OBJECTIVE:To study the effects of Thymalfasin for injection on the apoptosis of human lung cancer A549 cells. METHODS:After treated with 0(blank control),25,50,100,200 and 400 mg/L Thymalfasin for injection for 24,48 and 72 h, the cell proliferation inhibitory rate was analyzed with MTT and calculated. After treated with 0(blank control),50 and 100 mg/L Thymalfasin for injection for 48 h,cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry,and the expression of Caspase-3,Bcl-2 and Bax and the phosphorylation level of Akt were deteced by Western blot. RESULTS:Compared with blank control group,proliferation in-hibitory rate of A549 cells increased after treated with Thymalfasin for injection,in concentration and time-dependent manner(P<0.05). The apoptotic rate of A549 cells increased after treated with Thymalfasin for injection 50,100 mg/L for 48 h (P<0.05). The expression of Caspase-3 increased while the Bcl-2/Bax and phosphorylation level of Akt decreased in A549 cells after treated with Thymalfasin for injection 100 mg/L (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Thymalfasin for injection can inhibit the proliferation of A549 cells by activating Caspase-3,decreasing Bcl-2/Bax ratio,inhibiting Akt signal pathway and induce the apoptosis of A549 cells.

Objective To carry out a molecular screening of Chinese common deafness gene mutations in Chinese pregnant women group,so as to expatiate on the content,provide molecular epidemiological data,reduce the birth rate and provide a theoretical basis to the deaf children. Methods The molecular detection was done to the pregnant women underwent normal antenatal care in our hospital,using gene chips to screen the four com?mon deaf genes(GJB2,GJB3,SLC26A4 and mitochondrial 12S rRNA)in China;then,the newborn infants carrying mutations were treated with the hearing screening,using the methods of Otoacoustic Emissions(OAE)and Brainstem Auditory Evoked Potentials(BAEP),and the husbands of mutation carrying pregnant women were adopted molecular testing of the deaf susceptibility genes in order to investigate the correlation of the rate of pregnant women carrying the mutant genes and newborn infants deafness. Results Totally 2 067 cases of pregnant women were accepted to do the molecular screening,there were 110 cases of deafness mutations detected(5.320%),in which GJB2 gene(67 cases),GJB3 gene(6 cases), SLC26A4gene(33 cases),mitochondrial 12SrRNAgene(4 cases)mutation detection rates were 3.240%,0.290%,1.600%and 0.190%,respec?tively;especially:GJB2gene 235 del C,GJB2gene 299 del AT double mutant 1 case;GJB2gene 299 del AT,GJB3gene 538 C>T double mutant 1 case;GJB2 gene 235 del C,SLC26A4 gene IVS7?2 A>G double mutant 1 case. About 108 cases children newborn accepted to do the hearing screening,in which 3 cases had problems with the left ear,3 cases with the right ear,and 4 cases with the double ears. Conclusion The use of ge?netic deafness gene chip to do the molecular diagnostics in pregnant women can be convenient,fast and efficient for prenatal diagnosis of deafness, which provides a theoretical basis and good method for reducing the birth rate of deaf children and should be popularized more widely.

Objective To investigate whether human p27kip1 gene transfection mediated by nanoparticles( NP) can express p27kip1 protein and inhibit the neointimal formation in rat vein grafting models. Method Autogenous vein graft model was established in 120 Wistar rats by transplanting internal branch of jugular vein to carotid artery. Rats were divided into three groups: (1) p27 group; p27kip1 gene mediated by NP were transfected into the veins before anastomosis; (2) control group; the veins were transfected by simple NP; (3) grafting group;the veins were grafted without transfection. The grafted veins were harvested at 3 d, 7 d, 14 d and 28 d respectively after the operation. The exogenous p27 kip1 protein expression in veins was determined by Western blot. Intimal hyperplasia (IH) and PCNA were observed by pathology and analyzed by computer digitizing system. The presence of apoptotic VSMC was demonstrated by TUNEL method. Result p27kip1 gene transfection mediated by NP complex increased protein expression of p27kip1 gene and there was a significant decrease in the intimal average thickness at 7 d, 14 d and 28 d in p27 group (P

