Objective To investigate the expression level of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and its effects on cell proliferation activity and apoptosis in colorectal carcinoma. Methods The expression of COX-2, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and apoptosis in 60 cases of colorectal carcinoma, 20 cases of colorectal adenoma and 20 cases of normal mucous were studied by the immunohistochemical and TUNEL methods, the apoptosis index(AI)and proliferation index(PI) were defined respectively. Results The positive expression rate of COX-2 in colorectal carcinoma was significantly higher than that in the other groups. Overexpression of COX-2 in colorectal carcinoma was related to its lymph node metastasis and the size of tumor and clinical stages. In the group with COX-2 positive expression, PI was higher than that in the group with COX-2 negative expression; whereas AI was higher in the latter group than in the former group. Conclusions The expression level of COX-2 may have a close correlation with cell proliferation and apoptosis, they may participate in oncogenesis and progression of colorectal carcinoma.

Object To study the preparation and technology on sinomenine (SM) release from Sinomenine Sustained-release Tablets (SSTs) in which hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) was used as the primary excipients. Methods SSTs were prepared with different HPMC viscosity of K4M, K15M, and K100M, different HPMC content, and preparing technology. Results Little effect was observed on the releasing rate of SM with different HPMC viscosity when the content of HPMC was 30%. SM releasing rate increased with the decreasing of proportion of HPMC while the content of HPMC was less than 30%. But the releasing velocity slowed down while the content of HPMC increased and the effect on the releasing rate was not found as the content of HPMC was over 30%. When the ratio of SM and HPMC was 1∶1.5, the releasing rate decreased with the increasing of tablet weight from 280 mg to 360 mg. The releasing rate was insensitive to the particle size of HPMC and hardness of SSTs in this study. Conclusion It is necessary to control the tablet weight and choose the proper quantity of HPMC in the preparation of SSTs.

Objective To explore the relationship among genetic polymorphism of angiotension Ⅱ type 1 re-ceptor(AT1 R) A1166-C, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D), aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2)-344T/C and hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy.Methods Polymerase chain reaction-re-striction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) assay was used to detect the genotypes of AT1 R A1166-C ,ACE (I/O) ,CYP11B2 -344T/C in 86 cases of hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy and 175 cases of normal control.Results There was 18 combined types in hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy cases and normal control cases.Compared to AT1R-AA + ACE-Ⅱ + CYP11B2-TT, Odds ratios (OR) of AT1R-AA + ACE-DO +CYP11B2-TC,AT1 R-AC + ACE-ID+CYP11B2-TC and AT1R-AC+ACE-DD+CYP11B2-TC are 7.289,5.315 and 5.694 respectively.There was no statistical significance among the others.Conclusion In all 18 kinds of combined types, AT1 R-AA + ACE-DO + CYP11B2-TC,AT1R-AC+ACE-ID+CYP11B2-TC and AT1 R-AC + ACE-DD +CYP11B2-TC might increase the susceptibility of hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy.It is possible that multigenes are interacted in the etiology of hypertensive disorder complicating pregnancy.

Objective To explore the protective effects of quercetin on damage induced by oxidative stress and to clari?fy its molecular mechanism. Methods Chang liver cell cultures were randomly divided into control groups, H2O2 group and 3 doses of quercetin groups. Cell survival rate was detected with MTT. Cell apoptotic rate was measured by FACS(Fluores?cence-activated cell sorting). Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in Chang liver cells were tested by flow cy?tometer. The DCF fluorescence intensity of DCFH-DA-stained intracellular ROS was observed by fluorescence microscope. The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase(SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were determined in liver cells using commercial available kits. The expression of Nrf2 were detected by Western blot. Re?sults Compared with control, cell survival rate and levels of SOD, CAT and GSH-Px decreased significantly in H2O2 group (P < 0.05 ),while cell appotosis rate, content of MDA and mean fluorescence intensity(MFI) increased in H2O2 group (P <0.05). In comparison with H2O2, expression of Nrf2 protein was higher in all three quercetin treatment groups (P<0.05). Con?clusion Quercetin protected Chang liver cells from H2O2-induced oxidative stress, which may be caused by the increased ex?pressions of down stream antioxidant genes via activating the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway.

Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of mifepristone combined with oral or vaginal misoprostol for termination of pregnancy between 8 and 16 weeks of gestation. Methods This was a randomized, multi-center, open clinical trial. A total of 625 women at 8-16 weeks of gestation were randomized to receive 200 mg oral mifepristone followed by either oral misoprostol 400 μg every 3 hours or vaginal misoprostol 400μg every 6 hours for a maximum of 4 doses 36-48 hours later. There were 417 women in oral group with 198 at 8-9 weeks and 219 at 10-16 weeks, while 208 women in vaginal group with 99 at 8-9 weeks and 109 at 10-16 weeks. The outcome measures were the success abortion rate, induction to abortion interval, the amount of bleeding, reoccurrence of menstruation and adverse events. Results Abortion rate was significantly higher in vaginal group [98.1% (202/206)] than that in oral group [94.0%(390/415), P=0.023]; concerning termination of pregnancy at 8-9 weeks and 10-16 weeks respectively, there were no significant differences between oral and vaginal groups (P=0.156, P=0.073). The induction to abortion interval was no significant difference in oral and vaginal group in different gestational weeks ( P=0.238, P=0.273). The average induction to abortion interval was (4.1 ± 6.6) hours and (6.0 ± 4.5) hours respectively in terminating 8-9 weeks and 10-16 weeks of gestation. Concerning the amount of bleeding within 2 hours of placenta expulsion, there was significant difference between oral group [(63±46) ml] and vaginal group [(55 ± 45) ml] in terminating 8-9 weeks of gestation (P=0.047), while there was no significant difference between groups in terminating 10-16 weeks of gestation [oral group (76 ± 52) ml versus vaginal group (76 ± 61) ml, P=0.507]. The reoccurrence of menstruation was about 37 days in both oral and vaginal groups. Two cases of incomplete abortion were serious adverse events (SAE) relating to treatment. The common adverse events (AE) of nausea and vomiting were significantly higher in oral group [57.2% (239/417), 36.3% (151/417)] than those in vaginal group [45.4% (94/208), 26.1% (54/208); P=0.005, 0.011]. Conclusion Oral or vaginal misoprostol combined with mifepristone, is effective and safe for termination of pregnancy between 8 and 16 weeks of gestation.

OBJECTIVETo determine the frequency of spinocerebellar ataxia type 31 (SCA31) related mutations among patients from mainland China.

METHODSFor a cohort of molecularly unassigned patients comprised of 295 SCA patients (including 98 probands from families featuring autosomal dominant SCA and 197 sporadic cases) and 81 patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) (including 23 probands from families with autosomal dominant HSP and 58 sporadic cases),TGGAA pentanucleotide expansion insertional mutation of the BEAN/TK2 gene was detected using repeat-primed PCR followed by capillary gel electrophoresis.

RESULTSNo TGGAA pentanucleotide insertion expansion in BEAN/TK2 gene was identified in the above cohort.

CONCLUSIONSCA31 is an extremely rare subtype of SCA and should not be included in routine genetic screening in mainland China.

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical and pathologic features of gliosarcoma of cerebral hemispheres.

METHODSThe clinicopathologic features of 10 cases of gliosarcoma involving cerebral hemispheres were reviewed. Immunohistochemical study was carried out using EnVision method.

RESULTSThe mean age of the patients was 54 years and the male-to-female ratio was 6 to 4. Clinical symptoms included headache (6/10), nausea/vomiting (5/10), and sensory or motor impairment (4/10). Nine of the cases were primary gliosarcoma, with maximum diameter ranging from 2.4 to 5.5 cm (mean = 4.2 cm). The remaining case represented secondary gliosarcoma involving skull base and extracranial tissues. Histologic examination showed a biphasic pattern in all cases. Regarding the glial component, there were 9 cases of pleomorphic glioblastoma and 1 case of giant cell glioblastoma. Reticulin stain was positive in all cases. Immunohistochemical study showed that the tumor cells variably expressed GFAP (10/10), p16 (4/10), EGFR (1/10), CD68 (1/10) and p53 (6/10). The Ki-67 index ranged from 15% to 70% (mean = 34%). Six patients had follow-up data available. One patient was disease-free for 45 months and 5 patients died of the disease at 3 to 17 months after the operation (mean duration of survival = 9 months).

