Retraction of "miR-223-3p alleviates TGF-ß-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix deposition by targeting SP3 in endometrial epithelial cells".

[This retracts the article DOI: 10.1515/med-2022-0424.].

The pathological and therapeutic roles of mesenchymal stem cells in preeclampsia.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have made progress in the treatment of ischemic and inflammatory diseases. Preeclampsia (PE) is characterized by placenta ischemic and inflammatory injury. Our paper summarized the new role of MSCs in PE pathology and its potency in PE therapy and analyzed its current limitations. Intravenously administered MSCs dominantly distributed in perinatal tissues. There may be additional advantages to using MSCs-based therapies for reproductive disorders. It will provide new ideas for future research in this field.

MiR-4284 inhibits sensitivity to paclitaxel in human ovarian carcinoma SKOV3ip1 and HeyA8 cells by targeting DMC1.

An increasing number of studies have confirmed that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in various biological processes, including tumor growth and drug resistance. MiR-4284 has been proved to be abnormally regulated in several cancers, but the function of miR-4284 in ovarian carcinoma (OC) is unclear. Paclitaxel resistance is a key obstacle in OC treatment. Here, the role of miR-4284 in cell sensitivity to paclitaxel in OC was investigated. Two OC cell lines (SKOV3ip1 and HeyA8) were utilized for the establishment of paclitaxel-resistant cell lines. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was applied to analyze the levels of miR-4284 and potential mRNAs in OC cell lines. Western blotting was performed to evaluate the levels of DNA meiotic recombinase 1 (DMC1) protein and cell cycle-associated proteins. Identification of the relationship between miR-4284 and DMC1 was achieved by luciferase reporter assay. CCK-8 and flow cytometry assays were utilized for evaluating the impact of miR-4284 on the malignant characteristics of paclitaxel-resistant OC cells. MiR-4284 was upregulated in paclitaxel-resistant OC cell lines and correlated with an adverse prognosis in OC patients. Depletion of miR-4284 suppressed cell proliferation and cell cycle progression of paclitaxel-resistant OC. MiR-4284 targeted DMC1 which was downregulated in paclitaxel-resistant cells and reversed the inhibitory influence of miR-4284 silencing on the malignant characters of paclitaxel-resistant OC cells. MiR-4284 targets DMC1 to suppress sensitivity to paclitaxel in human OC cells.

miR-223-3p alleviates TGF-ß-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix deposition by targeting SP3 in endometrial epithelial cells.

Intrauterine adhesion (IUA) is the clinical manifestation of endometrial fibrosis. The dysregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been confirmed to implicate in a diversity of human diseases, including IUA. Nevertheless, the specific function of miR-223-3p in IUA remains to be clarified. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis displayed the downregulation of miR-223-3p in IUA tissues and endometrial epithelial cells (EECs). Results from wound healing assay, Transwell assay and western blotting showed that TGF-ß facilitated the migration and invasion of EECs and induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process as well as extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition. Overexpression of miR-223-3p in EECs was shown to suppress the effects induced by TGF-ß. Bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay revealed the binding relation between miR-223-3p and SP3. SP3 was highly expressed in IUA and its expression was inversely correlated with miR-223-3p expression in IUA tissue samples. Additionally, upregulation of SP3 reversed the influence of miR-223-3p on the phenotypes of EECs. In conclusion, miR-223-3p alleviates TGF-ß-induced cell migration, invasion, EMT process and ECM deposition in EECs by targeting SP3.

MiR-455-5p upregulation in umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells attenuates endometrial injury and promotes repair of damaged endometrium via Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 signaling.

Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) are regarded as an ideal source for clinical use. Increasing evidence has suggested that microRNAs (miRNAs) work as a crucial regulator in the development of plentiful diseases, including intrauterine adhesions (IUA). Herein, we investigated the specific impacts of UCMSCs overexpressing miR-455-5p in IUA. UCMSCs were cocultured with endometrial stromal cells (ESCs). Thirty-two female mice were divided into four different treated groups: sham, model, model + UCMSC-miR-NC and model + UCMSC-miR-455-5p. Mice in model groups were induced by uterine curettage. MiR-455-5p overexpressed UCMSCs facilitated the proliferation and cell cycle progression of ESCs according to 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine assay and flow cytometry analysis. Hematoxylin-eosin and Masson staining revealed that miR-455-5p upregulation in UCMSCs increased the number of endometrial glands and suppressed endometrial fibrosis in murine uterine tissues. Western blotting displayed that miR-455-5p overexpressed UCMSCs promoted the activation of Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (JAK/STAT3) signaling in ESCs and murine uterine tissues. Mechanistically, miR-455-5p targeted 3' untranslated region of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), which was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay. Reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that miR-455-5p was lowly expressed and SOCS3 was highly expressed in murine uterine tissues of IUA model. Moreover, Pearson correlation analysis showed that their expression was inversely correlated. Rescue assays suggested that inhibiting JAK/STAT3 signaling reversed effects of miR-455-5p on the behaviors of ESCs. The results indicated that miR-455-5p overexpression in UCMSCs helps to attenuate endometrial injury and repair damaged endometrium by activating SOCS3-mediated JAK/STAT3 signaling.

Global stability of multi-group viral models with general incidence functions.

In this paper, strongly connected and non-strongly connected multi-group viral models with time delays and general incidence functions are considered. Employing the Lyapunov functional method and a graph-theoretic approach, we show that the global dynamics of the strongly connected system are determined by the basic reproduction number under some reasonable conditions for incidence functions. In addition, we find a more complex and more interesting result for multi-group viral models with non-strongly connected networks because of the basic reproduction numbers corresponding to each strongly connected component. Finally, we provide simulations for non-strongly connected multi-group viral models to support our conclusion.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Ephippus orbis (Perciformes: Ephippidae).

