New insights into implication of the SLIT/ROBO pathway in the prehierarchical follicle development of hen ovary

The SLIT/Roundabout (ROBO) pathway is involved in follicle development of mammalian ovary, and 2 secreted hormones activin A and inhibin A have potential roles in modulation of the SLIT/ROBO system, but the related actions remain poorly understood in bird. The aims of the present study were to examine the spatial and temporal expression of the SLIT ligand genes (SLIT1, SLIT2, and SLIT3) and their receptor ROBO1, ROBO2, ROBO3, and ROBO4 genes in various-sized prehierarchical follicles during hen ovary development and the effects of activin A and inhibin A on the expression of these genes in the cultured hen follicles. Our result demonstrated that the transcripts of the 3 SLIT genes were highly expressed in the developing follicles and expression patterns of the SLIT transcripts were different from those of ROBO genes detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Both SLIT and ROBO transcripts were predominantly expressed in oocytes and granulosa cells from the prehierarchichal follicles examined by in situ hybridization. The localization for SLIT and ROBO proteins was revealed by immunohistochemistry similar to the spatial distribution of their transcript. In cultured follicles (4 to 8 mm in diameter), the expression levels of SLIT and ROBO members are hormonally regulated by activin A (10 ng/mL) and/or inhibin A (20 ng/mL) after treatment for 24 h. However, the expression of only SLIT2, SLIT3, and ROBO3 mRNA presented a directly opposite response to activin A and inhibin A hormones. These results indicate that SLIT/ROBO pathway is implicated in the prehierarchical follicular development of the hen ovary by an intrafollicular autocrine and/or paracrine action, and is influenced by activin A and inhibin A hormones.

Inhalation of recombinant adenovirus expressing granulysin protects mice infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Granulysin is a cytolytic molecule with perforin and granzymes that is expressed by activated human CTLs, NK and γδ T cells, and it has broad antimicrobial activity, including to drug-sensitive and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We hypothesized that approaches facilitating the expression of granulysin in M. tuberculosis-infected host cells in the lung may provide a novel treatment strategy for pulmonary TB. In this study, a recombinant replication-deficient adenovirus serotype 5-based rAdhGLi was constructed that expressed human granulysin in the cytosol of the U937 and RAW264.7 macrophage-like cell lines as confirmed by western blotting and co-localization technology using indirect immunofluorescence staining. Ninety-six hours after both cell lines were infected with M. tuberculosis, acid-fast staining and enumeration demonstrated that rAdhGLi-treated cells had a lower colony-forming units (CFU) of intracellular bacteria than culture medium or AdNull controls. Granulysin was only expressed in the lung and not in other organs following inhalation of rAdhGLi. In particular, immunocompetent BALB/c mice or SCID mice intranasally infected with ~200 CFU of virulent M. tuberculosis H37Rv intranasally were treated with rAdhGLi, and they showed decreased bacterial loads in the lung when compared with phosphate-buffered saline or AdNull controls. Importantly, a clear dose-dependent rAdhGLi treatment efficacy was found in infected BALB/c mice, with the most significant reduction in lung bacteria obtained in BALB/c mice treated with 10(9) plaque-forming units of rAdhGLi without any pathological changes. Our study indicates that rAdhGLi may be used as a novel and efficient treatment strategy with the capability to directly kill intracellular M. tuberculosis.

Sorafenib combined with percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of medium-sized hepatocellular carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

Sorafenib, an oral multikinase inhibitor, is the proved therapy method for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Based on heat delivery, Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been found to achieve complete neoplasm necrosis. It is the most widely performed percutaneous therapy for HCC. However, Study associated combined Sorafenib with RFA therapy for patients with advanced HCC has never been reported. The aim of present study is to explore the efficacy and safety of sorafenib combined with RFA therapy for the patients with medium-sized HCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 62 patients diagnosed as HCC were involved in this study. All patients were randomly assigned to sorafenib and RFA (n=30) or RFA-alone (n=32) treatment groups. Treatment outcomes, including recurrence rates, time to progression (TTP) and adverse reactions induced by sorafenib were observed and recorded to assess the efficacy and safety of the combination method.

RESULTS

During the overall follow-up period, the recurrence rate of the combination subgroup was 56.7% (17/30), and that of the RFA-alone subgroup was 87.5% (28/32) (p < 0.01). The median TTP was 17.0 months in the combination therapy vs. 6.1 months in the RFA-alone (p < 0.05). Hand-foot skin reactions were reported by 83.3% (25/30) of patients and 46.7% (14/30) reported diarrhea while the most adverse events (AEs) were mild to moderate in the combination subgroup.

