LncRNA NBAT-1 is down-regulated in lung cancer and influences cell proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle

OBJECTIVE

To explore the expression and role of lncRNA NBAT-1 in lung cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

LncRNA NBAT-1 expression in lung cancer tissues and adjacent areas was detected via reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RAC1 protein was analyzed via Western blotting assay. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and flow cytometry were used to evaluate cell proliferation and apoptosis as well as cell cycle.

RESULTS

The expression level of lncRNA NBAT-1 in cancer specimen was remarkably lower than that in adjacent areas. Furthermore, the low expression of lncRNA NBAT-1 had a significant correlation with patient's tumor size, differentiation degree of tumor cells and lymph node metastasis. The overexpression of lncRNA NBAT-1 could inhibit the proliferation and cell cycle, promote the apoptosis of A549 cells, and down-regulate the expression level of RAC1.

CONCLUSIONS

The low expression of lncRNA NBAT-1 is involved in the progression of lung cancer.

Cerebral Venous Thrombosis: MR Black-Blood Thrombus Imaging with Enhanced Blood Signal Suppression

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The residual blood flow artifact is a critical confounder for MR black-blood thrombus imaging of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. This study aimed to conduct a validation of a new MR black-blood thrombus imaging technique with enhanced blood signal suppression.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-six participants (13 volunteers and 13 patients) underwent conventional imaging methods followed by 2 randomized black-blood thrombus imaging scans, with a preoptimized delay alternating with nutation for tailored excitation (DANTE) preparation switched on and off, respectively. The signal intensity of residual blood, thrombus, brain parenchyma, normal lumen, and noise on black-blood thrombus images were measured. The thrombus volume, SNR of residual blood, and contrast-to-noise ratio for residual blood versus normal lumen, thrombus versus residual blood, and brain parenchyma versus normal lumen were compared between the 2 black-blood thrombus imaging techniques. Segmental diagnosis of venous sinus thrombosis was evaluated for each black-blood thrombus imaging technique using a combination of conventional imaging techniques as a reference.

RESULTS

In the volunteer group, the SNR of residual blood (11.3 ± 2.9 versus 54.0 ± 23.4, P < .001) and residual blood-to-normal lumen contrast-to-noise ratio (7.5 ± 3.4 versus 49.2 ± 23.3, P < .001) were significantly reduced using the DANTE preparation. In the patient group, the SNR of residual blood (16.4 ± 8.0 versus 75.0 ± 35.1, P = .002) and residual blood-to-normal lumen contrast-to-noise ratio (12.4 ± 7.8 versus 68.8 ± 35.4, P = .002) were also significantly lower on DANTE-prepared black-blood thrombus imaging. The new black-blood thrombus imaging technique provided higher thrombus-to-residual blood contrast-to-noise ratio, significantly lower thrombus volume, and substantially improved diagnostic specificity and agreement with conventional imaging methods.

CONCLUSIONS

DANTE-prepared black-blood thrombus imaging is a reliable MR imaging technique for diagnosing cerebral venous sinus thrombosis.

Estrogen and estrogen receptor signaling promotes allergic immune responses: Effects on immune cells, cytokines, and inflammatory factors involved in allergy

Hypersensitivity occurs when the body is stimulated by an antigen, resulting in an immune response, and leads to a physiological disorder or abnormal tissue trauma. Various immune cells, cytokines, and inflammatory mediators are involved in the immune responses related to allergic diseases, which are the core of anaphylaxis. Estrogen receptors are widely distributed in immune cells, which combine with estrogen and participate in allergic responses by affecting immune cells, cytokines, and inflammatory factors. We aimed to summarize the association between estrogen and allergic reactions to provide a scientific basis for understanding and studying the mechanisms of allergic diseases.

[Study on the relationship between smoking behavior and health literacy among grade 4-6 primary students in Shandong province]

Objective: To investigate the associations between smoking and literacy on health among 4-6 grade primary school students. Methods: A questionnaire survey was conducted to research on health literacy and smoking among 4-6 grade pupils in Shandong province, through a multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling method. Sociodemographic characteristics, health literacy level and smoking rate were collected from respondents. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of smoking and health literacy. Results: A total of 9 240 questionnaires were distributed, with the rate of valid response as 99.7%. The current smoking rate of the students was 2.6%, on higher in boys (3.1%) than in girls (2.0%). 60.8% of 4-6 grade students were found to have adequate health literacy level. Levels of literacy health in both boy and girl school students appeared 56.7% and 64.9%, respectively. Results indicated that health literacy in smokers (14.4%) was lower than that in non-smokers (62.0%). Results from the binary logistic regression analysis showed that the independent influencing factors would include grade, father's education level, economic situation of the family, self-assessment on the school record and literacy on health (P<0.01). After controlling the other independent variables, the smoking rate was 8.62 (1/0.116) times in students with low literacy level on health, than those with high literacy level. Conclusions: Literacy on health was significantly associated with smoking in the 4-6 grade pupils of Shandong province.

