Retraction Note: MicroRNA-199a regulates myocardial fibrosis in rats by targeting SFRP5.

The article "MicroRNA-199a regulates myocardial fibrosis in rats by targeting SFRP5", by M.-H. Chen, J.-C. Liu, Y. Liu, Y.-C. Hu, X.-F. Cai, D.-C. Yin, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2019; 23 (9): 3976-3983-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_201905_17827-PMID: 31115026 has been retracted by the authors. This paper has been questioned on PubPeer (https://pubpeer.com/publications/6417BECD38A43595A89D977A1CBDF8). In particular, concerns were raised about Figures 2C and 4C, potentially showing three panels with overlapping details of a single image. The corresponding author states they used the wrong figure during manuscript drafting, which led to picture reuse. For this reason, the authors decided to withdraw the manuscript. This article has been retracted. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/17827.

Study on diagnostic value of P1NP and ß-CTX in bone metastasis of patients with breast cancer and the correlation between them.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of the total amino-terminal propeptide of type 1 procollagen (P1NP) and C-terminal telopeptide of ß-I collagen (ß-CTX) in bone metastasis of patients with breast cancer and the correlation between them. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of 73 patients were retrospectively analyzed. These patients with breast cancer were treated in Oncology, General Surgery, and Orthopedic Departments in The Third People's Hospital of Qingdao from March 2014 to April 2017, including 40 patients with bone metastasis (bone metastasis group) and 33 patients with no bone metastasis (non-bone metastasis group). Other 40 healthy people who received physical examination in the same period were selected as the control group. The expression of P1NP and ß-CTX in plasma were detected by the Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the correlation between them was analyzed. RESULTS: There were significant differences in P1NP and ß-CTX concentrations among the three groups (p<0.05). The concentrations of P1NP in the control group and the non-bone metastasis group were significantly lower than that in the bone metastasis group (p<0.05); the concentrations of ß-CTX in the control group and the non-bone metastasis group were significantly lower than that in the bone metastasis group (p<0.05). P1NP: AUC=0.852, sensitivity: 72.5%, specificity: 93.9%, CUT OFF=66.44. ß-CTX: AUC=0.883, sensitivity: 85.0%, specificity: 84.8%, CUT OFF=69.8. Joint detection: AUC=0.952, sensitivity: 84.8%, specificity: 99.5%, CUT OFF=99.5. The results of the concentrations of P1NP and ß-CTX in the bone metastasis group detected by the Pearson correlation analysis showed that their concentrations were positively correlated in the bone metastasis group (r=0.764, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: P1NP and ß-CTX in plasma have a high diagnostic value for bone metastasis of breast cancer and have important significance in the diagnosis of bone metastasis and disease monitoring.

MicroRNA-199a regulates myocardial fibrosis in rats by targeting SFRP5.

OBJECTIVE: Myocardial fibrosis seriously affects normal heart function. This study focused on the role of microRNA-199a in regulating rat myocardial fibrosis by targeting secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (SFRP5). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The in vitro myocardial fibrosis model was established by 10 µM isoproterenol (ISO) induction in cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) for 24 h. Expression levels of microRNA-199a, collagen I and α smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Protein levels of SFRP5 and transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) in CFs were detected by Western blot. The binding condition between microRNA-199a and SFRP5 was verified by luciferase reporter gene assay. After transfection of microRNA-199a inhibitor or SFRP5 overexpression plasmid, proliferative and migratory rates of CFs were determined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay, respectively. RESULTS: ISO treatment remarkably upregulated microRNA-199a expression in CFs. Transfection of microRNA-199a inhibitor could inhibit proliferation, migration and cardiac fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transformation (CMT) of CFs. Luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed the binding of microRNA-199a to SFRP5 3'UTR. Moreover, SFRP5 overexpression reversed the effects of microRNA-199a inhibitor on proliferation, migration, and CMT of CFs. CONCLUSIONS: MicroRNA-199a deficiency can inhibit the proliferative and migratory potentials of CFs, as well as CMT by targeting SFRP5, thus exerting the protective effect on myocardial fibrosis.

Perindopril attenuates renal tubulointerstitium injury by inhibiting scavenger receptor A over-expression in diabetic rats.

Scavenger receptor A (SR-A) is the main receptor through which oxidized LDL (oxLDL) and advanced glycation end products get into the cells. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of an ACE inhibitor, perindopril, on the expression of SR-A in renal tubulointerstitium of diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by injection with streptozotocin. The rats were then randomly divided into 3 groups: normal control group; untreated diabetes mellitus group; and diabetes mellitus group treated with the ACE inhibitor, perindopril. After a 24-week treatment, tubulointerstitial injury index was assessed on Masson's trichrome sections. The number of macrophages and the expression of SR-A protein in renal tubulointerstitium were detected by immunohistochemistry and the expression of SR-A mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. The tubulointerstitial injury index, the number of macrophages and the expression of SR-A mRNA were significantly higher in the diabetes group than the normal control group. Perindopril treatment not only attenuated the tubulointerstitial injury and the macrophages infiltration but also reduced the overexpression of SR-A mRNA in diabetic rats. The expression of SR-A protein was most obvious in renal tubulointerstitium in diabetic rats, which was attenuated by perindopril treatment. The findings of the present study indicate that perindopril may have renoprotective effects of diabetic nephropathy via inhibiting the expression of SR-A in renal tubulointerstitium.