CONCLUSIONS

Sorafenib combined with RFA significantly decreased recurrence rates and prolonged the survival time of medium-sized HCC patients. The combination therapy is safer and more effective than the control without unexpected side effects. Furthermore, the earlier application, the better results were.

Osterix couples chondrogenesis and osteogenesis in post-natal condylar growth

Osterix (Osx) is a transcription factor essential for osteoblast differentiation and bone mineralization. Although there are indications that Osx also plays a regulatory role in cartilage, this has not been well-studied. The goal of this study was to define the function of Osx in the post-natal growth of the secondary cartilage at the mandibular condyle. Conditional Osx knockout (cKO) mice that were missing Osx only in cartilage were generated by crossing Osx-loxP mice to Aggrecan-Cre mice. Cre activity was induced by tamoxifen injection twice a week from day 12 to 1 mo of age, and specimens were collected at 1 and 5 mo of age. At 1 mo of age, the condylar hypertrophic chondrocyte zone in the cKO-mice was > three-fold thicker than that in the age-matched control, with little sign of endochondral bone formation. Immunohistochemistry and analysis of histological data revealed a defect in the coupling of chondrogenesis and osteogenesis in the cKO mice. In five-month-old mice examined to address whether late-stage removal of the Cre-deletion event would alleviate the phenotype, the hypertrophic chondrocyte zone in the cKO condyles was considerably larger than in wild-type mice. There were large discrete areas of calcified cartilage in the hypertrophic zone, few signs of endochondral bone formation, and large regions of disorganized intramembranous bone. Analysis of these data further strengthens the notion that Osterix is essential for the coupling of terminal cartilage differentiation and endochondral ossification in mandibular condylar cartilage.

A novel way to statistically analyze morphologic changes in Dmp1-null osteocytes

Recent studies have revealed multiple roles of osteocytes in bone metabolism. However, detailed analyses of the embedded osteocytes in bone structure are still limited because of the high mineral content around these cells. In this study, we developed an innovative technique, the "FITC-Imaris technique", which combines FITC ([2, 5]-Fluorescein isothiocyanate), confocal microscopy and Imaris software. With this method, we could not only visualize the 3-D morphology of embedded osteocytes, but more importantly, we were able to statistically quantitate the osteocyte structure in the cell surface area, total cell volume, and dendrite numbers. Furthermore, we made a side-by-side comparison of the new method with the acid-etched SEM imaging technique, a common imaging method for studies of osteocyte morphology with a much smaller cell depth (< 3 μm). Finally, we used the FITC-Imaris technique to show both the morphological and statistical differences in the osteocyte structure between the Dmp1-null mice (the osteomalacia model) and their age-matched control littermates. We expect that this newly developed technique will become a powerful tool to disclose more roles that osteocytes play in bone health and diseases.

Ageing alters behavioural function and brain arginine metabolism in male Sprague-Dawley rats

A growing body of evidence suggests the involvement of L-arginine and its metabolites in the ageing and neurodegenerative processes. The present study assessed behavioural performance in 4- (young), 12- (middle-aged) and 24- (aged) month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats, and investigated age-related changes in the activity of two key arginine metabolic enzymes, nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and arginase, and the levels of L-arginine and its downstream metabolites in a number of memory-related brain structures. Aged rats were less anxious and performed poorly in the water maze task relative to the young and middle-aged rats, and both middle-aged and aged rats displayed reduced exploratory activity relative to the young ones. There were significant age-related changes in NOS and arginase activities, and the levels of L-arginine, L-citrulline, L-ornithine, agmatine, putrescine, spermidine, spermine and glutamate, but not γ-aminobutyric acid, in the CA1, CA2/3 and dentate gyrus sub-regions of the hippocampus and the prefrontal, entorhinal, perirhinal, postrhinal and temporal (an auditory cortex) cortices in a region-specific manner. Cluster analyses revealed that the nine related neurochemical variables formed distinct groups, which changed as a function of ageing. Multiple regression analyses revealed a number of significant correlations between the neurochemical and behavioural variables. The present study further supports the involvement of arginine metabolism in the ageing process, and provides further evidence of the effects of animals' behavioural experience on arginine metabolism.