With reverse transcriptase PCR, the transcripton of copper homeostasis relative gene Afe0329 in Acidithiobacillus ferrooxians standard strain ATCC23270 was investigated. The further analysis of genes in this transcripton was analyzed employed by Vector NTI, Blast, TMHMM Server, PSORTb software and so on. From the DNA of different strains, the transcripton of Afe0329 was amplified using special primer pairs to identify the universality of it in the genome of A.ferrooxidans strains. The results showed that gene Afe0330 and Afe0331 were cotranscribed with Afe0329, and they were in a single transcripton. Gene Afe0329 was supported to express a P1b3-type ATPase which is a heavy metal ion pumping transmembrane protein, protein AFE0330 which expressed by gene Afe0330 was a cytoplasmic protein, no significant ho- mologous sequences of Afe0330 or Afe0331 had been obtained by Blast analysis. And the transcripton of Afe0329 was universal in genome of A. ferrooxidans strains.

Objective To compare the perioperative characteristics and long term outcomes between extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)-conventional cardiopulmonary switch (experimental group,26 cases) and off-pump high-risk coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCABG group,24cases).Methods Perioperative characteristics and survival rate were retrospectively analyzed between experimental group and OPCABG group.Long term survival rates without major cardiovascular adverse events (MACE) were comparatively analyzed via Kaplan-Meier curves.Results The average Euroscore value were 11.7 ± 2.4 and 10.9 ± 2.0,respectively(P =0.208).The experimental group had a higher complete revascularization rate (96.2％ vs.66.7％,P =0.009),a shorter length of postoperative ECMO support [(33.1±23.6)h vs.(80.8±18.5)h],an intensive care unit stay[(4.8±1.1)d vs.(10.2±9.0)d]and a hospital stay [(17.7±6.3)d vs.(28.2±17.5)d] (all P＜0.05) as compared with OPCABG group.Preoperative New York Heart Association (NYHA) grading of cardiac function (r =0.511,P =0.008) and intraoperative ultrafiltration volume (r =-0.442,P =0.024) were significantly correlated with postoperative ECMO continuation in the experimental group.The follow-up period was (45.4 ± 15.2) months.The experimental group had a higher survival rate without MACE than had the OPCABG group (Log-rank test:x2=4.828,P=0.028).Conclusions The ECMO-conventional cardiopulmonary switch mode might facilitate a higher complete revascularization,a lower incidence of postoperative morbidities and improve the longterm survival rate without MACE for patients with high risks.

PURPOSE: Studies have found that long noncoding RNA HEIH (lncRNA-HEIH) is upregulated and facilitates hepatocellular carcinoma tumor growth. However, its clinical significances, roles, and action mechanism in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains unidentified. MATERIALS AND METHODS: lncRNA-HEIH expression in CRC tissues and cell lines was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cell CountingKit-8, ethynyl deoxyuridine incorporation assay, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining, and nude mice xenografts assays were performed to investigate the roles of lncRNA-HEIH. RNA pull-down, RNA immunoprecipitation, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and luciferase reporter assays were performed to investigate the action mechanisms of lncRNA-HEIH. RESULTS: In this study, we found that lncRNA-HEIH is significantly increased in CRC tissues and cell lines. lncRNA-HEIH expression is positively associated with tumor size, invasion depth, and poor prognosis of CRC patients. Enhanced expression of lncRNA-HEIH promotes CRC cell proliferation and decreases apoptosis in vitro, and promotes CRC tumor growth in vivo. Whereas knockdown of lncRNA-HEIH inhibits CRC cell proliferation and induces apoptosis in vitro, and suppresses CRC tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, lncRNA-HEIH physically binds to miR-939. The interaction between lncRNA-HEIH and miR-939 damages the binding between miR-939 and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), increases the binding of NF-κB to Bcl-xL promoter, and promotes the transcription and expression of Bcl-xL. Moreover, Bcl-xL expression is positively associatedwith lncRNA-HEIH in CRC tissues. Blocking the interaction between lncRNA-HEIH and miR-939 abolishes the effects of lncRNA-HEIH on CRC tumorigenesis. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that lncRNA-HEIH promotes CRC tumorigenesis through counteracting miR-939-mediated transcriptional repression of Bcl-xL, and suggested that lncRNA-HEIH may serve as a prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target for CRC.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Carcinogenesis* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Chromatin Immunoprecipitation ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Deoxyuridine ; DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase ; Heterografts ; Humans ; Immunoprecipitation ; In Vitro Techniques ; Luciferases ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Prognosis ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Repression, Psychology* ; RNA ; RNA, Long Noncoding*

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of beta irradiation on intimal proliferation and apoptosis in vein grafts.

