Sustained BMP-2 release and platelet rich fibrin synergistically promote tendon-bone healing after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in rat

OBJECTIVE

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries which cause knee disabilities remain a clinical challenge due to the compromised tendon-bone repair. Multiple strategies have been proposed to treat the tendon-bone injuries, and the combination of these therapies hold great potential to achieve synergistic effects.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We built PLGA-BMP-2 (bone morphogenetic protein 2) system and confirmed the sustained release of BMP-2 both in vitro and in vivo. We then applied different therapies to treat rat ACL reconstruction. We collected the tissue sample and analyzed the BMP-2 concentration both in serum and in injured sites. We tested the mRNA expression of genes that were related to inflammation, tissue repair and bone formation in damaged tissues. We also analyzed the protein levels of some genes associated with tendon formation and check the function of newly generated bone through biomechanical test.

RESULTS

We found that, compared to monotherapies, simultaneous utilization of sustained BMP-2 release and platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction showed better therapeutic effects on tendon-bone healing in rat. This combined therapy efficiently enhanced the levels of growth factors that favor the angiogenesis and relieved the inflammatory responses in the injured sites. Of note, the combined therapy efficiently promoted the signals associated with bone formation and tendon regeneration.

CONCLUSIONS

We demonstrated that the combined therapy with BMP-2 and PRF achieves synergistic effects on tendon-bone healing and holds great potential for the treatment of ACL reconstruction.

Analysis of Characteristics and Relevant Factors of 1 340 Cases of Intentional Injury Cases in Southwest China

Abstract

Objective To investigate the characteristics and patterns of factors such as victims' information, injury tools and time of occurrence of intentional injury cases in southwest China. Methods One thousand three hundred and forty intentional injury cases from several places in southwest China from 2014 to 2016 assessed as minor injury level Ⅱ and above had been randomly selected. Data on victims' information, motives, injury tools, sites of occurrence, time of occurrence, injured parts and degrees of injury were classified and gathered, and then association analyses of motives and types of injury tools as well as degrees of injury and injury tools were made. Results Most of the victims were young adults between 20-50 years （65.2%）, male （82.3%）, rural household registration （62.8%）; the motives were mainly dispute （45.8%）. Injury tools were mostly blunt （54.6%） or sharp （36.0%）. Specifically, injuries were mostly made bare-handed （36.9%） and by cutting tools （33.2%）; the cases mainly occurred in public areas （59.0%）. Cases occurred more frequently in January （11.3%）, February （13.1%）, March （11.6%） and from 22：00 to 01：00 every night. Injuries mainly involved the craniofacial region. The wounds were mainly assessed as minor injury level Ⅱ （61.6%）. There was statistical significance in the difference of types of injury tools among cases with different motives （P<0.05）. There was statistical significance in the difference of the distribution of injury tools among cases with different degrees of injury （P<0.05）. Conclusion The occurrence of intentional injury cases in southwest China has potential patterns and relevant influencing factors. Prevention and analysis of such cases need to be comprehensively considered from the aspects such as victims' information, injury tools and time of occurrence.

A review on occurrence and risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in lakes of China

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) residues have attracted attention worldwide. This study summarizes the current levels of PAH exposure in the water environments of lakes. In addition, the risk levels from individual PAHs and ΣPAHs in the water environments of lakes in China were evaluated by incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) assessment, the toxic equivalent concentration (TEQ_BaP), the risk quotient (RQ), the effects range-low (ERL) and the effects range-median (ERM). The results showed that the concentrations of ∑PAHs in water and sediment ranged from 4.0 to 12,970.8 ng L^-1 and 6.52 to 7935.21 ng g^-1, respectively, and the highest concentrations of individual PAHs were of naphthalene (Nap) (6525 ng L^-1), followed by indeno(1,2,3‑cd)pyrene (IcdP) (3452.6 ng g^-1). Concentrations in the Great Lakes region in China showed spatial difference, with the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Lakes District and Mongolia-Xinjiang Lakes District being less polluted. However, the pollution level of PAHs in lakes is relatively high at the global scale. The ecological risk assessment found a moderate level of ∑PAHs in water, but benz(a)anthracene (BaA) and phenanthrene (Phe) had high RQ values, which might pose a significant risk to aquatic organisms in lakes. Although the contents of ∑PAHs in sediments are low, most individual PAHs pose potential risks, especially acenaphthene (Ace), fluorene (Flu) and dibenz(a,h)anthracene (DahA). This study revealed the pollution levels of PAHs across China and provided a scientific basis for PAH pollution control and environmental protection.

