[Clinical analysis of 15 cases with myeloperoxidase antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody associated hypertrophic pachymeningitis]

To study the clinical features of myeloperoxidase(MPO) antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated hypertrophic pachymeningitis (HP). Clinical data of 15 cases diagnosed with MPO-ANCA vasculitis complicated with HP were retrospectively analyzed. Nine cases were males and the other 6 were females, with an average age of (58±8) years. All cases presented with chronic headache. Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed local or diffused thickening of cerebral and/or spinal dura matter while brain parenchyma were normal. Nine cases developed multiple cranial nerve paralysis, with trigeminal nerve and auditory nerve involved most commonly. The main clinical manifestations were facial pain, hearing loss and tinnitus. Two cases were complicated with hypertrophic spinal pachymeningitis (HSP) and 4 cases were complicated with pulmonary diseases. Positive serum perinuclear pattern ANCA (pANCA) and MPO could be found in all cases, positive serum IgG₄ was seen in two patients. erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR;25-116 mm/1h) and C-reactive protein (CRP;29.02-146.00 mg/L) were both elevated in 14 cases. Nine cases had elevated intracranial pressure[180-235 mmH₂O (1 mmH₂O=0.009 8 kPa)] and abnormal protein level (457.6-3710.0 mg/L) in cerebrospinal fluid. Six cases were treated with glucocorticoids (prednisone 20-60 mg/d) and 9 cased with glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants (methotrexate 15 mg/week or cyclophosphamide 100 mg/d po). All patients achieved remission. MPO-ANCA associated HP is a special type of central nervous system involvement in ANCA associated vasculitis (AAV). It rarely involves the lung or kidney. Steroids and immunosuppressive agents are effective. In HP with unknown underlying diseases, it is suggested to screen ANCA and IgG₄ tests for AAV or IgG₄-related disease.

CircRNA UBAP2 promotes the progression of ovarian cancer by sponging microRNA-144

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to elucidate the regulatory effect of circular RNA UBAP2 (circUBAP2) on the progression of ovarian cancer (OC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expressions of circUBAP2, microRNA-144 and CHD2 in OC tissues and adjacent normal tissues. The correlation between the expression levels of circUBAP2 and microRNA-144 with pathological parameters of OC patients was analyzed. Subcellular distribution of circUBAP2 was detected by chromatin fractionation assay. After overexpression of circUBAP2 in OC cells, changes in proliferative and migratory abilities were evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay, respectively. In addition, the Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay was used to verify the binding of circUBAP2 and microRNA-144, and the binding of CHD2 to microRNA-144.

RESULTS

QRT-PCR results showed that circUBAP2 was highly expressed in OC tissues, and its expression was negatively correlated with TMN stage and five-year survival of OC patients. CircUBAP2 was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm. Overexpression of circUBAP2 significantly promoted the proliferative and migratory abilities of OC cells. The Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay demonstrated that circUBAP2 could bind to microRNA-144. Meanwhile, circUBAP2 negatively regulated microRNA-144 expression in OC cells. Besides, the promotive effects of circUBAP2 on the proliferation and migration of OC cells were reversed by microRNA-144 overexpression. MicroRNA-144 was lowly expressed in OC tissues, which was negatively correlated with TNM stage of OC patients. The Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed the binding condition between CHD2 and microRNA-144. CHD2 expression was negatively regulated by microRNA-144 in OC cells. Moreover, CHD2 could bind to microRNA-144 and partially inhibited its activity, thereby promoting the proliferative and migratory abilities of OC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

CircUBAP2 promotes the progression of ovarian cancer by adsorbing microRNA-144.

Long non-coding RNA CACNA1G-AS1 promotes cell migration, invasion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition by HNRNPA2B1 in non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE

In recent years, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified to participate in tumor progression. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of CACNA1G-AS1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the CACNA1G-AS1 expression level in 122 pairs of NSCLC and para-carcinoma normal tissue samples as well as in NSCLC cell lines. Moreover, the relationship of clinical pathological features with CACNA1G-AS1 was analyzed. Functional experiment cell lines were established using lentivirus and siRNA to study the effects of CACNA1G-AS1 on cell invasion and migration abilities. Several epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers were measured using Western blotting. The expression level of HNRNPA2B1 was analyzed to further investigate the mechanism.

RESULTS

The expression level of CACNA1G-AS1 in NSCLC tissues was significantly higher than that in para-carcinoma normal tissues, and the expression of CACNA1G-AS1 was higher in NSCLC cell lines than that in normal BEAS-2B cells. The higher CACNA1G-AS1 level was relative to more lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. Function experiments revealed that CACNA1G-AS1 promoted cell invasion and migration. Also, CACNA1G-AS1 over-expression increased EMT in NSCLC cells. Besides, HNRNPA2B1 was regulated by CACNA1G-AS1 in NSCLC cells.

CONCLUSIONS

CACNA1G-AS1 was identified as an oncogene in NSCLC for the first time, and could promote cell invasion, migration and EMT via increasing HNRNPA2B1 expression, providing a novel target for the biological therapy and prevention.