METHODSAutogenous vein graft model was established in 80 rats by transplanting the internal branch of the jugular vein to the carotid artery by end to end anastomosis. The veins were irradiated by (32)P solution before anastomosis. Two dose schedules were studied: control group (graft, nonirradiated) and radiation group (20 Gy). The grafted veins were harvested at 3, 1, 2 and 4 week respectively after the operation. intimal hyperplasia (IH), smooth muscle cell (SMC), proliferation, p53, bcl-2 and bax were observed pathologically and immunohistochemically. They were analyzed by a computerized system. The presence of apoptotic VSMC was demonstrated by TUNEL method.

RESULTThere was a significant decrease in the average intimal thickness at 7, 14 and 28 days (t = 15.694, P < 0.05) in the radiation group. Immunohistochemical analysis of PCNA indicated decreased positive cells in the radiation group compared with the controls at 1 and 2 weeks (t = 60.157, P < 0.01). Apoptosis of VSMC was higher in the radiation group than in the control group at 2 weeks (t = 56.176, P < 0.01). There was no significant difference in expression of P(53) between the two groups, and there was a significant increase in bax/bcl-2 in the radiation group at 2 weeks (t = 9.783, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThese preliminary results demonstrated that low dose of beta irradiation in the vein graft inhibits SMC proliferation and induces the apoptosis of VSMC in rats.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Beta Particles ; Brachytherapy ; Disease Models, Animal ; Graft Occlusion, Vascular ; metabolism ; pathology ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; pathology ; radiation effects ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; metabolism ; Rats ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; Tunica Intima ; pathology ; radiation effects

Objective: To investigate the clinicopathological features, special morphologic variants and potential diagnostic traps of classical follicular dendritic cell sarcoma (FDCS). Methods: A total of 25 cases of classical FDCS diagnosed in the First Hospital Affiliated to Army Medical University from 2006 to 2018 were examined by hematoxylin-eosin staining, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr virus-encoded mRNA (EBER). Meanwhile, the types and characteristics of the special variants of FDCS were summarized along with those reported in the literature. Results: The age of patients ranged from 23 to 77 years (mean 52 years), the male to female ratio was 1.5, and the maximum diameter of tumor was 1.5 to 20 cm (mean 7.4 cm). Twelve cases (48%) were misdiagnosed at the initial evaluation. Follow-up information was available for 17 patients, and the follow-up time was 5 to 96 months. The propotion of patients having recurrence, metastasis and mortality was 3/17, 5/17 and 2/17, respectively. Microscopically, besides the typical morphology, 10 cases of FDCS showed special histomorphologies and/or structures, including those mimicking lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma, desmoplastic infiltrating carcinoma, classical Hodgkin′s lymphoma (CHL), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) and hemangiopericytoma. These morphologic variants were potential diagnostic pitfalls and warranted attention. Immunohistochemistry showed that more than two markers of follicular dendritic cells (such as CD21, CD23, CD35, etc.) were expressed in cases showing typical morphology and the special variants. All 25 cases were all negative for EBER by in situ hybridization. Conclusions Classical FDCS is rare, besides the typical morphologic features, there are many special variants. In particular, these may be confused with lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma in the nasopharynx, CHL or ALCL in the mediastinum/lymph node. Awareness of these variants is essential for accurate diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the expression of long non-coding RNA(lncRNA)brain-derived neurotrophic factor-antisense(BDNF-AS)and semaphorin 3B-antisense 1(SEMA3B-AS1)in patients with gastric cancer and the application value of combined ultrasound in the diagnosis of gastric cancer.Methods From January 2021 to February 2023,118 gastric cancer patients admitted to our hospital were retrospectively selected as the gastric cancer group,another 113 cases with benign gastric lesions in our hospital were as the benign lesion group.Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR(qRT-PCR)was applied to detect the expression levels of serum BDNF-AS and SEMA3B-AS1,and patients were divided into BDNF-AS high expression group(n=55)and BDNF-AS low expression group(n=63),SEMA3B-AS1 high expression group(n=57),and SEMA3B-AS1 low expression group(n=61)based on the average value;Kappa test was applied to analyze the consistency between ultrasound diagnosis and clinical pathological diagnosis;receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC)was applied to analyze the diagnostic value of serum BDNF-AS and SEMA3B-AS1 combined with ultrasound for gastric cancer.Results Compared with the benign lesion group,the serum levels of BDNF-AS and SEMA3B-AS1 in the gastric cancer group were obviously lower(t=10.205,t=9.590,P＜0.05);the expression levels of BDNF-AS and SEMA3B-AS1 were obviously lower in gastric cancer patients with tumor diameter≥3 cm,deeper infiltration depth,lower differentiation,and lymph node metastasis(P＜0.05);Kappa test results showed a high consistency between ultrasound diagnosis and clinical pathological diagnosis(Kappa value=0.723,P＜0.05);ROC results showed that the AUC of serum levels of BDNF-AS,SEMA3B-AS1,and ultrasound in diagnosis of gastric cancer was 0.848,0.835,and 0.861,respectively,the AUC(0.949)diagnosed by the combination of the three was obviously higher than that diagnosed by serum BDNF-AS alone(Z=4.713,P=0.000),serum SEMA3B-AS1 level alone(Z=4.112,P=0.001 5),and ultrasound diagnosis(Z=3.350,P=0.000 8),the sensitivity and specificity of the combined diagnosis were superior to those diagnosed by the three alone.Conclusion The combination of serum BDNF-AS and SEMA3B-AS1 ultrasound has high practical value in the diagnosis of gastric cancer.

