Astragaloside IV inhibits the proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition of oral cancer cells by aggravating autophagy.

Oral cancer is one usual tumor that sorely affects the health of people and even result into death. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is one of the major components of Astragalus membranaceus extract, and has been identified to exhibit ameliorative functions in some cancers. Nevertheless, the regulatory impacts and correlative pathways of AS-IV in oral cancer remain vague. In this study, it was discovered that cell growth was gradually weakened with the increased dose of AS-IV (25, 50 and 100 µM). Additionally, it was uncovered that AS-IV restrained the EMT progress in oral cancer. The cell migration and invasion abilities were both gradually alleviated after AS-IV treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, AS-IV accelerated autophagy through intensifying LC3II/LC3I level and LC3B fluorescence intensity. At last, it was clarified that AS-IV triggered the AMPK pathway and retarded the AKT/mTOR pathway. In conclusion, AS-IV restrained cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) progress in oral cancer by aggravating autophagy through modulating the AMPK and AKT/mTOR pathways. This work may offer novel evidence on AS-IV in the treatment of oral cancer.

[Retracted] Galectin­3 blockade suppresses the growth of cetuximab­resistant human oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Following the publication of this paper, it was drawn to the Editor's attention by a concerned reader that the colony formation assay data shown in Fig. 4C on p. 6 were strikingly similar to data appearing in different form in other articles written by different authors at different research institutes, which had already been published. Owing to the fact that the contentious data in the above article had already been published prior to its submission to Molecular Medicine Reports, the Editor has decided that this paper should be retracted from the Journal. After having been in contact with the authors, they accepted the decision to retract the paper. The Editor apologizes to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [Molecular Medicine Reports 24: 685, 2021; DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2021.12325].

The influence of bracket torque on external apical root resorption in bimaxillary protrusion patients: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the difference in root resorption between standard torque self-ligating brackets and high torque self-ligating brackets in bimaxillary protrusion patients after orthodontic treatment. METHODS: Pre-treatment and post-treatment Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) of 32 patients (16 treated with the high torque DamonQ 0.022″ bracket and 16 with the 0.022″ standard torque self-ligating bracket) were selected. The first premolars were extracted from all patients before treatment. After mini-screw implants were inserted into the buccal region between the second premolar and first molar, 150 g of force was applied to retract the upper and lower anterior teeth to close the extraction space on each side. CBCT images of all patients were taken before and after treatment. Three-dimensional reconstruction of the maxillary central incisor, lateral incisor and canine was conducted with Mimics 20.0 software. The volumes of the roots were calculated using Gomagics Studio 12.0 software. The differences between the pre-treatment and post-treatment root volumes were statistically evaluated with a paired-samples t-test. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in root resorption degree between the two kinds of torque brackets. The patient's degree of root resorption in the high torque self-ligating group was greater than that in the standard torque group. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference in root external apical resorption between the high torque self-ligating brackets and the standard torque self-ligating brackets in bimaxillary protrusion patients.

Galectin­3 blockade suppresses the growth of cetuximab­resistant human oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a cancer associated with high mortality (accounting for 3.1/100,000 deaths per year in Brazil in 2013) and a high frequency of amplification in the expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Treatment with the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab leads to drug resistance in patients with OSCC due to unknown mechanisms. Galectin­3 (Gal­3) is a ß­galactoside binding lectin that regulates multiple signaling pathways in cells. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of Gal­3 in cetuximab­resistant (cet­R) OSCC. The OSCC HSC3 cell line was selected to establish a mouse xenograft model, which was treated with cetuximab to induce resistance. Subsequently, a Gal­3 inhibitor was used to treat cet­R tumors, and the tumor volume was monitored. The expression of Gal­3, phosphorylated (p)­ERK1/2 and p­Akt was assessed using immunohistochemistry. The combined effect of cetuximab and the Gal­3 inhibitor on HSC3 tumor xenografts was also investigated. HSC3 cells were cultured in vitro to investigate the regulatory effects of Gal­3 on ERK1/2 and Akt via western blotting. In addition, the effects of the Gal­3 inhibitor on the proliferation, colony formation, invasion and apoptosis of HSC3 cells were investigated by performing Cell Counting Kit­8, colony formation, Transwell and apoptosis assays, respectively. In cet­R OSCC tumors, increased expression of Gal­3, p­ERK1/2 and p­Akt was observed. Further research demonstrated that Gal­3 regulated the expression of both ERK1/2 and Akt in HSC3 cells by promoting phosphorylation. Moreover, the Gal­3 inhibitor decreased the proliferation and invasion, but increased the apoptosis of cet­R HSC3 cells. In addition, the Gal­3 inhibitor suppressed the growth of cet­R tumors. Collectively, the results indicated that the Gal­3 inhibitor and cetuximab displayed a synergistic inhibitory effect on OSCC tumors. In summary, the present study demonstrated that Gal­3 may serve an important role in cet­R OSCC. The combination of cetuximab and the Gal­3 inhibitor may display a synergistic antitumor effect, thereby inhibiting the development of cetuximab resistance in OSCC.