Evolution and persistence of resistance-associated substitutions of hepatitis C virus after direct-acting antiviral treatment failures

Daclatasvir plus asunaprevir (DCV+ASV) treatment is an all-oral direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy for the genotype 1b HCV-infected patients. In this study, we investigated how resistance-associated substitutions (RASs) evolved after treatment failures and assessed the effect of those substitutions on viral fitness. Sequencing of NS5A and NS3 revealed typical RASs after treatment failures. Interestingly, the RASs of NS3 reverted to the wild-type amino acid within 1 year after treatment failures. However, the RASs of NS5A were stable and did not change. The effect of NS5A and NS3 RASs on viral RNA replication was assessed after mutagenic substitution in the genotype 1b HCV RNA. Among single substitutions, the effect of D168V was more substantial than the others and the effect of the triple mutant combination (D168V+L31V+Y93H) was the most severe. The RAS at NS5A Y93 affected both viral RNA replication and virus production. Finally, the effect of trans-complementation of NS5A was demonstrated in our co-transfection experiments and these results suggest that such a trans-complementation effect of NS5A may help maintain the NS5A RASs for a long time even after cessation of the DAA treatment. In conclusion, the results from this investigation would help understand the emergence and persistence of RASs.

Growth arrest specific 1 (Gas1) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor receptor α1 (Gfrα1), two mouse oocyte glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, are involved in fertilisation

Recently, Juno, the oocyte receptor for Izumo1, a male immunoglobulin, was discovered. Juno is an essential glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GIP)-anchored protein. This result did not exclude the participation of other GIP-anchored proteins in this process. After bibliographic and database searches we selected five GIP-anchored proteins (Cpm, Ephrin-A4, Gas1, Gfra1 and Rgmb) as potential oocyte candidates participating in fertilisation. Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses showed that only three were present on the mouse ovulated oocyte membrane and, of these, only two were clearly involved in the fertilisation process, namely growth arrest specific 1 (Gas1) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor receptor α1 (Gfrα1). This was demonstrated by evaluating oocyte fertilisability after treatment of oocytes with antibodies against the selected proteins, with their respective short interference RNA or both. Gfrα1 and Gas1 seem to be neither redundant nor synergistic. In conclusion, oocyte Gas1 and Gfrα1 are both clearly involved in fertilisation.

Interface effect on the cohesive energy of nanostructured materials and substrate-supported nanofilms

The cohesive energy is a key quantity to determine the mechanical, physical, chemical, and electronic properties of materials.

Atf3 deficiency promotes genome instability and spontaneous tumorigenesis in mice

Mice lacking genes involving in the DNA damage response (DDR) are often tumor prone owing to genome instability caused by oncogenic challenges. Previous studies demonstrate that activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), a common stress sensor, can activate the tumor suppressor p53 and regulate expression of p53 target genes upon DNA damage. However, whether ATF3 contributes to the maintenance of genome stability and tumor suppression remains unknown. Here we report that Atf3-deficient (Atf3^-/-) mice developed spontaneous tumors, and died significantly earlier than wild-type (Atf3^+/+) mice. Consistent with these results, Atf3^-/- mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) had more aberrant chromosomes and micronuclei, and were genetically unstable. Whereas we demonstrated that ATF3 activated p53 and promoted its pro-apoptotic activity in mouse thymi and small intestines, the chromosomal instability caused by Atf3 deficiency was largely dependent on the regulation of p53 by ATF3. Interestingly, loss of Atf3 also promoted spontaneous tumorigenesis in Trp53^+/- mice, but did not affect tumor formation in Trp53^-/- mice. Our results thus provide the first genetic evidence linking ATF3 to the suppression of the early development of cancer, and underscore the importance of ATF3 in the maintenance of genome integrity.

