Circular RNA circ-SMAD7 is downregulated in colorectal cancer and suppresses tumor metastasis by regulating epithelial mesenchymal transition

Since this article has been suspected of research misconduct and the corresponding authors did not respond to our request to prove originality of data and figures, "Circular RNA circ-SMAD7 is downregulated in colorectal cancer and suppresses tumor metastasis by regulating epithelial mesenchymal transition, by D.-K. Wang, R.-F. Chong, B.-L. Song, K.-F. Fan, Y.-F. Liu, published in Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2020; 24 (4): 1736-1742-DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202002_20350-PMID: 32141541" has been withdrawn. The Publisher apologizes for any inconvenience this may cause. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/20350.

Expression changes of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-1β and HO-1 in hematoma surrounding brain areas after intracerebral hemorrhage

To study the expression changes of inflammatory factors heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), brain tissues surrounding hematoma were collected from ICH patients. The expressions of HO-1, TNF-α, IL- 1β, and other genes were examined at different time points of ICH. Changes in HO-1, TNF-α, and IL-1β positive cell numbers after ICH were detected by immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that the expressions of HO-1, TNF-α, and IL-1β had no significant changes in brain tissues surrounding hematoma within 6 hours after ICH (P > 0.05). Their expressions during 6-24 hours and 24-72 hours after ICH increased constantly. After reaching the peak, they remained steady or slightly decreased after 72 hours. The dynamic expression changes of HO-1, TNF-α, and IL-1β were observed and their development trends were interfered timely to alleviate the secondary neurological impairment after ICH, which was significant to prevent ICH.

Study of the relationship between the expression of nerve growth factor and aneurysm formation and prognosis

We sought to investigate the effect of nerve growth factor (NGF) expression on the formation and prognosis of cerebral aneurysms. Forty-eight cases were selected following a diagnosis of cerebral aneurysm using computed tomography angiography and surgical confirmation. Thirty-four cases of healthy deaths were also chosen. The tissue was tested for NGF expression changes by reverse-transcription PCR, Western blot and histopathology, and NGF expression was compared between the cerebral aneurysm and healthy groups. The expression level of NGF in cerebral aneurysm tissue was significantly increased over that observed in control tissue. The abnormal expression of NGF is related to cerebral aneurysms. The elevated expression of NGF in cerebral aneurysms may be associated with a poor prognosis.

Relationship between abnormal NOS expression and the pathogenesis of cerebral aneurysm

We sought to investigate the relationship between abnormal expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and pathogenesis of cerebral aneurysm. Brain tissues were collected from 36 patients with cerebral aneurysm confirmed by computer tomography with angiography or neurosurgical therapy. The control group consisted of 25 patients of similar age who had no vascular diseases, as confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging. Samples of cortical arterioles were collected. The structure of the aneurysms was detected by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and the expression of inducible NOS was detected by immunohistochemistry. NOS expression was significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group (patients: 30/36 strongly positive; control: 0/25 strongly positive; P < 0.05). In conclusion, the pathogenesis underlying cerebral aneurysm may be due to abnormal expression of NOS, degradation of the extracellular matrix, aggravation of a pro-inflammatory reaction, or a deficiency in arterial elasticity layer synthesis. These changes may result in a deficiency in vascular remodeling.

Overexpression of cyclooxygenase-2 is associated with chemoradiotherapy resistance and prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients

Our objective was to investigate whether cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression can predict the patient's response to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and ensuing prognosis in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). The clinicopathological and follow-up data of 112 patients with ESCC who underwent CRT from January 2001 to June 2006 were analyzed retrospectively. The immunohistochemical expression level of COX-2 was examined for all biopsy specimens of primary tumors, and the correlation of COX-2 expression with the patient's response to CRT and prognosis was examined. COX-2 positive immunostaining was detected in 111 (99.1%) of the patients, including overexpression in 54 (48.2%) patients and low expression in 58 (51.8%) of the patients. The response of tumors with a low level expression of COX-2 (70.7%, 41/58) was significantly higher than that of tumors with COX-2 overexpression (42.6%, 23/54; P = 0.003). Patients with a low level of COX-2 expression had a higher downstaged rate than those with a high level of COX-2 expression (9/13 vs 2/8), but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.08). In the definitive CRT group (91 cases), COX-2 overexpression was significantly associated with poor 3-year overall survival (P = 0.028). Multivariate analysis showed that only metastatic stage (nonregional node metastasis) was an independent prognosis factor. The assessment of COX-2 status may provide additional information to identify ESCC patients with poor chances of response to CRT and potential candidates for more individualized treatment.

Sustained elevation of Epstein-Barr virus antibody levels preceding clinical onset of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

We have monitored Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) IgA antibody levels of 39 nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cases for up to 15 years before clinical onset of NPC, and assessed preclinical serologic status of another 68 cases. Our results identify a serologic window preceding diagnosis when antibody levels are raised and sustained. This window can persist for as long as 10 years, with a mean duration estimated to as 37±28 months. Ninety-seven of these 107 NPC cases exhibited such a window. Cases that did not may reflect individual antibody response to EBV. Serologic screening at enrollment identified those cases who had already entered the window and became clinically manifested earlier (median=28 months) than those who entered the window after enrollment (median=90 months). The former account for 19 of 21 cases diagnosed within 2 years of screening. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk levels among seropositive subjects were also highest during this period. Both prediction rates and risk levels declined thereafter; cases detected at later times were composed of increasing proportions of individuals who entered the serological window after screening. Our findings establish EBV antibody as an early marker of NPC and suggest that repeated screening to monitor cases as they enter this window has considerable predictive value, with practical consequences for cancer treatment.

Tradescantia bioassays for the determination of genotoxicity of water in the Panlong River, Kunming, People's Republic of China

The Panlong river passes through Kunming City and receives a large quantity of municipal sewage and wastewater from industrial effluent. Along the river, 20 sites were selected to collect water samples to assess the genotoxicity using two Tradescantia assays, the micronucleus (Trad-MCN) and the stamen-hair-mutation (Trad-SHM) assays. The lowest frequencies in the Trad-MCN assay and the Trad-SHM assay are 3.19 MCN/100 tetrads and 1.32 M/1000 stamen hairs, respectively. In the water samples obtained from the Songhua Reservoir, the MCN frequencies and mutation rates are not statistically significantly different from the data found for the negative control (2.49 MCN/100 tetrads and 0.71 M/1000 stamen hairs). Among the other water samples, 19 in Trad-MCN assay and 17 in Trad-SHM assay show significantly higher genotoxicity than the control. The highest genotoxicity was in samples No. 19 for the MCN assay (8.73 MCN/100 cells), over three times higher than the negative control, and in sample No. 11 for the SHM assay (4.30 M/1000), six times higher than the negative control, and were about the same as for the positive control (10.0 mg/l NaN3, 9.28 MCN/100 tetrads and 7.44 SHM/1000 stamen hairs), respectively. The peak frequencies for the Trad-MCN assays were observed in the water samples obtained from the sites that were near industrial and municipal wastewater that ran into the river as effluent. In general, the frequency of MCN and SHM mutations increased where the river passed through Kunming. The Trad-MCN assay seemed more sensitive than that of the Trad-SHM assay in detecting genotoxicity of the river water pollution.