Electrically controlled spin reversal and spin polarization of electronic transport in nanoporous graphene nanoribbons.

Based on first-principles calculations, the spin-dependent electronic transport of nanoporous graphene nanoribbons is investigated. A three-terminal configuration is proposed, which can electronically control the spin polarization of transmission, instead of magnetic methods. By modulating the gate voltage, not only could the transmission be switched between completely spin up and spin down polarized states to realize a dual-spin filter, but also the spin polarization could be finely tuned between 100% and -100%. Any ratio of spin up to spin down transport electrons can be realized, providing more possibilities for the design of nanoelectronic devices. Further analysis shows that the transmission spectra, with two distinct transmission peaks with opposite spins around EF, are the key point, which are contributed by p orbitals. And such a phenomenon is robust to the width and length of the nanoporous graphene nanoribbons, suggesting that it is an intrinsic feature of these systems. The electrical control on spin polarization is realized in pure-carbon systems, showing great application potential.

EM-2 inhibited autophagy and promoted G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis by activating the JNK pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

This study aimed to investigate the inhibitory effect of EM-2, a natural active monomer purified from Elephantopusmollis H.B.K., on the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells and the molecular mechanism involved. The results from the MTT assay revealed that EM-2 significantly inhibited the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in a dose-dependent manner but exhibited less cytotoxicity to the normal liver epithelial cell line LO2. EdU staining and colony formation assays further confirmed the inhibitory effect of EM-2 on the proliferation of Huh-7 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. According to the RNA sequencing and KEGG enrichment analysis results, EM-2 markedly activated the MAPK pathway in Huh-7 cells, and the results of Western blotting further indicated that EM-2 could activate the ERK and JNK pathways. Meanwhile, EM-2 induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner and G2/M phase arrest in Huh-7 cells, which could be partially reversed when treated with SP600125, a JNK inhibitor. Further study indicated that EM-2 induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and blocked autophagic flux in Huh-7 cells by inhibiting autophagy-induced lysosome maturation. Inhibition of autophagy by bafilomycin A1 could reduce cell viability and increase the sensitivity of Huh-7 cells to EM-2. In conclusion, our findings revealed that EM-2 not only promoted G2/M phase arrest and activated ER stress but also induced apoptosis by activating the JNK pathway and blocked autophagic flux by inhibiting autolysosome maturation in Huh-7 hepatocellular carcinoma cells. Therefore, EM-2 is a potential therapeutic drug with promising antitumor effects against hepatocellular carcinoma and fewer side effects.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound and acoustic radiation force impulse elastography in evaluating efficacy of microwave ablation on hepatic alveolar echinococcosis in rats / 中国介入影像与治疗学

Objective: To observe the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) and acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography in evaluating efficacy of microwave ablation (MWA) on hepatic alveolar echinococcosis in rats. Methods: Totally 40 HAE rat models were divided into experimental group (n=30) and control group (n=10). Rats in experimental group underwent ultrasound-guided MWA, while those in control group received routine feeding. Routine 2D ultrasound, CEUS and ARFI were used to measure the maximum diameter of lesions before and 1 month later. The changes of mean gray scale ratio and shear wave velocity (SWV) in marginal zone of lesions in experimental group were compared with pathologic findings. Then the rats were all scarified, and routine HE staining, CD34 immunohistochemical staining and Masson staining were performed to count the microvessel density (MVD) and fibrosis area at the edge of lesions. Results: There were 19 rats (21 lesions) in experimental group and 10 rats (10 lesions) in control group. One month after MWA, the maximum diameter of lesions obtained with 2D ultrasound, CEUS and ARFI became smaller in experimental group (all P0.05). One month after MWA, the mean gray scale ratio of ablation edge in experimental group was lower, while SWV value was higher than that before (both P<0.001). MVD of the ablation edge in experimental group was lower than that in control group (P<0.001), and the fibrosis area of experimental group was higher than that of control group (P<0.001). MVD was positively correlated with the gray scale ratio at the ablation edge (r=0.541, P=0.011), and SWV was positively correlated with the fibrosis area of Masson (r=0.494, P=0.023). Conclusion: Both CEUS and ARFI had certain application value for evaluation on efficacy of microwave ablation for treatment of HAE in rat models.

