The impact of circulating IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 on cardiovascular prognosis in patients with acute coronary syndrome.

Background: While insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) exerts a cardioprotective effect in the setting of atherosclerosis, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 (IGFBP-2) is involved in metabolic syndrome. Although IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 are known to be predictors for mortality in patients with heart failure, their use in clinic as prognostic biomarkers for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) requires investigation. We evaluated the relationship between IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 levels at admission and the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) in patients with ACS. Methods: A total of 277 ACS patients and 42 healthy controls were included in this prospective cohort study. Plasma samples were obtained and analyzed at admission. Patients were followed for MACEs after hospitalization. Results: Among patients who suffered acute myocardial infarction, plasma levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-2 were lower and higher, respectively, as compared to healthy controls (both p < 0.05). The mean follow-up period was 5.22 (1.0-6.0) months and MACEs incidence was 22.4% (62 of 277 patients). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed that patients with low IGFBP-2 levels had a greater event-free survival rate than patients with high IGFBP-2 levels (p < 0.001). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed IGFBP-2, but not IGF-1, to be a positive predictor of MACEs (hazard ratio 2.412, 95% CI 1.360-4.277; p = 0.003). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that high IGFBP-2 levels are associated with the development of MACEs following ACS. Moreover, IGFBP-2 is likely an independent predictive marker of clinical outcomes in ACS.

GAS2 Promotes Cell Proliferation and Invasion and Suppresses Apoptosis in Pediatric T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Activates Wnt/ß-Catenin Pathway.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effect of growth arrest specific 2 (GAS2) on T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and its potential molecular mechanism. METHODS: The GAS2 expression level was detected by qRT-RCR and Western blot in normal T lymphocytes and T-ALL cells Jurkat and CCRF-CEM. The proliferation and invasion of Jurkat and CCRF-CEM cells were detected by MTT and Transwell assay, respectively. Apoptosis and cell cycle were measured by flow cytometry. In addition, the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of Jurkat and CCRF-CEM cells was measured MTT assay and flow cytometry. RESULTS: GAS2 was highly expressed in Jurkat and CCRF-CEM cells. GAS2 could promote cell proliferation and invasion, and inhibit apoptosis of Jurkat and CCRF-CEM cells. GAS2 also promoted cell cycle changes from G0/G1 phase to S phase in Jurkat and CCRF-CEM cells. In addition, GAS2 could reduce the chemotherapeutic sensitivity of Jurkat and CCRF-CEM cells. GAS2 overexpression could promote the expression levels of ki67, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Bcl-2, c-myc, cyclin D1 and ß-catenin, while GAS2 knockdown could inhibit their expression levels. Meanwhile, GAS2 overexpression could inhibit Bax expression. Moreover, Wnt/ß-catenin pathway inhibitor XAV939 could inhibit the expressions of c-myc, cyclin D1 and ß-catenin, but activator LiCl could promote their expression. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated that GAS2 could promote cell proliferation and invasion, and induce cell cycle, as well as inhibit apoptosis and could activate the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in T-ALL cells.

Long Noncoding RNA LOC441178 Reduces the Invasion and Migration of Squamous Carcinoma Cells by Targeting ROCK1.

In recent years, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to have significant regulating effect in human cancer development. Previous studies suggested that dysregulation of lncRNA 441178 (LOC441178) is possibly associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The postoperative survival time was significantly prolonged in the high-grade OSCC patients with high LOC441178 expression compared with those with low LOC441178 expression, which indicated that LOC441178 may act as a prognostic marker and as a potential tumor suppressor for OSCC. However, the biological molecular mechanisms behind these phenomena remain almost unknown. Here, our studies revealed that LOC441178 suppressed the invasion and migration of squamous carcinoma cells (SCCs). Furthermore, we found that rho-associated, coiled-coil-containing protein kinase 1 (ROCK1) is one of the functionally relevant targets of LOC441178 in squamous cells, which is negatively correlated with LOC441178 in tumor tissues from OSCC patients. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated the inhibition effect of LOC441178 on tumor in OSCC and might have potential implications for OSCC gene therapy. In conclusion, these results suggest that LOC441178 could represent a prognostic indicator for OSCC and be a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of OSCC.

Determination of trace water in gas samples by an improved Karl Fischer coulometer.

The determination of trace water in gas samples, such as isobutene, chloromethane (polymeric staple gases) and SF6 by a conventional Karl Fischer coulometer is very difficult, because of the adsorption of trace water on the surface of sample pipe, the gasification of the liquefied samples, and the migration of moisture into the measuring cell from the surroundings. To solve these problems, we improved a device for coulometric determination of water by Karl Fischer method. The improved coulometer was used to determine the trace water in isobutene, chloromethane and SF6; RSD was less than 5%, and recoveries ranged from 94.1 to 109.1%, which is adequate for the analysis of industry.