Mechanism of protein phosphatase-2Aregulating phosphorylation of amyloid precursor proteosome and Aβ generation

OBJECTIVE

To discuss whether PP-2A influences the phosphorylation level at APP threonine 668 locus thus regulating Aβ secretion.

METHOD

In the experiment, 24 hours after N2a cells of stably transfected human APP (N2a/APP) were treated with okadaic acid (OA) or DES (C6-ceramide) (N2a/APP), an injection of OA cerebral stereotactic was administered to a SD rat in the hippocampal region, or PP-2A overexpressed plasmids was transfected transiently, the aggregate levels of APP phosphorylated APP, and APP-CTF were detected through immunoblotting and the activity of PP-2A and secretase was also detected using a reagent kit.

RESULT

The phosphorylation level of APP was significantly increased after the PP-2A activity was inhibited by OA. DES activated PP-2A or over-expressed PP-2A was able to reduce the phosphorylation level of APP. Either can inhibit PP and reduce the phosphorylation level of APP. The level of phosphorylated APP was increased significantly after the SD rat was injected with OA through the hippocampal region. The activity of β- and γ-secretases in N2a/APP cells significantly increased after OA treatment whereas the α-secretase activity had no significant changes; the Aβ level increased.

CONCLUSION

We discovered that PP-2A was capable of regulating the Aβ level by regulating APP phosphorylation level and β and γ-secretase activity(Fig. 5, Ref. 30).

Cryopreservation of gemmae of Marchantia polymorpha L. (Marchantiophyta, Marchantiaceae) without prior pretreatment

BACKGROUND

Successful cryopreservation of gametophytic material of bryophytes requires pretreatment with sucrose or abscisic acid. Compared to gametophyte materials, spore and gemmae cryopreservation may be more efficient, simple and stable systems for storing large amounts of genetic diversity of bryophytes within a small space. However, there has still been no attempt at cryopreserving bryophyte gemmae.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to determine whether bryophyte gemmae with differing levels of desiccation tolerance could survive and germinate after cryopreservation without prior encapsulation and pretreatment.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Gemmae of Marchantia polymorpha L. were dried with silica gel for different times and then rapidly cooled in liquid nitrogen.

RESULTS

The germination level of fresh gemmae was 95 % After 3 h predrying and 1 d in LN, germination was 68 % and was still up to 59 % after storage for 75 days.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that the natural desiccation tolerance of bryophyte gemmae permits cryopreservation without prior pretreatment other than drying.

Analysis of the differentially expressed genes in Microsporum canis in inducing smooth skin and scalp tissue conditions

Microsporum canis is a common zoophilic dermatophyte, which causes a range of infections. To explore the pathogenic mechanism of tinea capitis, we used the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique to investigate the differences in gene expression between different cultures of Microsporum canis incubated on three different types of mineral media containing child glabrous skin, child scalp tissue and adult scalp tissue. Using dot-blot hybridization and real-time PCR technique, we successfully screened and identified a pair of genes that had expression levels 44.6 and 117 times higher in culture 1 (M. canis cultured in mineral medium with child scalp tissue) than in culture 2 (M. canis cultured in mineral medium with glabrous skin tissue), and another pair of genes with expression levels 78.2 and 9.8 times higher in culture 1 than in culture 3 (M. canis cultured in mineral medium with adult scalp tissue). These four genes were found to have 41%, 53%, 40% and 94% homology to those encoding a hypothetical protein [family of serine hydrolases 1; (FSH1)], PQ loop repeat protein (PQ-LRP), a predicted protein [porphyrin galactose 4; (P-GAL4)] and NADH dehydrogenase subunit (NADH)1, respectively. The upregulation of the FSH1, PQ-LRP, P-GAL4 and NADH1 genes in cultures of child scalp tissue indicates that they are essential in the pathogenesis of tinea capitis caused by M. canis.

[Determination of inositol by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography]

A new method for determination of inositol by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography was studied. The method used a Shim-Pack CLC-C18 column, acetonitrile-water (10:90, V/V) as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min with detection wavelength at 196 nm. The RSD of the results was 0.8%. It is simple, rapid, accurate, and useful for quantitative determination of inositol product.

Endogenous opioid-like substances in perinatal asphyxia and cerebral injury due to anoxia

Perinatal asphyxia is one of the major causes of cerebral injury in neonates. It may be due to the increased endogenous opioid-like substances (OLS) in the body. The levels of three OLS, namely leucine-enkephalin (LEK), beta-endorphin (beta-EP) and dynorphin A1-13 (DynoA1-13) of 44 cases with neonatal asphyxia were studied by radioimmunoassay. The OLS level in plasma and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) were higher in asphyxiated group than those in the control group, especially in asphyxiated cases with fetal distress. The OLS levels of CSF were also higher in cases with cerebral injury than in those without cerebral injury, while the levels of OLS in plasma had no difference in these two groups. The relationship between OLS levels and asphyxia and cerebral injury is also discussed.