Association between Toll-like receptor 4 Asp299Gly polymorphism and coronary heart disease susceptibility

Published data on the association between Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) Asp299Gly polymorphism and coronary heart disease (CHD) susceptibility are inconclusive. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed. English-language studies were identified by searching PubMed and Embase databases (up to November 2016). All epidemiological studies were regarding Caucasians because no TLR4 Asp/Gly and Gly/Gly genotypes have been detected in Asians. A total of 20 case-control studies involving 14,416 cases and 10,764 controls were included in the meta-analysis. Overall, no significant associations were found between TLR4 Asp299Gly polymorphism and CHD susceptibility in the dominant model (OR=0.89; 95%CI=0.74 to 1.06; P=0.20) pooled in the meta-analysis. In the subgroup analysis by CHD, non-significant associations were found in cases compared to controls. When stratified by control source, no significantly decreased risk was found in the additive model or dominant model. The present meta-analysis suggests that the TLR4 Asp299Gly polymorphism was not associated with decreased CHD risk in Caucasians.

Tissue-specific effects of estrogen on glycerol channel aquaporin 7 expression in an ovariectomized mouse model of menopause

OBJECTIVE

Elevated fat mass and redistribution of body fat are commonly observed in postmenopausal women. Aquaporin 7 (AQP7), a unique glycerol permeable integral membrane protein, has been associated with the onset of obesity. We hypothesized that estrogen supplementation could counteract this fat accumulation and redistribution through tissue-specific modulation of AQP7.

METHODS

We measured fat depot weight, adipocyte size, and the expression of AQP7 and glycerol kinase (GK) in visceral and subcutaneous fat tissues of ovariectomized mice supplemented with or without 17β-estradiol.

RESULTS

Removal of the ovaries resulted in a significant decrease in AQP7 expression and an increase in GK expression in visceral adipocyte tissue; expression of AQP7 and GK in subcutaneous adipose tissue remained unaltered. Supplementation with estrogen significantly restored the visceral, but not subcutaneous, fat depot mass and adipocyte size to those of sham-operated mice. A marked increase in the expression of AQP7 and a reduction of GK were observed selectively in the visceral fat depots in estrogen-treated mice.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that estrogen has tissue-specific effects on AQP7 expression, and modulation of AQP7 by estrogen alters the balance of adipocyte metabolism between adipose tissue depots.

Dysfunction of the WT1-MEG3 signaling promotes AML leukemogenesis via p53-dependent and -independent pathways

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a pivotal role in tumorigenesis, exemplified by the recent finding that lncRNA maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) inhibits tumor growth in a p53-dependent manner. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common malignant myeloid disorder in adults, and TP53 mutations or loss are frequently detected in patients with therapy-related AML or AML with complex karyotype. Here, we reveal that MEG3 is significantly downregulated in AML and suppresses leukemogenesis not only in a p53-dependent, but also a p53-independent manner. In addition, MEG3 is proven to be transcriptionally activated by Wilms’ tumor 1 (WT1), dysregulation of which by epigenetic silencing or mutations is causally involved in AML. Therefore MEG3 is identified as a novel target of the WT1 molecule. Ten–eleven translocation-2 (TET2) mutations frequently occur in AML and significantly promote leukemogenesis of this disorder. In our study, TET2, acting as a cofactor of WT1, increases MEG3 expression. Taken together, our work demonstrates that TET2 dysregulated WT1-MEG3 axis significantly promotes AML leukemogenesis, paving a new avenue for diagnosis and treatment of AML patients.

[Expression of LIM and SH3 protein 1 in renal clear cell carcinoma and its effects on invasion and migration of renal clear cell carcinoma 786-O cells]