Downregulation of Mcl-1 through GSK-3β activation contributes to arsenic trioxide-induced apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia cells

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) induces disease remission in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients, but not in non-APL acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. ATO at therapeutic concentrations (1-2 μM) induce APL NB4, but not non-APL HL-60, cells to undergo apoptosis through the mitochondrial pathway. The role of antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1 in ATO-induced apoptosis was determined. The levels of Mcl-1 were decreased in NB4, but not in HL-60, cells after ATO treatment through proteasomal degradation. Both GSK3β inhibitor SB216763 and siRNA blocked ATO-induced Mcl-1 reduction as well as attenuated ATO-induced apoptosis in NB4 cells. Silencing Mcl-1 sensitized HL-60 cells to ATO-induced apoptosis. Both ERK and AKT inhibitors decreased Mcl-1 levels and enhanced ATO-induced apoptosis in HL-60 cells. Sorafenib, a Raf inhibitor, activated GSK3β by inhibiting its phosphorylation, decreased Mcl-1 levels, and decreased intracellular glutathione levels in HL-60 cells. Sorafenib plus ATO augmented ROS production and apoptosis induction in HL-60 cells and in primary AML cells. These results indicate that ATO induces Mcl-1 degradation through activation of GSK3β in APL cells and provide a rationale for utilizing ATO in combination with sorafenib for the treatment of non-APL AML patients.

Synthesis and electrochemical performances of LiNiCuZn oxides as anode and cathode catalyst for low temperature solid oxide fuel cell

Low temperature solid oxide fuel cell (LTSOFC, 300-600 degrees C) is developed with advantages compared to conventional SOFC (800-1000 degrees C). The electrodes with good catalytic activity, high electronic and ionic conductivity are required to achieve high power output. In this work, a LiNiCuZn oxides as anode and cathode catalyst is prepared by slurry method. The structure and morphology of the prepared LiNiCuZn oxides are characterized by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy. The LiNiCuZn oxides prepared by slurry method are nano Li0.28Ni0.72O, ZnO and CuO compound. The nano-crystallites are congregated to form ball-shape particles with diameter of 800-1000 nm. The LiNiCuZn oxides electrodes exhibits high ion conductivity and low polarization resistance to hydrogen oxidation reaction and oxygen reduction reaction at low temperature. The LTSOFC using the LiNiCuZn oxides electrodes demonstrates good cell performance of 1000 mW cm(-2) when it operates at 470 degrees C. It is considered that nano-composite would be an effective way to develop catalyst for LTSOFC.

AAV-P125A-endostatin and paclitaxel treatment increases endoreduplication in endothelial cells and inhibits metastasis of breast cancer

Endostatin potentiates the antimitotic effects of paclitaxel (taxol) on endothelial cells (ECs). P125A-endostatin and taxol-treated ECs showed multipolar spindles and nuclear lobulation, leading to mitotic catastrophe and cell death. Induction of nuclear abnormalities was found to be dependent on β-catenin levels as wnt-mediated overexpression of β-catenin reversed the changes in nuclear morphology. These results prompted us to investigate whether antiangiogenic gene therapy and paclitaxel chemotherapy can synergistically inhibit angiogenesis and tumor growth. We first determined the effect of combination treatment in a transgenic mouse model of breast cancer. Intramuscular injection of recombinant adeno-associated virus type-2 virus induced sustained expression of P125A-endostatin. In vivo studies showed that combination therapy inhibited mammary cancer growth, delayed the onset of multifocal mammary adenocarcinomas, decreased tumor angiogenesis and increased survival in treated mice. In a second model, female athymic mice were orthotopically transplanted with a metastatic human breast cancer cell line. Antiangiogenic gene therapy in combination with paclitaxel inhibited tumor angiogenesis and lung/lymph-node metastasis in this model. These studies demonstrate cooperation between endostatin gene therapy and chemotherapy to inhibit tumor initiation, growth and metastasis.

Reduced antigenicity of formaldehyde-fixed arterial allografts and their potential clinical application

This study was performed to examine the antigenicity of formaldehyde-fixed arterial allografts and their potential clinical application for hemodialysis access. Human femoral arteries were fixed with formaldehyde. New Zealand white rabbits were immunized with antigens prepared from fixed or unfixed grafts followed by anti-serum collection. The antigenicity of fixed grafts was evaluated using double-diffusion in two dimensions. Seventy-six fixed allografts were transplanted into 50 patients with end-stage renal diseases as hemodialysis access and monitored for acute rejection, blood flow, and patency rates. Anti-HLA antibody was evaluated using a panel-reactive antibody (PRA) assay in 6 patients. Formaldehyde-fixed grafts demonstrated reduced antigenicity as determined using double-diffusion in two dimensions when compared with unfixed grafts. Histological evaluation of allografts demonstrated absence of cell-mediated acute rejection after transplantation. Allografts demonstrated satisfactory blood flow with primary and secondary patency rates at 1, 2, and 3 years after allotransplantation. Serum collected from 6 patients after transplantation (mean, 3.3 +/- 3.2 years) did not demonstrate increased anti-HLA antibody levels. The allograft intimal hyperplasia was characterized by proliferation of actin-expressing smooth muscle cells. This study demonstrated that formaldehyde fixation reduced the antigenicity of arterial allografts. Acute rejection was absent after allotransplantation. The lack of increased PRA levels after allotransplantation suggested that allo-sensitization is not induced by fixed allografts. The use of formaldehyde-fixed allografts as hemodialysis access demonstrated blood flow and patency rates. Intimal hyperplasia of allografts is characterized by proliferation of actin-expressing cells. Our results supported the clinical use of formaldehyde-fixed arterial allografts for hemodialysis access.