Objective:To investigate the clinicopathological features and prognosis of pleomorphic giant cell adenocarcinoma (PGCA) of the prostate, and to strengthen the understanding of this rare variant.Methods:From January 2009 to December 2019, 383 pathological samples of prostate adenocarcinoma with Gleason scores of 8-10 were selected from the First Affiliated Hospital, Army Medical University. PGCA was screened by reviewing the histomorphology of hematoxylin and eosin stained sections. Then the expression of prostate specific markers and mismatch repair (MMR) proteins of PGCA were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), and microsatellite instability (MSI) status was detected through polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-capillary electrophoresis. Meanwhile, the clinicopathological characteristics, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of PGCA were summarized and analyzed along with those reported in the literature.Results:Three patients with PGCA of the prostate were 68, 63 and 71 years old respectively, and case 1 had a history of transurethral resection of the prostate and oral bicalutamide 3 months before surgery. All 3 patients underwent radical prostatectomy and received endocrine therapy, radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy, and died at 18, 23, and 10 months after surgery, respectively. Histologically, both the usual prostate adenocarcinoma with Gleason score of 9-10 and the pleomorphic giant cell component with anaplastic characteristics were observed in 3 tumors, and the latter accounted for 90%, 10%, and 20%, respectively. Immunohistochemical staining showed that both components expressed epithelial markers (CK, CK8/18) and prostate-specific markers (NKX3.1, PSA, P504S) to varying degrees, and the expression of MMR proteins (MSH2, MSH6, MLH1 and PMS2) were not defective. MSI was not detected in the usual prostate adenocarcinoma and pleomorphic giant cell components obtained by microdissection in 3 cases. Combined with 10 cases reported in the literature, there were totally 13 cases of PGCA for reviewing. The patients were 45-81 years old, the average age was 66 years old, and the median age was 66 years old. During the follow-up period of 3-36 months, 7 cases relapsed/metastasized, 6 cases died within 23 months after diagnosis, and 4 of which died within 1 year.Conclusions:PGCA is a newly recognized rare variant of prostate adenocarcinoma. At present, all cases are accompanied with high-grade usual prostate adenocarcinoma with Gleason score of 9-10, but it is different from the latter in pathological morphology and clinical manifestations, by presenting high invasiveness and poor prognosis. PGCA is not sensitive to conventional endocrine therapy, radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Accurate diagnosis of PGCA is helpful to judge the prognosis of patients and guide the treatment.