Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are widely acknowledged as primary mediators to the initiation and progression of tumors. The association between microbial infection and cancer stemness has garnered considerable scholarly interest in recent years. Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) is increasingly considered to be closely related to the development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Nevertheless, the role of P. gingivalis in the stemness of OSCC cells remains uncertain. Herein, we showed that P. gingivalis was positively correlated with CSC markers expression in human OSCC specimens, promoted the stemness and tumorigenicity of OSCC cells, and enhanced tumor formation in nude mice. Mechanistically, P. gingivalis increased lipid synthesis in OSCC cells by upregulating the expression of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 (SCD1) expression, a key enzyme involved in lipid metabolism, which ultimately resulted in enhanced acquisition of stemness. Moreover, SCD1 suppression attenuated P. gingivalis-induced stemness of OSCC cells, including CSCs markers expression, sphere formation ability, chemoresistance, and tumor growth, in OSCC cells both in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, upregulation of SCD1 in P. gingivalis-infected OSCC cells was associated with the expression of KLF5, and that was modulated by P. gingivalis-activated NOD1 signaling. Taken together, these findings highlight the importance of SCD1-dependent lipid synthesis in P. gingivalis-induced stemness acquisition in OSCC cells, suggest that the NOD1/KLF5 axis may play a key role in regulating SCD1 expression and provide a molecular basis for targeting SCD1 as a new option for attenuating OSCC cells stemness.
Porphyromonas gingivalis/pathogenicity* ; Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase/metabolism* ; Humans ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology* ; Mouth Neoplasms/metabolism* ; Animals ; Neoplastic Stem Cells/microbiology* ; Mice, Nude ; Mice ; Nod1 Signaling Adaptor Protein/metabolism* ; Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors/metabolism* ; Cell Line, Tumor

Objective To optimize a C57BL/6J mouse liver fibrosis model induced by different doses of carbon tetrachloride through imaging,molecular biology,and pathology method.Methods Thirty-six healthy C57BL/6J male mice were randomly divided into a control group,2 weeks,3 weeks,4 weeks,6 weeks,and 8 weeks groups(n=6)after adaptive feeding for 1 week.The control group was intraperitoneally injected with 0.2 mL olive oil three times a week,and the positive-control groups were intraperitoneally injected with 0.2 mL 20%CCl4-olive oil solution three times a week.Changes in the body weights of mice in each group were recorded.Liver stiffness was measured on days 15,22,29,43 and 57,and blood samples were collected,and cereal third alanine aminotransferase(ALT),aspartate aminotransferase(AST),hyaluronic acid(HA),laminin(LN),pro-typeⅢcollagen(PC-Ⅲ),and typeⅣcollagen(Ⅳ-C)content was measured.The liver tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin(HE),Masson,and Sirius red.The Metavir scoring system was used to evaluate the degree of liver fibrosis.Results Compared with the control group,mice in the positive-control groups were listless and tended to huddle together.In terms of body weight,the 4 weeks,6 weeks,and 8 weeks groups were significantly lighter than the control group,while the 2 weeks group mice were significantly heavier than the control group mice.Liver elastography showed a progressive increase in stiffness with increased administration time.The biochemical tests showed that,compared with the control group,the other groups'ALT and AST levels were significantly higher.With an increase in drug delivery time,the positive-control group's HA,LN,PC-Ⅲ and Ⅳ-C levels showed increasing trends.Pathological examination revealed that liver fibrosis was progressively aggravated with an increase in administration time.At 4 weeks,the pathological diagnosis was consistent with that of liver fibrosis,and there were signs of pseudolobule formation at 6 weeks.Pseudolobules were formed at 8 weeks,suggesting early cirrhosis.Conclusions A liver fibrosis model can be successfully established in C57BL/6J mice by intraperitoneal injection of 20%CCl4-olive oil solution three times a week for 4 consecutive weeks.The model has good stability,and the modeling method is rapid and can be used as an optimized scheme for the establishment of liver fibrosis models.

Objective:To verify and calibrate the CT modeling curves of three CT devices in RayStation proton treatment planning system (TPS).Methods:CT-mass density (CT-MD) curves were established by CT Hounsfield units of different tissue substitute materials obtained by scanning the model with CT equipment. CT-stopping power (CT-SP) curves were established by calculation based on the chemical composition of various human tissues. The equivalent water thickness of tissue substitute modules was calculated with different CT modeling curves in TPS. The actual equivalent water thickness of various modules was measured by a Bragg peak detector, and compared with the calculated values of TPS to verify the accuracy of different CT models.Results:The differences of CT modeling curves were significantly different under different tube voltage scanning protocols. Compared with CT-MD curves, CT-SP curves based on the stoichiometric calibration were more suitable for proton dose calculation. However, the values of stopping power corresponding to high CT values still needed to be optimized, and the calculation error after calibration was less than 3%.Conclusion:The method of verifying and calibrating CT unit curves of proton TPS is described, proving that the CT-SP curves after stoichiometric calculation are more suitable for proton dose calculation.

