Microvesicles containing microRNA-21 secreted by proximal tubular epithelial cells are involved in renal interstitial fibrosis by activating AKT pathway.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of microvesicles containing microRNA-21 in renal interstitial fibrosis and its possible mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The renal interstitial fibrosis model was established by unilateral ureteral obstruction, and proximal tubule epithelial cell line (NRK52E) was used for cell model. The phenotype changes of the microvesicles containing microRNA-21 secreted by tubule cells during fibrosis were detected, and possible mechanisms responsible for the process were also analyzed. RESULTS: During the process of renal interstitial fibrosis, microRNA-21 level in the microvesicles secreted by tubule cells was increased. The microRNA-21 released from the damaged renal tubules inhibited the expression of PTEN and activated the AKT-mTOR signaling pathway, thereby exacerbating the renal interstitial fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: MicroRNA-21 secreted by injured proximal tubule epithelial cells participated in renal interstitial fibrosis by activating the PTEN/AKT signaling pathway.

Correlation between polymorphisms in the visfatin gene and its expression in the serum and coronary artery calcification.

We investigated the association between serum visfatin levels and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs61330082, rs2058539) in the visfatin gene and coronary artery calcification (CAC) in patients from Wenzhou, China. CAC patients (N = 206) were divided into two groups: mild CAC (MCAC) and moderate and severe CAC (MSCAC). Volunteers without CAC (N = 70) were included in the control group. The serum visfatin level was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. SNPs (rs61330082, rs2058539) in the visfatin gene were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Clinical data, serum visfatin levels, and genotype and allele frequencies of rs61330082 and rs2058539 were compared among the three groups. MSCAC patients expressed significantly higher serum visfatin levels (30.58 ± 6.12 ng/mL) than individuals in the MCAC (29.03 ± 1.87 ng/mL) and control (24.45 ± 5.44 ng/mL) groups (P < 0.05). The genotype distributions and frequencies of rs61330082 differed significantly among the groups (P < 0.05), while those of rs2058539 did not. The serum visfatin level was positively correlated with the body mass index (BMI), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and insulin resistance index (IRI), and negatively correlated with the triglyceride (TG) levels (P < 0.05) of patients. Serum visfatin is associated with the development of CAC. The T allele of the rs61330082 SNP in the visfatin gene had a cardioprotective effect on patients with CAC; the SNP at rs2058539 was not significantly associated with CAC. The BMI, HDL-C, IRI, and TG levels influenced the development of CAC.

Association between MTHFR gene polymorphisms (C677T, A1298C) and genetic susceptibility to prostate cancer: a meta-analysis.

Genetic polymorphisms (C677T and A1298C) in methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) were shown to be related to prostate cancer risk in previous studies; however, the results are controversial. We performed a meta-analysis of previous studies and quantitatively estimated these associations. Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane Library Database were searched for published case-control studies evaluating the association between C677T (or A1298C) and prostate cancer risk. Pooled associations were presented as odds ratios (ORs) along with their 95% confidence intervals. Twenty-one case control studies were identified for meta-analysis that included 21,581 participants. No significant associations were found between the MTHFR polymorphisms C677T or A1298C and prostate cancer risk in our meta-analysis. However, in subgroup analyses, the C677T CT polymorphism was associated with increased prostate cancer risk in East Asians (CT vs CC+TT: OR = 1.324, P = 0.03). The A1298C CC polymorphism in MTHFR was also linked to slightly reduced prostate cancer risk in European residents (CC vs AC+AA: OR = 0.751, P = 0.004; CC vs AA: OR = 0.768, P = 0.011), whereas it was associated with a significantly increased prostate cancer risk in Asian residents (CC vs AA: OR = 1.862, P = 0.006). The C677T CT polymorphism of MTHFR may be a risk factor for prostate cancer in East Asians. The association between the MTHFR A1298C CC genotype and prostate cancer risk may vary within different populations. Large-scale well-designed studies are required to confirm these associations.

One-step synthesis of multiatom Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states.

A scheme is proposed for generating maximally entangled Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) atomic states for testing quantum nonlocality. In the scheme, three atoms are simultaneously sent through a nonresonant cavity in a vacuum state. They are initially in the same state, and thus there is no energy exchange in the process. The cavity-assisted collision results in a phase-shift which depends upon the collective atomic excitations. In principle, the scheme can be generalized to generate N-atom GHZ states. The scheme is insensitive to cavity decay and requires only one cavity, providing new prospects for testing fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics and for quantum information processing.