The Clinical Features and Prognosis of Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis Depends on Blood Brain Barrier Integrity.

BACKGROUND: Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is an autoimmune nervous system disease that has become increasingly recognized. This retrospective study is aimed to analyze the relations between clinical manifestations and blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity in anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients. METHODS: Anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University from April 2014 to April 2020. Patients were grouped by the normal BBB and damaged BBB groups according to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) albumin/serum albumin (QAlb). Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in peripheral blood was used for estimating the inflammatory status. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) was used to assess prognosis. RESULTS: Seventy-three anti-NMDAR encephalitis patients were diagnosed based on the autoimmune encephalitis diagnosis criteria of 2016. Fifty-three (72.6%) patients were in the normal BBB group and twenty (27.4%) were in the BBB damaged group. There were no significant differences in gender, age, psychiatric disturbances, epilepsy, speech disorder, motor dysfunction, memory dysfunction, and autonomic dysfunction between the two groups (p>0.05). Nevertheless, the proportions of decreased consciousness, ICU admission, NLR, CSF protein and intrathecal IgG synthesis (IgGIF, IgGLoc) in the damaged BBB group were higher than that in the normal BBB group (p<0.05). Patients (79.2%) with normal BBB had good prognosis compared to patients with damaged BBB (50%) after 2 months follow-up. The median mRS before and after immunotherapy in the damaged BBB group were significantly higher than that in the normal BBB group (p<0.01, p<0.05, respectively). Additionally, QAlb increased was positively correlated with the quantitative intrathecal IgG synthesis (IgGLoc: r=0.66; IgGIF: r=0.433, all p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The dysfunction of BBB can be helpful in evaluating its prognosis since QAlb showed associations with ICU admission, NLR, a higher CSF protein, intrathecal IgG synthesis (IgGLoc, IgGIF) and mRS score after 2 months follow-up.

KCNQ1OT1 promotes migration and inhibits apoptosis by modulating miR-185-5p/Rab14 axis in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play essential roles in the regulation of gene transcription in carcinogenesis and metastasis via interacting with microRNA. In this study, we explored the expressions and functions of lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 and miR-185-5p in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells. KCNQ1OT1 expression in OSCC tissues and cells was examined by qRT-PCR. Small interfering RNAs against KCNQ1OT1 (si- KCNQ1OT1) were used to knockdown KCNQ1OT1 in OSCC cells. Cell function was assessed by wound healing assay, transwell assay, and apoptosis detection. The binding region between KCNQ1OT1 and miR-185-5p was confirmed by luciferase assays. MiR-185-5p expression was measured by qRT-PCR. Rab14 was confirmed as a downstream target gene of miR-185-5p by measuring luciferase activities. The protein level of Rab14 in OSCC cells transfected with miR-185-5p or si-KCNQ1OT1 was determined by Western blot. The OSCC cell function and Rab14 expression after co-transfection of si-KCNQ1OT1 and miR-185-5p inhibitor were also examined. KCNQ1OT1 was upregulated in OSCC tissues and cells. KCNQ1OT1 silencing suppressed OSCC cell malignancy and downregulated miR-185-5p level, which showed upregulated expression in OSCC samples. Rab14 as a target gene of miR-185-5p was highly expressed in OSCC. KCNQ1OT1 knockdown impaired the invasion capability of OSCC cells, promoted apoptosis, and suppressed Rab14 expression. The inhibition of miR-185-5p in KCNQ1OT1 silencing cells reversed the suppression of Rab14 and restored the cancerous growth of OSCC cells. These results indicated that KCNQ1OT1 promoted OSCC tumorigenesis via the modulation of miR-185-5p/Rab14 axis, which may serve as a therapeutic target for the treatment of OSCC.

Tardive intermittent massive vaginal bleeding from abnormal blood vessels within cesarean scar: Two more new cases should bring our attention to a new entity.