Design of shared instruments to utilize simulated gravities generated by a large-gradient, high-field superconducting magnet.

A high-field superconducting magnet can provide both high-magnetic fields and large-field gradients, which can be used as a special environment for research or practical applications in materials processing, life science studies, physical and chemical reactions, etc. To make full use of a superconducting magnet, shared instruments (the operating platform, sample holders, temperature controller, and observation system) must be prepared as prerequisites. This paper introduces the design of a set of sample holders and a temperature controller in detail with an emphasis on validating the performance of the force and temperature sensors in the high-magnetic field.

Macromolecular crystallization in microgravity generated by a superconducting magnet.

About 30% of the protein crystals grown in space yield better X-ray diffraction data than the best crystals grown on the earth. The microgravity environments provided by the application of an upward magnetic force constitute excellent candidates for simulating the microgravity conditions in space. Here, we describe a method to control effective gravity and formation of protein crystals in various levels of effective gravity. Since 2002, the stable and long-time durable microgravity generated by a convenient type of superconducting magnet has been available for protein crystal growth. For the first time, protein crystals, orthorhombic lysozyme, were grown at microgravity on the earth, and it was proved that this microgravity improved the crystal quality effectively and reproducibly. The present method always accompanies a strong magnetic field, and the magnetic field itself seems to improve crystal quality. Microgravity is not always effective for improving crystal quality. When we applied this microgravity to the formation of cubic porcine insulin and tetragonal lysozyme crystals, we observed no dependence of effective gravity on crystal quality. Thus, this kind of test will be useful for selecting promising proteins prior to the space experiments. Finally, the microgravity generated by the magnet is compared with that in space, considering the cost, the quality of microgravity, experimental convenience, etc., and the future use of this microgravity for macromolecular crystal growth is discussed.

Strong magnetic field effect on the dissolution process of tetragonal lysozyme crystals.

Either a homogeneous or inhomogeneous magnetic field has been known to dampen the protein crystal growth. To date the mechanism is not clear. However, it was generally proposed that the magnetic field may dampen the convection in the solution, resulting in a reduced crystal growth rate and possibly a good crystal quality, similar to the case of protein crystal growth in space. To understand the mechanism of the magnetic field effect on protein crystal growth, further explorations on the magnetic field effect on protein solution, on the processes of crystal growth and dissolution, and on different crystallization (solution) systems, should be valuable. In this paper we present our recent efforts to study magnetic field effects on the dissolution processes of tetragonal lysozyme crystals under a strong magnetic field. A layer of oriented tetragonal lysozyme crystals was prepared under a temperature gradient and magnetic field, after that the crystals were dissolved by increasing the temperature of the solution. The lysozyme molecules will diffuse upwards due to the steep concentration gradient at the lower side of the cell caused by the dissolution. The evolution of the concentration in the solution was measured in-situ using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The results confirmed that the dissolution process of the crystals was slowed by the magnetic field. Judging from the concentration evolution versus time at different positions in the solution, we concluded that the apparent diffusion coefficient of lysozyme molecules was decreased by the magnetic field. The results were discussed using a suspended crystal model in the initial dissolution stage.

An investigation of magnetic field effects on the dissolution of lysozyme crystal and related phenomena.

It is now widely known that a magnetic field, either homogeneous or inhomogeneous, depresses the growth process of protein crystals. In this report, the dissolution process of tetragonal lysozyme crystals is also confirmed to be depressed by a homogeneous magnetic field (inhomogeneity <1.5%). The dissolution process was monitored using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The results showed that the concentration change during the dissolution process was slowed in a magnetic field compared with that in the absence of a magnetic field. It was concluded that the diffusion coefficient of the lysozyme molecules in the solution was decreased by the magnetic field. The decrease in the diffusion coefficient may contribute to the slowed growth process. The changes in the spatial concentration distribution under a vertical temperature gradient before crystallization in the absence of a magnetic field was also studied. The concentration in the lower, colder part of the cell increased, while it decreased in the upper, hotter part, a similar phenomenon to that discovered by previous investigators in an isothermal supersaturated solution system. Aggregated domain formation is proposed to explain the concentration redistribution before crystal growth and a suspended crystal model is proposed to explain the decrease of diffusivity in a magnetic field.

Interaction between angiotensin III and alpha 2-adrenoceptors of the medulla oblongata involved in cardiovascular regulation in the rat.

We evaluated, in adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium, possible interaction between angiotensin III (AIII) and the alpha 2-adrenoceptors in the medulla oblongata that are involved in cardiovascular regulation. The hypotensive and negative chronotropic and inotropic actions of the alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, guanabenz, were used as our experimental index. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of AIII (100 or 200 pmol) significantly attenuated the cardiovascular suppressive effects of the aminoguanidine compound (25 or 50 micrograms/kg, i.v.). Bilateral microinjection of AIII (20 or 40 pmol) to the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis (NRGC), a medullary site believed to be intimately related to the antihypertensive action of guanabenz, produced similar results. In addition, i.c.v. administered AIII (200 pmol) altered the effects of guanabenz on the arterial pressure-related neurons in the NRGC, in a manner that paralleled the blunted vasodepressive action of the aminoguanidine compound by the heptapeptide. When applied microiontophoretically, AIII also significantly decreased the responsiveness of arterial pressure-related neurons in the NRGC to guanabenz. These findings suggest that AIII may interact with the alpha 2-adrenoceptors located in the NRGC that are involved in central cardiovascular regulation.