Animals ; Antigens, Surface/genetics* ; Cell Communication/genetics* ; Copulation/physiology* ; Fallopian Tubes/metabolism* ; Female ; Fertilization/genetics* ; GPI-Linked Proteins/genetics* ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Genes, Reporter ; Green Fluorescent Proteins/metabolism* ; Litter Size ; Luminescent Proteins/metabolism* ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Knockout ; Mitochondria/metabolism* ; Reproduction/genetics* ; Signal Transduction ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility/genetics* ; Spermatozoa/metabolism* ; Uterus/metabolism*

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) has been reported to be related to Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis). Porphyromonas gingivalis peptidylarginine deiminase (PPAD), a virulence factor released by P. gingivalis, is known to induce inflammatory responses. To explore the pathological relationships between PPAD and UC, we used homologous recombination technology to construct a P. gingivalis strain in which the PPAD gene was deleted (Δppad) and a Δppad strain in which the PPAD gene was restored (comΔppad). C57BL/6 mice were orally gavaged with saline, P. gingivalis, Δppad, or comΔppad twice a week for the entire 40 days (days 0-40), and then, UC was induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) solution for 10 days (days 31-40). P. gingivalis and comΔppad exacerbated DDS-induced colitis, which was determined by assessing the parameters of colon length, disease activity index, and histological activity index, but Δppad failed to exacerbate DDS-induced colitis. Flow cytometry and ELISA revealed that compared with Δppad, P. gingivalis, and comΔppad increased T helper 17 (Th17) cell numbers and interleukin (IL)-17 production but decreased regulatory T cells (Tregs) numbers and IL-10 production in the spleens of mice with UC. We also cocultured P. gingivalis, Δppad, or comΔppad with T lymphocytes in vitro and found that P. gingivalis and comΔppad significantly increased Th17 cell numbers and decreased Treg cell numbers. Immunofluorescence staining of colon tissue paraffin sections also confirmed these results. The results suggested that P. gingivalis exacerbated the severity of UC in part via PPAD.
Animals ; Colitis, Ulcerative/microbiology* ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Porphyromonas gingivalis/pathogenicity* ; Protein-Arginine Deiminases ; Virulence Factors

Interleukin-33 (IL-33) is a new member of the IL-1 cytokine family which plays roles in the nucleus as a nuclear factor and is released by damaged or necrotic cells to act as a cytokine. It can be released via damaged or necrotic cells and functions as a cytokine. The released IL-33 activates the downstream NF-κB and MAPKs signaling pathways through the isomers of the specific receptor ST2 and the interleukin-1 receptor accessory protein (IL-1RAcP), resulting in danger signals and the activated multiple immune responses. IL-33 is abnormally expressed in various tumors and involves in tumorigenesis, development, and metastasis. Moreover, IL-33 can play both pro-tumor and anti-tumor roles in the same type of tumor.
Cytokines ; Humans ; Interleukin-33/genetics* ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; NF-kappa B/metabolism* ; Neoplasms