The two cases in this report had intermittent massive vaginal bleeding with a distant history of cesarean delivery. Such severe bleeding was life-threating but was eventually cured by surgical management. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second report of cases of tardive vaginal bleeding caused by abnormal blood vessels embedded within cesarean scars. The two new cases in this report suggest a novel cause of tardive vaginal bleeding, which should bring our special attention to post-cesarean clinical practice.

[Clinical comparison of four treatment methods for cesarean scar pregnancy].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the best approach to treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). METHODS: A total of 138 patients with CSP treated between January and December, 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were treated with conservative drug therapy, direct curettage, uterine curettage after embolization, or open or transvaginal surgery. The amount of blood loss, proportion of patients with blooding loss greater than 50 mL, hospitalization days, and hospitalization expenses were compared among the groups. RESULTS: The median volume of blood loss was 370 mL in the conservative treatment group, 59 mL in direct curettage group, 67 mL in interventional therapy group, and 1425 mL in the surgical group, and the proportion of patients with blood loss over 50 mL was 76.9%, 38.8%, 27.5%, and 100% in the 4 groups, respectively. The midian hospital stay of the 4 groups was 9.0, 4.0, 6.0 and 10.0 days, with median hospitalization expenses of 12281.0, 3843.5, 14805.0, and 17202.2 RMB Yuan, respectively. All these data were significantly different among the 4 groups (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Direct curettage surgery should be encouraged for treatment of CSP. Embolization therapy can reduce the risk of bleeding but is associated with potential complications and more costly, and should be performed with caution. Open or trasnvaginal surgery can be considered in difficult cases of CSP, and its combination with interventional therapy is an option to better preserving the uterus.

[In vitro study of the effect of nm23-H1 on metastasis ability and chemo-sensitivity of Acc-M cell lines].

OBJECTIVE: To transfect nm23-H1 into the Acc-M cell lines in a safe, high-efficiency and low-toxicity way, and then to find out whether nm23-H1 affects the metastasis ability and chemo-sensitivity of Acc-M cell lines. METHODS: Lipofect was used to transfect nm23-H1 into Acc-M cell lines. The difference in expression of nm23-H1 between the transfected and non-transfected cell lines was detected by immunohistochemistry. Then by use of transwell-room and wash way, the difference in invasion and metastasis ability between the transfected and non-transfected cell lines was tested. MTT method was adopted in finding the change of chemo-sensitivity. RESULTS: Using pCMV-Neo-Bam system, we observed the stable expression of nm23-H1 and the significant difference in Nucleoside Diphosphate kinase-A, expression between the transfected and non-transfected Acc-M cell lines. The metastasis ability of transfected Acc-M cell lines decreased significantly. The chemo-sensitivity of transfected Acc-M cell line to cis-diamminedichloroplatin (C-DDP) increased significantly. CONCLUSION: nm23-H1 can inhibit the metastases of Acc-M cell lines significantly and can increase the chemo-sensitivity to C-DDP significantly.

[Transfection of the nm23-H1 gene into BcaCD885 cell line inhibits the potential of invasion, adhesion and mobility].

OBJECTIVE: To transfect nm23-H1 into the BcaCD885 cell lines in order to get safe high-efficiency and low-toxicity, and to find out whether nm23-H1 could affect the invasion and metastases ability of BcaCD885 cell lines. METHODS: Lipofect was used to transfect nm23-H1 into BcaCD885 cell lines; immunohistochemistry was used to detect the difference expression of nm23-H1 between transfected and non-transfected cell lines; then transwell-room and wash way were used to detect the difference of invasion and metastases ability between transfected and non-transfected cell lines. RESULTS: PCMV-NEO-BAM system gave the stability expression of nm23-H1; there was significant different NDPKA expression between transfected and non-transfected BcaCD885 cell lines; the invasion and metastases ability of transfected BcaCD885 cell lines decreased obviously. CONCLUSION: nm23-H1 can inhibit the metastases of BcaCD885 cell lines significantly.

[Behavior of bone formation around the porous-hollow cylindrical titanium implant composed of bone morphogenetic protein].

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to observe the behavior of bone formation around the titanium-hollow porous cylinder implant composed of bovine bone morphogentic protein(bBMP). METHODS: Porous-hollow cylinder titanium implant composed of bBMP was implanted into mandibule of dogs. Multiple fluorescent was labeled at different times and then LSCM was used to observe the newly formed bone around the complex implant. RESULTS: The newly formed bone around the complex implant in experimental group was more obvious than that in other groups. CONCLUSION: Earlier, longer and more new-bone formation can be induced by porous-hollow cylinder titanium implant composed of bBMP, and LSCM is an effective method to observe new bone formation around implant.