Physcion 8-O-ß-glucopyranoside exhibits anti-growth and anti-metastatic activities in ovarian cancer by downregulating miR-25.

OBJECTIVE: Ovarian cancer ranks 5th leading cause of cancer-related death in females worldwide. Physcion 8-O-ß-glucopyranoside (PG) is an anthraquinone compound isolated from Rumex japonicus Houtt. This study aimed at investigating the effect of PG on ovarian cancer cells. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cell viability was detected by CCK-8 assay. Colony formation assay evaluated whether PG could affect anchorage-independent growth. Whether PG affected cell cycle progression was examined by flow cytometry. The morphological changes caused by PG were visualized by microscopy. Apoptosis was quantitatively analyzed by flow cytometry. The effect of PG on cell migration and invasion was assessed by wound healing and transwell, respectively. The effect of PG on the expression of molecular markers was determined by Western blot. Microarray assay was performed to identify the potential target of PG. RESULTS: Results from the present study showed that PG decreased ovarian cancer cells viability. Colony formation assay also showed that PG suppressed the anchorage-independent growth of SKOV3 and OVCAR-3 cells. PG triggered cell cycle arrest at G1/G0 phase. The pro-apoptotic activity of PG was confirmed by flow cytometry, activation of caspase-3 and PARP, upregulation of Bax and downregulation of Bcl-2. The ability of PG to inhibit migration and invasion was evidenced by a decrease in wound healing and invasive cell number, as well as downregulation of MMP-2 and upregulation of TIMP-3. Microarray and qRT-PCR showed that miR-25 expression was downregulated by PG treatment. Moreover, our results indicated that the anti-cancer activities of PG were augmented by miR-25 knockdown and attenuated by ectopic miR-25 expression. CONCLUSIONS: PG exhibited anti-cancer activity in ovarian cancer by downregulating miR-25.

[Meta-analysis on the clinical effects of allogenic acellular dermal matrix treatment for diabetic foot ulcer].

Objective: To analyze the clinical effects of allogenic acellular dermal matrix (ADM) treatment for diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) with meta-analysis. Methods: Databases including PubMed, Cochrance Library, Embase, and OVID EBM Reviews were searched using key words " diabetic foot, diabetic ulcer, diabetic wound, acellular dermal matrix, acellular dermal regenerative tissue matrix, acellular regenerative tissue matrix, AlloDerm, SureDerm, KaroDerm, Graftjacket, Hyalomatrix PA, and Hyalograft 3D" , and Chinese Biological Abstracts, Chinese Journals Full-text Database, VIP Database, and Wanfang Database were searched using key words in Chinese version ",,," to obtain the published trials of allogenic ADM treatment for DFU from January 1990 to July 2015, and then meta-analysis was used to analyze the trials. The measurement indexes were wound contraction rate, wound healing rate, complete epithelization time of wound, and complication rate. Meta-analysis was conducted by RevMan 5.2 statistical software. Results: A total of 5 trials involving 426 DFU patients were included, with 224 patients in group ADM who received allogenic ADM treatment and 202 patients in conventional treatment group (CT) who received conventional moist treatment. There was no statistically significant difference between group ADM and group CT in wound contraction rate, with mean difference 20.34 (with 95% confidence interval -25.27-65.94, P=0.38). The wound healing rate of patients in group ADM was higher than that in group CT, with relative risk (RR) 1.90 (with 95% confidence interval 1.29-2.80, P<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between group ADM and group CT in complete epithelization time of wound, with mean difference 1.20 (with 95% confidence interval -2.93-0.52, P=0.17). The complication rate of patients in group ADM was lower than that in group CT, RR=0.54 (with 95% confidence interval 0.38-0.76, P<0.001). Publication bias might exist in wound contraction rate, wound healing rate, complete epithelization time of wound, and complication rate. Conclusions: Compared with conventional moist treatment, allogenic ADM treatment can accelerate wound healing and reduce complication rate in patients with DFU.

Bifidobacterium infantis has a beneficial effect on 5-fluorouracil-induced intestinal mucositis in rats.

Intestinal mucositis is a common toxic side effect in cancer patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy. This study aimed to evaluate the beneficial effects of Bifidobacterium infantis in a rat model of intestinal mucositis induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: control, 5-FU, and 5-FU + B. infantis. A single intraperitoneal injection of 5-FU (150 mg/kg) was used to induce intestinal mucositis. B. infantis (1×109 cfu) was administered for 11 days, starting from 7 days before 5-FU injection. Intestinal mucositis was evaluated based on body weight, villus height, immunohistological expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κB), levels of the pro-inflammatory factors interleukin 1 beta and tumour necrosis factor alpha, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) concentration. The results showed that the 5-FU + B. infantis group demonstrated a higher body weight and villus height, increased expression of PCNA, reduced expression of NF-κB and pro-inflammatory factors, and lower MPO concentration compared to the 5-FU group. These data suggest that probiotic B. infantis is effective in reducing chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis in rats.