Thermosensitive gel of polysaccharide from Ganoderma applanatum combined with paclitaxel for mice with 4T1 breast cancer / 中国中药杂志

Polysaccharide from Ganoderma applanatum has the activities of anti-tumor and enhancing immune function. There were no reports on antitumor effect of its intratumoral injection. In this study, the polysaccharide was extracted from G. applanatum by water extraction and alcohol precipitation, and purified by ceramic membrane after removing protein by Sevage method. The total polysaccharide content from G. applanatum(PGA)was about 63%. The combination of PGA and paclitaxel showed synergistic effect on cytotoxicity of 4 T1 cells at lower concentrations in vitro. In addition, the growth curve of 4 T1 cells showed that PGA could retard the growth of 4 T1 cells gradually. The PGA thermosensitive gel(PGA-TG)was prepared by using poloxamer 188 and 407. The gel temperature was 36 ℃, and the PGA-TG could effectively slow down the release rate of PGA in vitro. 4 T1 breast cancer-bearing mice were used as a model to evaluate the therapeutic effect of intratumoral injection of PGA combined with tail vein injection of nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel(nab-PTX). In high and low dose PGA groups, each mice was given with 2.25, 1.125 mg PGA respectively, twice in total, and the dosage of paclitaxel was 15 mg·kg~(-1), once every 3 days, for a total of five times. The tumor inhibition rate was 29.65% in the high dose PGA-TG group, 58.58% in the nab-PTX group, 63.37% in low dose PGA-TG combined with nab-PTX group, and 68.10% in high dose PGA-TG combined with nab-PTX group respectively. The inhibitory effect in high dose PGA-TG group combined with nab-PTX on tumors was significantly higher than that in nab-PTX group(P<0.05). The results showed that paclitaxel therapy combined with intratumoral injection of PGA-TG could improve the therapeutic effect for 4 T1 mice and reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.

The hippo-yes association protein pathway in liver cancer.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide and the third leading cause of cancer mortality. Despite continuing development of new therapies, prognosis for patients with HCC remains extremely poor. In recent years, control of organ size becomes a hot topic in HCC development. The Hippo signaling pathway has been delineated and shown to be critical in controlling organ size in both Drosophila and mammals. The Hippo kinase cascade, a singling pathway that antagonizes the transcriptional coactivator Yes-associated protein (YAP), plays an important role in animal organ size control by regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis rates. During HCC development, this pathway is likely inactivated in tumor initiated cells that escape suppressive constrain exerted by the surrounding normal tissue, thus allowing clonal expansion and tumor development. We have reviewed evolutionary changes in YAP as well as other components of the Hippo pathway and described the relationships between YAP genes and HCC. We also discuss regulation of transcription factors that are up- and downstream of YAP in liver cancer development.

[Distribution and mRNA Expression of BAMBI in Non-small-cell Lung Cancer.].

BACKGROUND: BAMBI structure is similar with that of the receptor I of TGF-beta, it broadly participates in the control of TGF-beta signaling. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression and its significance of BAMBI in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and explore the relation between BAMBI and clinical and pathological factors of NSCLC. METHODS: Sixty-three cases with NSCLC and adjacent normal tissue specimens were used for immunohistochemical assay. Thirty-one fresh lung cancer tissue specimens and surrounding normal lung tissue specimens was preserved for RT-PCR in -70 (o)C after quick-frozen in liquid nitrogen immediately. RESULTS: The level of BAMBI mRNA in cancer tissues was higher than that in the corresponding adjacent tissues (0.358+/-0.135 vs 0.249+/-0.129), with the difference being statistically significant (P =0.003). BAMBI protein expressed mainly in the membrane and the cytoplasm close to the membrane, its expression in the cancer tissue was higher than that in the adjacent tissues, the difference was significant (P <0.01). Expression of BAMBI in the cancer tissue was higher than that in the adjacent tissues, and the expression of BAMBI in adenocarcinoma of lung is higher than that in squamous carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: The expressions of BAMBI significantly increase in NSCLC. It might be a common affair in carcinogenesis of NSCLC.

Study on the molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Shanghai / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the molecular-epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Shanghai.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Drug-resistant and drug-susceptible strains of M. tuberculosis were randomly selected from the bank of M. tuberculosis of Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention and were genotyped by mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units(MIRU) and Spoligotyping methods. The genotyping results were analyzed and combined with epidemiological data.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The Spoligotyping results demonstrated that 89 % (81/91) of the strains belonged to the Beijing genotype. Of the patients who had received BCG-vaccination,88.5% (54/61) infected with strains of Beijing genotype and 90.0% (27/30) of the patients were not BCG-vaccinated. However, the difference was not statistically significant. Drug-resistant rate from those strains of Beijing genotype was 45.7 (37/81), lower than that of non-Beijing genotype (60.0% ,6/10). Again,the difference was not statistically significant. The MIRU results showed that 62.6 % (57/91) were strains of clusters.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The Beijing genotype of M. tuberculosis were found to be the dominant strains in Shanghai. The associations between Beijing genotype strains and BCG vaccination or drug-resistant were not found. Results from cluster analysis suggested that some cases might belong to the newly developed cases.</p>