-risk genotypes, and classified 180 (27.4%) of the 657 "true-negative" samples as being infected by high-risk HPV. It was found to cross-react with 20 low-risk HPV genotypes. We conclude that nested PCR detection of HPV followed by short target DNA sequencing can be used for screening and genotyping to formulate a paradigm in clinical management of HPV-related disorders in a rapidly developing economy.