Comparison of micron- and nanoparticle deposition patterns in a realistic human nasal cavity.

Knowledge regarding particle deposition processes in the nasal cavity is important in aerosol therapy and inhalation toxicology applications. This paper presents a comparative study of the deposition of micron and submicron particles under different steady laminar flow rates using a Lagrangian approach. A computational model of a nasal cavity geometry was developed from CT scans and the simulation of the fluid and particle flow within the airway was performed using the commercial software GAMBIT and FLUENT. The air flow patterns in the nasal cavities and the detailed local deposition patterns of micron and submicron particles were presented and discussed. It was found that the majority of micron particles are deposited near the nasal valve region and some micron particles are deposited on the septum wall in the turbinate region. The deposition patterns of micron particles in the left cavity are different compared with that in the right one especially in the turbinate regions. In contrast, the deposition for nanoparticles shows a moderately even distribution of particles throughout the airway. Furthermore the particles releasing position obviously influences the local deposition patterns. The influence of the particle releasing position is mainly shown near the nasal valve region for micron particle deposition, while for submicron particles deposition, both the nasal valve and turbinate region are influenced. The results of the paper are valuable in aerosol therapy and inhalation toxicology.

[The diagnostic value of combined detection of circulating antigens and antibodies in urine of patients with schistosomiasis japonica].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of detecting circulating antigens and antibodies in urine as a noninvasive method for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis. METHODS: A sandwich ELISA and ELISA using McAb were applied to detect circulating schistosomal antigens and specific antibodies in the urine of patients with acute and chronic schistosomiasis. RESULTS: When the urine samples from 10 cases of acute schistosomiasis and 61 cases of chronic schistosomiasis were examined, the positive rates of circulating antigens and specific antibodies were 60%, 40%, and 80%, 60.1%, respectively; when both detection was combined, the positive rates were 100% and 71.7% respectively, whereas a false positive rate of 3% of CAg or CAb was detected in the urine of 100 normal controls. CONCLUSION: The detection of circulating antigen in urine is a practicable and noninvasive method for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis.

[Detection of specific antibodies in saliva of patients with chronic schistosomiasis japonica].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of detecting specific antibodies in the saliva of schistosomiasis patients. METHODS: Specific antibodies in saliva samples of 32 schistosomiasis patients and 140 normal individuals were detected by using ELISA and the results were compared with those detected for specific antibodies in serum. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA were 90.6% and 94.4%, respectively, being slightly lower than that of the 100% sensitivity and 96.2% specificity for the serum. No significant difference between them was found (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Detecting specific antibodies in saliva can be used for immunodiagnosis of schistosomiasis japonica as a noninvasive method in field surveys.

Effect of mebendazole on free amino acid composition of cyst wall and cyst fluid of Echinococcus granulosus harbored in mice.

Eighteen and 23 FAA components were detected in the cyst wall and cyst fluid of E granulosus, respectively, by using automatic amino acid analyzer. The concentrations of most of the determined FAA were higher in the cyst fluid than those in the cyst wall, especially the taurine was 5-fold higher. Mebendazole treatment resulted in an increase in the concentration of alanine, valine, lysine, and taurine in both cyst wall and cyst fluid, the most notable being the alanine in the cyst wall. The results are interpreted as a coupling of glycolysis and amino acid metabolism, suggesting an involvement of FAA metabolism in the mechanism of Meb action.

[Preparation and diagnostic application of monoclonal antibodies against Schistosoma japonicum].

The present paper reported on an anti-CCA monoclonal antibody, McAb-IIID 10, which could be used in determinations of both parasite-oriented circulating antigens and specific anti-CCA antibodies. The established competitive ELISA (C-ELISA) using McAb-IIID 10 to detect schistosome-antibodies showed high sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of schistosomiasis with few cross-reactions. In field trials, coincident rates in 3 separate batches of serum samples when subjected to double-blind detections were obtained. A total of 1,915 serum samples had been determined by C-ELISA, among them 113 acute cases achieved a 100% positive rate, 765 chronic and 25 late cases showed 96.3% and 72% positive respectively. 70% of the 66 cured schistosomiasis cases turned to be negative. None of the 750 normal individuals showed positive reactions. No cross reaction was found in 27 sera from hydatidosis, whereas 1 and 2 positive reactions were found in 43 paragonimiasis sera and 126 clonorchiasis sera respectively. The established McAb-IIID 10 involved Dot-ELISA was found of value in the assessment of effective chemotherapy and showed a high negative conversion rate of 97.9% in 48 cured schistosomiasis patients. In 16 experimentally infected rabbits, 12 became negative in Dot-ELISA determinations at the 8th week post treatment, and the remaining 4 treated ones, the titer as well as the reaction intensity were also found reduced. A good coincidence rate was also found between C-ELISA and Dot-ELISA, their detection results may be complementary each other.