Objective To study the prevalence trends and etiology of hand,foot,and mouth disease (HFMD) in hospitalized children.Methods The clinical data of 11 510 cases of children hospitalized with HFMD from 2008 to 2017 in Department of Infection Diseases of Kunming Children's Hospital were collected,and to retrospectively analyze the characteristics,time distribution and pathogen distribution of the cases.Results Of the 11 510 children with HFMD,6 100 were male and 5 410 were female.There were 9 814 cases under 3 years old,1 696 over 3 years old.HFMD occurred throughout the year.The peak months of the disease were April to July,with the time distribution of single peak.There were 4 690 severe cases and 3 452 critical cases,accounting for 70.34％.The main pathogens detected were enteroviruses A71 (EV-A71),coxsackievirus A16 (CV-A16) and other enteroviruses (EV),with 3 803 cases (36.02％),1 122 cases (10.63％) and 3 401 cases (32.21％) respectively.EV-A71 and CV-A16 infections dominated from 2008 to 2013,while EV-A71 and other EV infection dominated from 2014 to 2017.Conclusions EV-A71,CV-A16 and other EV are the main pathogens of HFMD in Kunming.Critical HFMD cases are mainly caused by EV-A71 infection.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of implanted tissue-engineered bone (TEB)recruiting endogenous mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) towards bone regeneration after traumatic bone defect.Methods In vivo experiments:2 mm of diaphysis and periosteum were removed from the middle of the femoral shaft in 8 week old FVB/N mice to form a large segment of bone defect.Demineralized bone matrix (DBM) and TEB were implanted into the defect area and fixated.All mice were randomly divided into DBM group (n =18) and TEB group (n =18).The results were observed 24 hours after implantation:(1) flow cytometry was used to evaluate the number of mobilized host BMSCs into the blood;(2) non-invasive bioluminescent imaging was used to observe the ability of two groups in recruiting mouse bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs) in peripheral blood to the defect area;(3) ELISA was used to evaluate the stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) content in peripheral blood of two groups.In vitro experiments:(1) transwell assay was conducted to evaluate the ability of SDF-1 (100 ng/ml) in promoting the migration of human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs).SDF-1/C-X-C motif chemokine receptor-4 (CXCR4) pathway was blocked by the selective CXCR4 antagonist Plerixafor (AMD3100).The experimental groups were divided into control group,SDF-1 group,and SDF-1 + AMD3100 group.(2) The co-culture system of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (hUVECs) and hBMSCs was established,and cells were stimulated by SDF-1.The experimental groups were divided into hBMSCs group,hBMSCs + hUVECs group,and hBMSCs + hUVECs (AMD3100 pretreatment) group.Transwell assays were used to compare the migration of hBMSCs in each group.ELISA was used to detect the concentration of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the co-culture supernatant.(3) In vitro cultured hUVECs were stimulated by SDF-1 and SDF-1/CXCR4 pathway was antagonized by AMD3100.The experimental groups were divided into control group,SDF-1 group,and SDF-1 + AMD3100 group.Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT PCR) was used to evaluate the expression of HGF in each group.Results In vivo experiments:24 h after transplantation,the number of BMSCs and SDF-1 concentration in the TEB group were significantly highcr than those in the DBM group (P ＜ 0.05).The number of recruited mBMSCs into the circulation in the TEB group was larger than that in the DBM group (P＜ 0.01).In vitro experiments:(1) compared with the control group and the SDF-1 + AMD3100 group,the SDF-1 group significantly enhanced the migration ability of hBMSCs in Transwell migration experiments (P ＜ 0.01);(2) compared with the hBMSCs group and the hBMSCs + hUVECs (AMD3100 pretreatment) group,the number of migrated cells and HGF concentration in the hBMSCs + hUVEC group significantly increased (P ＜ 0.01),but there were no significant differences between the hBMSCs group and the hBMSCs + hUVECs (AMD3100 Pretreatment) group (P ＞0.05);(3) qRT-PCR showed that the expression of HGF was significantly increased in the SDF-1 group compared with the control group (P ＜ 0.05).After antagonizing SDF-1/CXCR4,HGF expression in the SDF-1 + AMD3100 group was significantly lower than that in the SDF-1 group.Conclusions TEB transplantation in traumatic bone defect can significantly increase the concentration of chemokine SDF-1 in vivo and effectively promote the mobilization of endogenous MSCs and recruitment of circulating MSCs.SDF-1 not only directly promotes the migration of hBMSCs through SDF-1/CXCR4 pathway,but also up-regulates the expression and secretion of HGF in vascular cells to further amplify the chemotactic effect of SDF-1 on hBMSCs.

[Abstract] EGFRvIII (epidermal growth factor receptor variant Ⅲ) is the most common mutant of epidermal growth factor receptor, which expresses in over 30% glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). EGFRvIII results from deletion of exon 2-7, leading to its constitutive activation, which is closely related to tumorigenesis, development and poor prognosis of GBM. The unique glycine site on EGFRvIII provides ideal molecular target for immunotherapy, which possess great potential value of killing GBM cell, inhibiting progress and invasion. Encouraging progress has been achieved in peptide/DC vaccine, therapeutic antibody, small molecular inhibitor and adoptive immunotherapy experimentally and clinically. The characteristics of EGFRvIII and the development in its oriented immunotherapy were summarized in this review.

Objective To investigate the differences in the survival time and the occurrence of complications between esophageal cancer patients treated with fully-covered segmented esophageal internal irradiation stent and esophageal cancer patients treated with conventional esophageal internal irradiation stent.Methods The clinical data of 66 esophageal cancer patients,who had received esophageal internal irradiation stents placement,were retrospectively analyzed.The patients were divided into the study group (using fullycovered segmented esophageal internal irradiation stent,n=30) and the control group (using conventional esophageal internal irradiation stent,n=36).The postoperative complications,including restenosis,stent migration,chest pain,etc.,and the survival time of the two groups were recorded.The results were analyzed,and P＜0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.Results No statistically significant difference in the restenosis rate existed between the study group and the control group (20.0％ vs.30.6％,P=0.403);although the median time of restenosis in the study group was longer than that in the control group (161.5 d vs.138 d,P=0.025).The stent migration rate in the study group was higher than that in the control group (33.3％ vs.8.3％,P=0.014).The difference in the median time of stent migration between the two groups was not statistically significant (91.5 d vs.166 d,P=0.236).No statistically significant difference in the median survival time existed between the two groups (186 d vs.178 d,P=0.486).No statistically significantly differences in the incidence of other stent-related complications existed between the two groups.Conclusion Fully-covered segmented esophageal internal irradiation stent can delay the occurrence of restenosis,although it can increase the stent migration rate to a certain degree.