CONCLUSIONSGliosarcoma is a highly aggressive tumor, often locates in the deeper part cerebral hemispheres and has a relatively short duration of symptoms. It carries a poor prognosis. GFAP immunostain and reticulin stain are helpful in confirming the diagnosis. p53 and p16 are also expressed in some cases.

Adult ; Brain Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cerebrum ; pathology ; Female ; Glioblastoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Gliosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neuroglia ; pathology

Circular RNA (circRNA) is a kind of RNA with a circular structure. The unique structure of circRNA endows it with various cell biological functions and characteristics. It has become a research hotspot recently. CircRNA can play a role via mechanisms, such as microRNA (miRNA) sponge, RNA binding protein, peptide translation and regulation of gene transcription. CircRNA was found to be associated with disc degeneration, spinal cord injury, scoliosis, and facet arthritis. Some techniques, including bioinformatics and molecular biology techniques, microarray and high-throughput sequencing, can be used to predict and to discover disease-related circRNA, aiming to evaluate whether circRNA can be used as a molecular biomarker for spinal and spinal cord diseases. Based on the current role of circRNA, the corresponding therapeutic strategies have been carried out in experimental animals, which can provide theoretical basis for gene therapy. At present, the researches in circRNA for spinal and spinal cord diseases are still insufficient compared with those in other fields. Currently, the main direction focuses on the miRNA sponge mechanism of circRNA. Due to the variety of diseases in spinal surgery, the research progress of circRNA is also varied. In addition, the development of microarray and high-throughput sequencing technology have greatly promoted the researches in circRNA. The availability of public database is of great significance in the study. The present review summarized the current researches status of circRNA in spinal and spinal cord diseases, aiming to deepen understanding of circRNA in spinal and spinal cord diseases.

Small cell lung cancer （SCLC） accounts for about 15% in lung cancer and is highly malignant， heterogeneous and invasive. Etoposide combined with platinum-based chemotherapy is the basis of standard first-line treatment for extensive-stage SCLC， but suffers from the problem of susceptibility to drug resistance and relapse. In recent years， the emergence of new immunological drugs and novel cytotoxic drugs has improved the survival of SCLC patients to a certain extent， especially bringing therapeutic hope to patients with relapsed/refractory SCLC. In this paper， we review the current clinical drug regimens and the new progress of potential target drug therapeutic regimens for the treatment of SCLC. At present， the first-， second- and third-line schemes of SCLC include etoposide+carboplatin， atezolizumab+etoposide+platinum， adebrelimab， topotecan， docetaxel， etc.； the current drug targets for the treatment of SCLC mainly focus on topoisomerase Ⅱ/Ⅰ， DNA， the immune checkpoint molecules programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1， tubulin， etc. The potential target drug therapeutic options include alisertib+ paclitaxel， rovalpituzumab， APG-1252， etc.， and mainly focus on DNA damage response pathways and immune pathways， which can achieve the prolongation of patient survival by exerting anti-tumor effects through aurora kinase A and other potential targets.

METTL3 and METTL14 are two components that form the core heterodimer of the main RNA m6A methyltransferase complex (MTC) that installs m6A. Surprisingly, depletion of METTL3 or METTL14 displayed distinct effects on stemness maintenance of mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC). While comparable global hypo-methylation in RNA m6A was observed in Mettl3 or Mettl14 knockout mESCs, respectively. Mettl14 knockout led to a globally decreased nascent RNA synthesis, whereas Mettl3 depletion resulted in transcription upregulation, suggesting that METTL14 might possess an m6A-independent role in gene regulation. We found that METTL14 colocalizes with the repressive H3K27me3 modification. Mechanistically, METTL14, but not METTL3, binds H3K27me3 and recruits KDM6B to induce H3K27me3 demethylation independent of METTL3. Depletion of METTL14 thus led to a global increase in H3K27me3 level along with a global gene suppression. The effects of METTL14 on regulation of H3K27me3 is essential for the transition from self-renewal to differentiation of mESCs. This work reveals a regulatory mechanism on heterochromatin by METTL14 in a manner distinct from METTL3 and independently of m6A, and critically impacts transcriptional regulation, stemness maintenance, and differentiation of mESCs.
Animals ; Mice ; Methylation ; Chromatin ; Histones/metabolism* ; RNA, Messenger/genetics* ; Methyltransferases/metabolism* ; RNA/metabolism*