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Ephippus orbis has been sequenced. The mitochondrial genome is 16 670 bp in length, containing 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and one control region. The gene order and the composition of E. orbis mitochondrial genome were similar to that of most other vertebrates. The overall nucleotides base composition of the heavy strand is A (27.17%), G (16.41%), C (31.46%), and T (24.96%). With the exception of the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 (ND6) and eight tRNA genes, all other mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand. Seen from the phylogenetic tree ( Figure 1 ), E. orbis, Platax teira, and Platax orbicularis from the same family (Ephippidae) clustered into one branch and were significantly divergent from the other families of closely related fish species.

Electrochemiluminescence immunosensor for α-fetoprotein using Ru(bpy)3(2+)-encapsulated liposome as labels.

In this work, an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensor for ultrasensitive detection of α-fetoprotein (AFP) was fabricated using Ru(bpy)(3)(2+)-encapsulated liposome as the label and electrodeposited gold nanoparticles (GNPs) as the immobilizing support. Great signal amplification was achieved since liposome could encapsulate large amount of reporter molecules and GNPs could provide large active surface. Under optimized conditions, with sandwich type format, a linear range of AFP from 0.005 to 0.2 pg/mL and an extremely low detection limit of 0.001 pg/mL was obtained, much lower than that in previous reports. The proposed ECL immnuosensor showed high sensitivity, specificity, and good stability, which may open a new door to ultrasensitive detection of proteins in clinical analysis.

Effects of conjugated linoleic acid levels and feeding intervals on performance, carcass traits and fatty acid composition of finishing barrows.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on performance, carcass traits, fatty acid composition and subcutaneous adipose tissue cellularity in finishing barrows. In Experiment 1, 54 crossbred barrows were allotted to one of three treatments, with six pens per treatment and three barrows in each pen. The pigs were fed a diet containing 0, 2, or 4% CLA oil for 6 weeks. Daily gain (P < 0.01) and feed efficiency (P < 0.01) improved with dietary CLA. Loin muscle area (P = 0.01) and intramuscular fat (P = 0.01) increased while 10th rib fat (P = 0.03) and last rib fat (P = 0.02) thickness decreased with increasing dietary CLA. Total CLA isomers increased (P < 0.01) with increasing dietary CLA. Myristic, palmitic and stearic acid levels were increased while oleic, linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic acid decreased in loin muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue. In Experiment 2, barrows (n = 54) were allotted to one of two treatments with nine pens per treatment and three pigs in each pen. Pigs were fed a diet supplemented with 4% CLA for 3 or 6 weeks before slaughter. Over the entire experimental period, daily gain and feed efficiency were higher (P < 0.01) when CLA was fed for a longer period. Loin muscle area (P < 0.01) and intramuscular fat (P < 0.01) increased while backfat thickness at the 10th (P = 0.03) and last rib (P = 0.04) decreased when CLA was fed for 6 vs. 3 weeks. The number of cells in subcutaneous adipose tissue was not affected while adipocyte volume decreased (P = 0.01) with longer feeding time on dietary CLA. The increased CLA content of pork from CLA fed pigs provides the pork industry with an opportunity to provide value-added, healthful meat products for human consumption with respect to CLA intake and potential improvements in human health.

Role of TFF in healing of stress-induced gastric lesions.

AIM: To determine the changes of pS2 and ITF of TFF expression in gastric mucosa and the effect on ulcer healing of pS2, ITF to Water-immersion and restraint stress (WRS) in rats. METHODS: Wistar rats were exposed to single or repeated WRS for 4 h every other day for up to 6 days.Gastric mucosal blood flow (GMBF) was measured by LDF-3 flowmeter and the extent of gastric mucosal lesions were evaluated grossly and histologically. Expression of pS2 and ITF mRNA was determined by RT-PCR. Immunohistochemistry was used to further detect the expression of pS2 and ITF. RESULTS: WRS applied once produced numerous gastric mucosal erosions, but the number of these lesions gradually declined and GMBF restored at 2, 4, 8 h after stress. The area of gastric mucosal lesion was reduced by 64.9 % and GMBF was increased by 89.8 % at 8 h. The healing of stress-induced ulcerations was accompanied by increased expression of pS2 (0.51+/-0.14 vs 0.77+/-0.11, P<0.01) and ITF (0.022+/-0.001 vs 0.177+/-0.010, P<0.01). The results were demonstrated further by immunohistochemistry of pS2 (0.95+/-0.11 vs 1.41+/-0.04, P<0.01) and ITF (0.134+/-0.001 vs 0.253+/-0.01,P<0.01). With repeated WRS, adaptation to this WRS developed, the area of gastric mucosal lesions was reduced by 22.0 % after four consecutive WRS. This adaptation to WRS was accompanied by increased GMBF (being increased by 94.2 %), active cell proliferation in the neck region of gastric glands, and increased expression of pS2 (0.37+/-0.02 vs 0.77+/-0.01, P<0.01) and ITF (0.040+/- 0.001 vs 0.372+/-0.010, P<0.01). The result was demonstrated further by immunohistochemistry of pS2 (0.55+/-0.04 vs 2.46+/-0.08, P<0.01) and ITF (0.134+/-0.001 vs 0.354+/-0.070, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: TFF may not only participate in the early phase of epithelial repair known as restitution (maked by increased cell migration), but also play an important role in the subsequent, protracted phase of glandular renewal(made by cell proliferation).