A Protocol for Transverse Cardiac Slicing and Optical Mapping in Murine Heart

Thin living tissue slices have recently emerged as a new tissue model for cardiac electrophysiological research. Slices can be produced from human cardiac tissue, in addition to small and large mammalian hearts, representing a powerful in vitro model system for preclinical and translational heart research. In the present protocol, we describe a detailed mouse heart transverse slicing and optical imaging methodology. The use of this technology for high-throughput optical imaging allows study of electrophysiology of murine hearts in an organotypic pseudo two-dimensional model. The slices are cut at right angles to the long axis of the heart, permitting robust interrogation of transmembrane potential (Vm) and calcium transients (CaT) throughout the entire heart with exceptional regional precision. This approach enables the use of a series of slices prepared from the ventricles to measure Vm and CaT with high temporal and spatial resolution, allowing (i) comparison of successive slices which form a stack representing the original geometry of the heart; (ii) profiling of transmural and regional gradients in Vm and CaT in the ventricle; (iii) characterization of transmural and regional profiles of action potential and CaT alternans under stress (e.g., high frequency pacing or β-adrenergic stimulation) or pathological conditions (e.g., hypertrophy). Thus, the protocol described here provides a powerful platform for innovative research on electrical and calcium handling heterogeneity within the heart. It can be also combined with optogenetic technology to carry out optical stimulation; aiding studies of cellular Vm and CaT in a cell type specific manner.

MicroRNA-24 attenuates vascular remodeling in diabetic rats through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The vascular remodeling plays a crucial role in pathogenesis of diabetic cardiovascular complications. In this study, we intended to explore the effects and potential mechanisms of microRNA-24 (miR-24) on vascular remodeling under diabetic conditions.

METHODS AND RESULTS

MiR-24 recombinant adenovirus (Ad-miR-24-GFP) was used to induce miR-24 overexpression either in carotid arteries or high glucose (HG)-induced vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Cell proliferation was analyzed using CCK-8 method. Cell migration was examined using wound-healing and transwell assay. mRNA and protein expressions of critical factors were, respectively, measured by real-time PCR and western blot as follows: qRT-PCR for the levels of miR-24, PIK3R1; western blot for the protein levels of PI3K (p85α), Akt, p-Akt, mTOR, p-mTOR, 4E-BP1, p-4E-BP1, p70s6k, p-p70s6k, MMP 2, MMP 9, collagen Ⅰ, as well as collagen Ⅲ. Carotid arteries in diabetic rats suffered balloon injury were harvested and examined by HE, immunohistochemical and Masson trichrome staining. The expression of miR-24 was decreased in HG-stimulated VSMCs and balloon-injured carotid arteries of diabetic rats, accompanied by increased mRNA expression of PIK3R1. The up-regulation of miR-24 suppressed VSMCs proliferation, migration, collagen deposition not only induced by HG in vitro, but also in balloon-injured diabetic rats, which were related to inactivation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

The up-regulation of miR-24 significantly attenuated vascular remodeling both in balloon-injured diabetic rats and HG-stimulated VSMCs via suppression of proliferation, migration and collagen deposition by acting on PIK3R1 gene that modulated the PI3K/Akt/mTOR axes.

ALK5 is essential for tooth germ differentiation during tooth development

The TGFβ superfamily of proteins participates in tooth development. TGFβ1 and TGFβ3 regulate odontoblast differentiation and dentin extracellular matrix synthesis. Although the expression of TGFβ family member ligands is well-characterized during mammalian tooth development, less is known about the TGFβ receptor, which is a heteromeric complex consisting of a type I and type II receptors. The molecular mechanism of ALK5 (TGFβR1) in the dental mesenchyme is not clear. We investigated the role of ALK5 in tooth germ mesenchymal cells (TGMCs) from the lower first molar tooth germs of day 15.5 embryonic mice. Human recombinant TGFβ3 protein or an ALK5 inhibitor (SD208) was added to the cells. Cell proliferation was inhibited by SD208 and promoted by TGFβ3. We found that SD208 inhibited TGMCs osteogenesis and dentinogenesis. Both canonical and noncanonical TGFβ signaling pathways participated in the process. TAK1, P-TAK1, p38 and P-p38 showed greater expression and SMAD4 showed less expression when ALK5 was inhibited. Our findings contribute to understanding the role of TGFβ signaling for the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from dental germ and suggest possible targets for optimizing the use of stem cells of dental origin for tissue regeneration.

[The role of poloxamer 188 for cord blood mononuclear cells into megakaryocytes cultivation and induction in three-dimensional WAVE Bioreactor]

目的

观察泊洛沙姆188（P188）对体外三维（3D）培养诱导脐血单个核细胞向巨核细胞分化的影响。

方法

将分离的脐血单个核细胞分别接种于细胞瓶和细胞培养袋中，后者采用WIGGENS摇床模拟生物反应器进行3D培养。在巨核细胞诱导培养基中加入P188体外培养14 d，观察细胞形态、计数细胞数并计算细胞存活率，采用流式细胞术观察巨核细胞表面标志表达情况。

结果

与采用传统的细胞培养瓶二维（2D）培养诱导巨核细胞相比，2D+P188培养组巨核系CD41⁺、CD41⁺/CD61⁺、CD61⁺细胞数明显增加（P值均<0.01）；在3D培养中加入P188，细胞体积变大，核形状不规则，胞质含紫红色颗粒，细胞分化更接近成熟。2D培养、3D培养及3D+P188培养组组间巨核细胞表面标志CD41、CD41/CD61、CD61表达水平差异有统计学意义（P值均<0.01）。LSD-t检验两两比较显示，与2D培养相比，3D培养诱导巨核细胞存活率及细胞数均降低（P值分别为0.018、0.027），3D+P188培养组细胞数、细胞存活率与2D和3D培养组比较差异均无统计学意义（P值均>0.05）。而3D培养组巨核细胞CD41/CD61表达水平为（36.30±1.27）%，高于2D培养组的（23.95±1.34）%（P=0.002），3D+P188培养组CD41/CD61表达水平更高[（59.45±1.20）%]。

结论

3D培养有利于巨核系祖细胞诱导分化，但细胞存活率低，加入P188，细胞生存状态好，且诱导效率更高。

Pulsed electromagnetic fields: promising treatment for osteoporosis

Osteoporosis (OP) is considered to be a well-defined disease which results in high morbidity and mortality. In patients diagnosed with OP, low bone mass and fragile bone strength have been demonstrated to significantly increase risk of fragility fractures. To date, various anabolic and antiresorptive therapies have been applied to maintain healthy bone mass and strength. Pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) are employed to treat patients suffering from delayed fracture healing and nonunions. Although PEMFs stimulate osteoblastogenesis, suppress osteoclastogenesis, and influence the activity of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and osteocytes, ultimately leading to retention of bone mass and strength. However, whether PEMFs could be taken into clinical use to treat OP is still unknown. Furthermore, the deeper signaling pathways underlying the way in which PEMFs influence OP remain unclear.

205 Towards the correction of meconium ileus with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) intestinal expression in CFTR knockout sheep

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a human autosomal genetic disease caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, which is responsible for Cl − anion transport in epithelial cells. We previously generated CFTR +/− and CFTR −/− lambs using CRISPR/Cas9 and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) techniques. The CFTR −/− lambs display many features similar to humans with CF, including meconium ileus (MI), pancreatic fibrosis, portal fibrosis and biliary hyperplasia, small gallbladder, and absence of the vas deferens. Although MI affects only 15 to 20% of human babies with CF, it was observed in 100% of newborn CFTR −/− lambs and was the primary cause of death. We here hypothesized that the transgenic expression of ovine CFTR cDNA under regulation of the rat intestinal fatty acid binding protein (iFABP) promoter would promote the correction of MI in CFTR −/− sheep. In this study, we constructed the pcDNA3.1&gt;iFABP&gt;CFTR expression vector in order to generate iFABP&gt;CFTR transgenic CFTR −/− sheep. PCR and sequence analysis of all junction regions confirmed the presence of the inserts in the vector. We transfected male and female CFTR −/− sheep fetal fibroblasts with the construct. Three days after transfection, limiting dilution and G418 selection were used for the isolation of resistant single cell derived colonies. A total of 15 male colonies containing the pcDNA3.1&gt;iFABP&gt;CFTR vector was confirmed by PCR and sequence analysis. Three male cell colonies were used as nuclear donors for SCNT. In total, 129 one-cell-stage cloned embryos were generated and transferred into 11 estrus-synchronized recipients. Four recipients (4/11; 36.3%) were confirmed pregnant at Day 40 to 45 of gestation. One pregnancy went to term and resulted in the birth of a single lamb. The necropsy indicated the same abnormalities, including MI, seen in CFTR −/− lambs. A PCR assay confirmed the presence of the iFABP&gt;CFTR transgene in the genome of the cloned offspring. The lack of MI correction is likely due to the low expression of CFTR in this particular colony. Western blot analysis is in progress. Additional embryo transfers will be performed using different single-cell-derived colonies.

206 Towards the generation of transchromosomic goats for the production of fully human immunoglobulin

We have previously reported that inactivation of endogenous immunoglobulin (Ig) genes can enhance the production of human polyclonal antibodies (hpAb) in transchromosomic (Tc) cattle containing a human artificial chromosome (HAC) comprising the entire human Ig gene repertoire. Goats offer the advantages of having a shorter gestation period and growing to adult size much faster than larger ungulates. Therefore, based upon our previously established Tc cattle platform, in this study, we aimed to generate immunoglobulin lambda light chain knockout (IGLλ −/− )/HAC Tc goats expressing hpAb using CRISPR/Cas9 and somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) techniques. First, we designed multiple specific single-guide RNAs (sgRNA) targeting the coding sequences of constant regions of goat IGLλ1, IGLλ2 (both in NC_030824.1), and IGLλ3 (NW_017189530.1) and constructed corresponding gene targeting vectors. Gene targeting efficiency analysis in goat fibroblasts showed that the sgRNA were efficient in directing Cas9 to generate targeted indels in corresponding IGLλ genes with efficiencies ranging between 20 and 30%. We then targeted the IGLλ genes and generated a cloned IGLλ −/− fetus by SCNT (first round of cloning; G1) using single cell-derived IGLλ −/− fibroblast colonies as nuclear donors and established IGLλ −/− fetal fibroblast cell lines. Second, we established IGLλ −/− /HAC fibroblast colonies by transferring the isKcHACΔ, a HAC containing the entire unrearranged human immunoglobulin heavy-chain and kappa-chain sequences, into the IGLλ −/− fetal fibroblast cells via microcell-mediated chromosome transfer (MMCT; Matsushita et al. 2014 PLoS One 9, e90383). The resulting IGLλ −/− /HAC fibroblasts were used as nuclear donors for the production of IGLλ −/− /HAC goats by SCNT (second round of cloning; G2). A total of 311 one-cell stage G2 embryos were generated using 4 IGLλ −/− /HAC fetal fibroblast colonies and surgically transferred into 19 oestrus-synchronized recipients. Seven pregnancies were confirmed (7/19; 36.8%) with ultrasonography at Day 60±3 of gestation, and 1 pregnancy (1/7; 14.3%) developed to term, leading to the birth of a live and healthy kid. Genetic and serological characterisation of this Tc goat produced by the second round of SCNT is in progress.

[Risk factors, diagnosis and treatment of peri-implant diseases]

With the wide spread of dental implantation, more and more soft and hard tissue illness related to dental implants occurred. According to a statistical analysis, about 1/4 to 1/2 patients are under the risk of suffering from peri-implant diseases. Peri-implant diseases include peri-implant mucotitis and peri-implantitis. The former is connected with soft tissue while the latter is related to hard tissue around dental implant. This article reviews the diagnosis, classification and treatment of peri-implant diseases.

Prevalence of BRCA1/2 large genomic rearrangements in Chinese women with sporadic triple-negative or familial breast cancer

The prevalence of BRCA1/2 large genomic rearrangements (LGRs) and their underlying mechanisms have not been fully evaluated in Chinese women with breast cancer. In this study, we determined the prevalence of BRCA1/2 LGRs in 834 patients with familial breast cancer (FBC) and 660 patients with sporadic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who were negative for BRCA1/2 small-range mutations using the multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification method. We found that 20 index patients (2.4%) in the FBC group carried a BRCA1 or BRCA2 LGR, and the frequencies of BRCA1 and BRCA2 LGRs were 1.6% and 0.8%, respectively. Seven index patients (1.1%) carried a BRCA1 LGR in 660 sporadic TNBC patients, whereas no BRCA2 LGRs were found in these patients. Among the BRCA1/2 LGRs, 48.1% (13/27) were novel, and the breakpoints of the majority of the LGRs were identified. ΨBRCA1-mediated homologous recombination (HR) and Alu-mediated HR/non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) accounted for 40% and 30% of the BRCA1 LGRs, respectively. Alu-mediated HR accounted for 71.4% of the BRCA2 LGRs, and the remaining one-third was generated through Long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE)-mediated NHEJ. Our findings suggest that both FBC patients and sporadic TNBC patients should be tested for BRCA1/2 LGRs.