Objective: To investigate the expression of LIM and SH3 protein 1 (LASP1) in renal cell carcinoma and its significance in the invasion and migration of renal clear cell carcinoma 786-O cell line. Methods: The expression level of LASP1 in 41 cases of renal cell carcinoma tissues and normal renal tissues was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The relationship between the expression level of LASP1 and clinical characteristics was further analyzed. Expression of LASP1 in 10 cases of tumor tissues with or without lymph node metastasis was analyzed by Western blot. Furthermore, small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting LASP1 was constructed and transfected into 786-O cells to downregulate LASP1 expression. The interference effect of LASP1 siRNA on LASP1 protein and the expression of related proteins in epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway were detected by Western blot. The effects of LASP1 knockdown on cell proliferation, migration and invasion and gene expression were then assessed using CCK8 assay, transwell cell migration system and western blot analysis, respectively. Results: The positive rate of LASP1 expression in renal clear cell carcinoma tissues was 90.2% (37/41), which was significantly higher than that in the adjacent tissues (29.3%, P=0.002). The expression of LASP1 in renal cell carcinoma was positively correlated with lymph node metastasis and TNM stage of renal cell carcinoma (P<0.05). The results of Western blot showed that LASP1 (0.696±0.053) was highly expressed in renal cell carcinoma (1.459±0.628), especially in cases with lymph node metastasis (2.692±0.186, P<0.05). The LASP1 siRNA remarkably down-regulated the expression of LASP1 protein in 786-O cells. The abilities of proliferation, invasion and migration of 786-O cells were decreased significantly in the LASP1 siRNA groups.The relative expression of E-cadherin protein in the siRNA group (0.848±0.020) was significantly higher than those in the siRNA-NC group (0.671±0.018) and control group (0.691±0.037, P<0.05). The relative expression of N-cadherin protein in the siRNA group (0.449±0.047) was significantly lower than those in the siRNA-NC group (0.613±0.018) and control group (0.633±0.045, P<0.05). The relative expression of vimentin protein in the siRNA group (0.477±0.029) was significantly lower than those in the siRNA-NC group (0.598±0.069) and control group (0.633±0.045, P<0.05 for both). Conclusions: LASP1 is highly expressed in renal clear cell carcinoma, which is closely related to the development of the cancer. The effects of LASP1 on the invasion and migration of 786-O cells and lymph node metastasis may be related to the EMT.

[Value of prostate volume, PSAD and F/T in the detection of prostate cancer in males with PSA 4-10 μg/L]

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the association of prostate volume, PSAD and F/T with prostate cancer detection rate in males with a total PSA of 4-10 μg/L.

METHODS

Clinical data of 196 patients who underwent prostate biopsy from November 2006 to September 2010 and with a PSA of 4-10 μg/L were retrospectively analyzed. The association of detection rate of prostate cancer with prostate volume, prostate specific antigen density PSAD) and free PSA/total PSA ratio (F/T) was analyzed by Spearman coefficient, receiver operating characteristic curve and logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

The prostate volume, PSAD and F/T had a significant association with detection rate of prostate cancer (P<0.05 for all). The odd ratio was 0.96, 1.91 and 0.02, respectively. The area under curve (AUR) was 0.31, 0.66 and 0.63, respectively. The cancer detection rate was decreased along with the increase of prostate volume. When PSAD 0.15 ng·ml(-1)·ml(-1) was used as the cut-off value, the sensitivity, specificity, positive prediction rate and negative prediction rate was 72.3%, 51.1%, 42.3% and 21.2%, respectively. When the patients were divided by prostate volume into <19.9, 20-39.9, 40-59.9, 60-79.9 and >80 ml subgroups, the cancer detection rate of each subgroup was 50.0%, 45.6%, 30.8%, 15.4% and 5.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

In patients with a total PSA of 4-10 μg/L, the prostate cancer detection rate has a significant association with prostate volume, PSAD and F/T.

Expressions of NDRG1, VEGF and Ki-67 in Condyloma Acuminatum

The objective of this study was to explore the expressions and significance of NDRG1 (N-myc downregulated gene family 1), VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) and Ki-67 in lesions of Condyloma Acuminatum (CA). Immunohistochemistry was adopted to measure the expressions of NDRG1, VEGF and Ki-67 in 48 cases of CA and 18 normal skin controls. The positive rates of NDRG1, VEGF and Ki-67 were 63. 83.33% (40/48), 93.75% (45/48) and 85.42% (41/48) in the CA tissues, and 27.78% (5/18), 94.44%(17/18) and 61.11% (11/18) in the controls, respectively. The intensities of the expressions of NDRG1, VEGF and Ki-67 in CA tissues were significantly higher than those in the controls. There were significant differences both in the positive rates and the expression intensities of NDRG1, VEGF and Ki-67 between the two groups (P less than0.05). The Spearman’s Rank-Order Correlation analysis indicated that the expressions of NDRG1 protein and VEGF protein were positively correlated by the Spearman’s Rank-Order Correlation analysis (r = 0.346, P=0.016). For the CA tissues with high expressions of NDRG1 and VEGF, NDRG1 and VEGF influenced both the occurrence and development of CA.