Clinical studies of hemodialysis access through formaldehyde-fixed arterial allografts

Efficient hemodialysis requires establishing a permanent stable vascular access. Our study was designed to evaluate formaldehyde-fixed arterial allografts as hemodialysis access for end-stage renal disease. Various parameters were determined for 68 formaldehyde-fixed, cadaver-derived allografts transplanted into 43 hemodialysis patients. The sources of the allografts were determined to be free of cytomegalovirus, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and HIV infections. These allografts were monitored for rejection, blood flow, patency rates, and complications. Overall, antigenicity of the allografts was reduced after formaldehyde fixation with no acute rejection. The mean access blood flow was 696+/-282 ml with reasonable primary and secondary patency rates even after 3 years. Allograft intimal hyperplasia, determined by immunohistochemistry, was evident as the proliferation of smooth muscle-like cells expressing actin but cells not expressing the endothelial markers von Willebrand factor or CD34. The incidence of thrombus formation was about 37% after allograft transplant with other limited complications of pseudoaneurysms and local infection. Our results support the clinical use of formaldehyde-fixed arterial allografts for hemodialysis access.

The design of selective and non-selective combination therapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is an unique subtype of acute myeloid leukemia typically carrying a specific reciprocal chromosome translocation, t(15;17), leading to the expression of a leukemia-generating fusion protein, PML-RARalpha. APL patients are responsive to APL-selective reagents such as all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) or arsenic trioxide and non-selective cytotoxic chemotherapy. Nearly all de novo APL patients undergo clinical remission when treated with ATRA plus chemotherapy or with the combinational selective therapy, ATRA plus As2O3. Combining ATRA with As2O3 as an induction followed by chemotherapy consolidation results in more profound clinical remissions compared to treatment with any agent alone or any of the other possible combinations. The mechanism of action of each of these agents differs. ATRA induces APL cell differentiation and PML-RARalpha proteolysis. As2O3 induces APL cell partial differentiation, PML-RARalpha proteolysis, and apoptosis. Chemotherapy, mainly using anthracyclines, induces APL cell death. The combined effects of selective APL therapy (ATRA and As2O3) and/or non-selective chemotherapy in APL cells in vitro and their mechanisms in relation to clinical protocol design are discussed.

Upregulation of Bfl-1/A1 in leukemia cells undergoing differentiation by all-trans retinoic acid treatment attenuates chemotherapeutic agent-induced apoptosis

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) induces differentiation of NB4 and HL-60 leukemia cells, but not R4 and HL-60/Res cells. Three agents used in cancer therapy, doxorubicin (Dox), arsenic trioxide (As(2)O(3)) and paclitaxel, induce apoptosis, but not differentiation, in all of these cell lines. The induction of apoptosis by these agents is decreased in ATRA-pretreated NB4 and HL-60 cells, but not in ATRA-pretreated R4 and HL-60/Res cells. The level of Bcl-2 protein is decreased by ATRA treatment in NB4, HL-60 and HL-60/Res cells. The level of Mcl-1 protein is increased by ATRA treatment in NB4 and R4 cells, but not in HL-60 and HL-60/Res cells. Bfl-1/A1 mRNA is not expressed in these cell lines, however, its expression is markedly induced by ATRA treatment in NB4 and HL-60 cells, but not in R4 or HL-60/Res cells, which correlates with inhibition of apoptosis. Inhibiting Bfl-1/A1 mRNA upregulation in ATRA-pretreated NB4 cells using small interfering RNA (siRNA) partly recovers cell sensitivity to Dox-induced apoptosis. These data demonstrate that ATRA induction of Bfl-1/A1 in differentiated NB4 and HL-60 cells contributes to a loss of sensitivity to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis.