Regulatory mechanism of lncRNA NORAD on proliferation and invasion of ovarian cancer cells through miR-199a-3p

OBJECTIVE

To explore the regulatory mechanism of lncRNA NORAD on proliferation and invasion of ovarian cancer cells through miR-199a-3p.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Eighty-six ovarian cancer tissues and 86 tissues adjacent to cancer, human ovarian cancer cell lines SKOV3, HO-8910, A2780, OVCAR-3, and human normal ovarian epithelial cell line IOSE80 were collected. MiR-199a-3p-mimics, miR-199a-3p-inhibitor, miR-NC, si-NORAD, Sh-NORAD, and NC were transfected into HO-8910 and A2780 cells, the expression levels of lncRNA NORAD and miR-199a-3p in ovarian cancer tissues and cells were detected by qRT-PCR, and the expression levels of N-cadherin, E-cadherin, and vimentin in cells were detected by WB. Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), transwell, and cell scratch tests were used to detect proliferation, invasion, and migration of cells, and the relationship between lncRNA NORAD and miR-199a-3p was confirmed by the Dual-Luciferase reporter assay.

RESULTS

LncRNA NORAD was highly expressed and miR-199a-3p was lowly expressed in ovarian cancer, and the expression levels of LNCRNARAD and miR-199a-3p were negatively correlated. Cell experiments showed that inhibiting the expression of lncRNA NORAD or up-regulating the expression of miR-199a-3p could inhibit the proliferation, invasion, migration, and EMT of ovarian cancer cells, while up-regulating the expression of lncRNA NORAD or inhibiting the expression of miR-199a-3p could promote their proliferation, invasion, migration, and EMT. Dual-Luciferase reporter assay confirmed that there was a regulatory relationship between lncRNA NORAD and miR-199a-3p.

CONCLUSIONS

LncRNA NORAD was highly expressed in ovarian cancer tissues, while silencing lncRNA NORAD expression could inhibit the proliferation, invasion, migration, and EMT of ovarian cancer cells by regulating miR-199a-3p, which might be a new target for the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Polysaccharide-Based Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering: A Review

In addition to proteins and nucleic acids, polysaccharides are an important type of biomacromolecule widely distributed in plants, animals, and microorganisms. Polysaccharides are considered as promising biomaterials due to their significant bioactivities, natural abundance, immunoactivity, and chemical modifiability for tissue engineering (TE) applications. Due to the similarities of the biochemical properties of polysaccharides and the extracellular matrix of human bodies, polysaccharides are increasingly recognized and accepted. Furthermore, the degradation behavior of these macromolecules is generally nontoxic. Certain delicate properties, such as remarkable mechanical properties and tunable tissue response, can be obtained by modifying the functional groups on the surface of polysaccharide molecules. The applications of polysaccharide-based biomaterials in the TE field have been growing intensively in recent decades, for example, bone/cartilage regeneration, cardiac regeneration, neural regeneration, and skin regeneration. This review summarizes the main essential properties of polysaccharides, including their chemical properties, crosslinking mechanisms, and biological properties, and focuses on the association between their structures and properties. The recent progress in polysaccharide-based biomaterials in various TE applications is reviewed, and the prospects for future studies are addressed as well. We intend this review to offer a comprehensive understanding of and inspiration for the research and development of polysaccharide-based materials in TE.

[The clinical observation of sirolimus combined with calcineurin inhibitors for steroid-resistant/steroid-dependent extensive cGVHD]

Objective: To observe the efficacy and safety of sirolimus combined with calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) in the treatment of glucocorticoid resistant/dependent extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) . Methods: A total of 27 patients with steroid-resistant/steroid-dependent extensive cGVHD from November 2015 to January 2019 were enrolled and given sirolimus capsules combined with cyclosporine or tacrolimus to observe the clinical efficacy and adverse events. Results: The median duration of medication was 14.2 months and the mean duration was 16.7 months. The median follow-up time was 20.1 months (12.9-46.1 months) . Following the 6-month follow-up, 3 cases achieved complete response (CR) and 12 cases partial response (PR) . The overall response rate (ORR) was 55.6% ; for progression-free survival (PFS) , PFS-6 reached 88.9% (24/27) , and for overall survival (OS) , OS-6 was 100% . At the 1-year follow-up, there were 5 cases of CR and 11 cases of PR, ORR was 59.3% , PFS-12 reached 62.9% (17/27) , and OS-12 was 100% . The subgroup analysis found that the program was more effective for cGVHD in male donors and the target organ analysis had an advantage in the treatment of oral cavity, skin, and liver rejection. Adverse events were observed: hyperlipidemia 11.1% , oral ulcer 7.4% , fungal infection 11.1% , liver injury 3.7% , renal insufficiency 0, and no new CMV and EB viremia. Conclusion: Sirolimus combined with calcineurin inhibitors is effective in treating steroid-resistant/steroid-dependent extensive cGVHD, especially because adverse reactions (renal toxicity, CMV, EBV infection) are low in number, which is suitable for long-term treatment of cGVHD.

A new strategy for synthesizing silver doped mesoporous bioactive glass fibers and their bioactivity, antibacterial activity and drug loading performance

A new strategy for preparing mesoporous metal-doped bioactive glass fibers (MBGFs) was designed, which included electrospinning and sulfonating mesoporous PS fibers, precipitating metal ions and bioactive glass sol-gel precursor into the mesoporous polystyrene (PS) fibers and calcinations. Silver-doped mesoporous BGFs (Ag-MBGFs) with a uniform diameter of 1-2 μm and a specific surface area of 40.22 m² g^-1 were prepared as an example and characterized by SEM, XRD, TG, ICP and FTIR. These Ag-MBGFs showed excellent bioactivity, antibacterial properties and drug loading and release performance due to their special mesoporous and fibrous structure. The concentration of Staphylococcus aureus decreased from 1 × 10⁸ colony-forming units per mL (CFU mL^-1) to 2.5 × 10⁶ CFU mL^-1 in 2 h and then to 2 × 10² CFU mL^-1 in 12 h when the concentration of the Ag-MBGFs reached 16 mg mL^-1. BGFs of different compositions and functions could be prepared by the same strategy in a mesoporous PS fiber template, which could enrich materials for constructing orthopedic implants.

Methadone Suppresses Neuronal Function and Maturation in Human Cortical Organoids

Accumulating evidence has suggested that prenatal exposure to methadone causes multiple adverse effects on human brain development. Methadone not only suppresses fetal neurobehavior and alters neural maturation, but also leads to long-term neurological impairment. Due to logistical and ethical issues of accessing human fetal tissue, the effect of methadone on brain development and its underlying mechanisms have not been investigated adequately and are therefore not fully understood. Here, we use human cortical organoids which resemble fetal brain development to examine the effect of methadone on neuronal function and maturation during early development. During development, cortical organoids that are exposed to clinically relevant concentrations of methadone exhibited suppressed maturation of neuronal function. For example, organoids developed from 12th week till 24th week have an about 7-fold increase in AP firing frequency, but only half and a third of this increase was found in organoids exposed to 1 and 10 μM methadone, respectively. We further demonstrated substantial increases in I_Na (4.5-fold) and I_KD (10.8-fold), and continued shifts of Na⁺ channel activation and inactivation during normal organoid development. Methadone-induced suppression of neuronal function was attributed to the attenuated increase in the densities of I_Na and I_KD and the reduced shift of Na⁺ channel gating properties. Since normal neuronal electrophysiology and ion channel function are critical for regulating brain development, we believe that the effect of prolonged methadone exposure contributes to the delayed maturation, development fetal brain and potentially for longer term neurologic deficits.

Stretchable Electrochemical Biosensing Platform Based on Ni-MOF Composite/Au Nanoparticle-Coated Carbon Nanotubes for Real-Time Monitoring of Dopamine Released from Living Cells

Existing electrochemical biosensing platforms, using traditional rigid and unstretchable electrodes, cannot monitor the biological signaling molecules released by cells in a mechanically deformed state in real time. Here, a stretchable and flexible electrochemical sensor was developed based on nickel metal-organic framework composite/Au nanoparticle-coated carbon nanotubes (Ni-MOF composite/AuNPs/CNTs) for sensitive detection of dopamine (DA) released by C6 living cells in real time. A Ni-MOF composite was obtained by introducing Ni, NiO, and a carbon frame onto the surface of two-dimensional (2D) Ni-MOF nanosheets using an efficient one-step calcination method. The hybrid of Ni-MOF composite/AuNPs/CNTs that deposited on the poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) film endowed the sensor with excellent electrochemical performance with a wide linear range of 50 nM to 15 μM and a high sensitivity of 1250 mA/(cm² M) and also provided the sensor with desirable stability against mechanical deformation. Furthermore, the stretchable electrode also displayed good cellular compatibility while C6 living cells can be cultured and proliferated on it with strong adhesion. Then, the DA released by C6 living cells with chemical induction in both natural and stretched states was monitored using our stretchable and flexible electrochemical sensor in real time. This indicates that our new design of flexible Ni-MOF composite/AuNPs/CNTs/PDMS (NACP) film electrodes provides more opportunities for the detection of chemical signals released from cells and soft living organisms even under mechanically deformed states.

Coronary lesion complexity in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia hospitalized for an acute myocardial infarction: data from the French RICO Survey

Background

Although patients with familial heterozygous hypercholesterolemia (FH) are at high risk of early myocardial infarction (MI), coronary artery disease (CAD) burden of FH patients with acute MI remains to be investigated.

Methods

All consecutive patients hospitalized for an acute MI in a multicenter database (RICO) from 2012–2017 who underwent coronary angiography were considered. FH (n=86) was diagnosed using Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria (score ≥6). The angiographic features of FH patients were compared with patients without FH (score 0–2) (n=166), after matching for age, sex and diabetes (1:2).

Results

When compared with patients without FH, patients with FH had higher prevalence of personal and familial history of CAD (17 vs 5%, and 74 vs 5%, p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively), and hypertension (54 vs 36%, p=0.006). Chronic statin treatment was used in only 45% of FH patients. At coronary angiography, FH had increased extent of CAD (SYNTAX score 11 (4–21) vs 8 (3–16), p=0.049) and multivessel disease (58% vs 43%, p=0.021). Significant stenosis was more frequent in left and right marginal coronary arteries. FH patients showed a trend toward more complex lesions, with less thrombus (28 vs 39%, p=0.076), but a 2 times higher rate of bifurcation lesions and calcifications (23 vs 12% and 20 vs 10%, p=0.021 and p=0.036).

Conclusions

This study addressing the coronary lesions features of FH patients with acute MI shows that FH patients had more severe CAD burden, and were characterized by complex anatomy features.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): ARS Bourgogne Franche Comté, CHU Dijon Bourgogne

High levels of lipoprotein(a) are associated with the severity of coronary disease in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Data from the RICO survey

Background

High level of Lipoprotein(a), Lp(a), is a well-recognised independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). However, limited data are available on the prevalence of high Lp(a) levels and on the threshold associated to coronary artery disease (CAD) burden in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods

We aim at assessing CAD burden in 651 consecutive patients hospitalized for an acute MI from January 2019 to September 2019 who underwent coronary angiography. Patients characteristics and angiographic features were compared for patients with Lp(a) <50 mg/dL (normal), ≥50 mg/dL (high) and >80 mg/dL (i.e >90th percentile) (very high).

Results

The prevalence of Lp(a) ≥50 mg/dL was elevated (19.0%) and 65 patients (10.0%) were in the >90th percentile. Median (IQR) age was similar across the 3 groups (normal: 68 (59–79)y; high: 74 (63–80)y; very high: 71 (57–82)y, p=0.239). When compared with patients with normal Lp(a), patients with very high levels (≥80 mg/dL) had higher prevalence of personal history of ASCVD (29 vs 16%, p=0.021) and family history of CAD (37 vs 19%, p=0.005), and were more frequently women (43 vs 29%, p=0.009). At coronary angiography, patients with very high Lp(a) levels had increased extent of CAD (Median SYNTAX score 17 (5–25) vs 10 (5–17), p=0.002) and more frequent multivessel disease (69 vs 54%, p=0.02).

Conclusion

Among real world patients hospitalized for an acute MI, Lp(a) levels >80 mg/dL are associated with an increased CAD burden and this threshold identifies a subset of patients with features of high ASCVD risk.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding source: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): ARS Bourgogne Franche Comté; CHU Dijon Bourgogne

Methadone interrupts neural growth and function in human cortical organoids

Prenatal opioids exposure can lead to both neonatal abstinence syndrome in newborns and neurological deficits later in life. Although opioids have been well studied in general, the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which opioids affect human fetal brain development has not been well understood. In this work, we have taken advantage of a human 3D-brain cortical organoid (hCO) that facilitated enormously the investigation of early human brain development. Using imaging, immunofluorescence, multi-electrode array (MEA) and patch clamp recording techniques, we have investigated the effect of methadone, a frequently used opioid during pregnancy, on early neural development, including neuronal growth, neural network activity and synaptic transmission in hCOs. Our results demonstrated that methadone dose-dependently halted the growth of hCOs and induced organoid disintegration after a prolonged exposure. In addition, methadone dose-dependently suppressed the firing of spontaneous action potentials in hCOs and this suppression could be reversed upon methadone withdrawal in hCOs treated with lower dosages. Further investigation using patch clamp whole cell configuration revealed that, at clinically relevant concentrations, methadone decreased the frequency and amplitude of excitatory postsynaptic currents in neurons, indicating a critical role of methadone in weakening synaptic transmission in neural networks in hCOs. In addition, methadone significantly attenuated the voltage-dependent Na⁺ current in hCOs. We conclude that methadone interrupts neural growth and function in early brain development.

[Assessment of peripheral artery disease in proven coronary patients in Abidjan Heart Institute of Côte d'Ivoire]

BACKGROUND

Coronary artery disease is mainly due to atherosclerosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of peripheral arterial disease in proven coronary artery disease and to determine the associated factors in our context.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We included in a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical study 224 patients with proven coronary artery disease confirmed on coronary angiography from March 1 to October 30, 2019. It took place in the external exploration department of the Abidjan Heart Institute. An ultrasonographic exploration of the supra-aortic trunks and arteries of the lower extremity with measurement of the ankle brachial index (ABI) was carried out.

RESULTS

The mean age was 57.4±10.9 years (27-81years). There was a clear male predominance with a sex-ratio of 5. The prevalence of carotid artery disease was 56.4% of patients. The main factors associated with elevated Intima Media Thickness (IMT) and the presence of carotid plaques were male sex (OR=8.8; P=0.038), smoking (OR=2.5; P=0.049) and multi-truncular involvement (OR=3.2; P=0.014). In the lower extremities, there was a prevalence of peripheral arterial disease of 48.5%. The main factors associated with the decrease of ABI were age ≥50 years (OR=2.6; P=0.043), diabetes (OR=2.8; P=0.02), dyslipidemia (OR=3.8; P=0.001) and pluri-truncular involvement (OR=4.5; P<0.0001).

CONCLUSION

The presence of significant coronary artery disease in our context is associated with a high prevalence of peripheral carotid artery and lower extremity artery disease. This is all the more so as we are male, over 50 years old, pluri-truncular with many cardiovascular risk factors.

[Assessment of Contraindications to Percutaneous Mitral Commissurotomy (PMC) in Abidjan Heart Institute, Côte d'Ivoire]

Rheumatic mitral stenosis is still common in sub-Saharan Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and echocardiographic contraindications to the realization of percutaneous mitral commissurotomy (PMC) in Abidjan Heart Institute. We conducted a prospective, transversal and analytical study in the Exploration Unit from March 30, 2017 to March 30, 2018. Mitral stenosis was severe with an average anatomical surface area of 0.87cm², an average gradient of 13.7 mmHg and an upstream repercussion (dilatation of the left atrium (78 ml/m²); moderate dilatation of the right atrium (22.3 cm²) and average pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) of 55 mmHg). The main clinical contraindications were a history of rest dyspnoea at 66.7%, permanent atrial fibrillation at 53.3 % and clinical manifestations of severe PAH in 40 %. Unfavourable anatomy (95.7 %) evaluated by scores of Wilkins, Cormier and especially Echoscore revisited; bicommissural fusion (95.7 %) and severe aortic valvulopathy (31.1%) were the main barriers in transthoracic echocardiography. In multivariate analysis after linear regression, valvular anatomy, as assessed by the various scores, was significantly related to low socioeconomic status (p=0.018), level of education (p=0.04), severity of mitral stenosis evaluated by the mean gradient (p=0.033) and the impact on the left atrium (p=0.015). Mitral stenosis presents several clinical and echocardiographic contraindications. Adverse anatomy is the main obstacle and is related to low socio-economic status, educational level and severity of stenosis.

Interactions at engineered graft-tissue interfaces: A review

The interactions at the graft-tissue interfaces are critical for the results of engraftments post-implantation. To improve the success rate of the implantations, as well as the quality of the patients' life, understanding the possible reactions between artificial materials and the host tissues is helpful in designing new generations of material-based grafts aiming at inducing specific responses from surrounding tissues for their own reparation and regeneration. To help researchers understand the complicated interactions that occur after implantations and to promote the development of better-designed grafts with improved biocompatibility and patient responses, in this review, the topics will be discussed from the basic reactions that occur chronologically at the graft-tissue interfaces after implantations to the existing and potential applications of the mechanisms of such reactions in designing of grafts. It offers a chance to bring up-to-date advances in the field and new strategies of controlling the graft-tissue interfaces.

GC-MS analysis of volatiles in cinnamon essential oil extracted by different methods

Cinnamon essential oil (CEO) was extracted by three different methods: steam distillation (SD), ultrasound-assisted steam distillation (UASD) and microwave-assisted steam distillation (MASD). The volatiles in CEO were separated and identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the differences in volatiles among the three different methods were further analyzed through principal component analysis. The results showed that 36 individual volatile components were present in the CEO from the three different methods. In general, the numbers of aldehydes, esters, alcohols, terpenes, aromatics and ketones were 6, 3, 7, 17, 2, and 1, respectively. The most abundant volatile component was determined to be cinnamic aldehyde. The content of total cinnamic aldehydes, which determines the price of CEO, was the highest among the three methods in the UASD sample (85.633%). Moreover, the highest yield (8.33‰) of essential oil was extracted by the UASD method. Therefore, UASD was the best way for CEO extraction in this research and was recommended for future industrial applications.

[Prognostic value of HbA1c and plasma glucose on one-year mortality in non-diabetic patients after myocardial infarction]

BACKGROUND

The usefulness of the combined assessment of HbA1c and plasma glucose (PG) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in non-diabetic patients remains unclear.

PURPOSE

In a large observational study, we aimed to identify the prognostic values of these biomarkers regarding one-year all-cause mortality in non-diabetic patients after AMI.

METHODS

From the "obseRvatoire des Infarctus de Côte d'Or" (RICO) survey database, we included all consecutive non-diabetic patients with AMI (n=6617) from May 2001 to December 2016. Exclusion criteria were: admission known or unknown diabetes, in-hospital death. The primary endpoint was all-cause one-year mortality. The secondary endpoints were: MACE, infarct size, LVEF<40% and GRACE risk score. Cut-off levels (high/low) were determined by ROC curve analysis for the prediction of one-year death (HbA1c 5.9% and PG 131mg/dL) to set up 4 groups: low HbA1c/low glucose (n=3158), low HbA1c/high glucose (n=1264), high HbA1c/low glucose (n=1378) and high HbA1c/high glucose (n=817).

RESULTS

Elevation of PG was associated with elevated rate of LVEF<40%, STEMI, anterior wall location, DFG<60mL/min/m² and higher troponin Ic pic (all P<0.001); HbA1c>5.9% was associated with elevated rate of CRP>3mg/L (P<0.001); high HbA1c and high PG together were associated with higher rate of MACE (P<0.001). By multivariate logistic regression analysis, elevated admission PG remained a strong predictor of one-year all-cause [OR (95%CI): 1.64 (1.31-2.05)] mortality and cardiovascular mortality [OR (95%CI): 1.75 (1.33-2.31)], beyond GRACE score [OR (95%CI): 1.03 (1.03-1.04)], as well as elevated HbA1c [OR (95%CI): 1.43 (1.15-1.78) and OR (95%CI): 1.83 (1.39-2.41) respectively].

CONCLUSIONS

Admission PG and HbA1c had strong independent predictive value regarding one-year all-cause mortality in our non-diabetic patients with AMI. These biomarkers could be useful to identify the most-at-risk patients after AMI in order to reduce residual risk in this target population.