Objective To explore the effects and mechanisms of hepatitis B virus-X protein (HBx) on invasion and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells.Methods The retrospective cohort study was conducted.The clinicopathological data of 30 patients with liver tumor (20 with HCC and 10 with benign tumor of liver) who were admitted to the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College between July 2014 and July 2015 were collected.HCC tissues of 20 patients with HCC (with history of HBV infection) were collected by surgical resection and peritumoral normal tissues (outside of tumor capsule) of 10 patients with benign tumor of liver (without history of HBV infection) were collected.The expressions of epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (ErbB3)in HCC tissues and peritumoral normal tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC).The relative expressions of ErbB3 and HBx in HCC tissues and peritumoral normal tissues were detected by Western blot,and relative expressions of ErbB3 in HepG2 of which green fluorescent protein (GFP) and GFP-HBx were respectively transfected were detected.The relative expressions of ErbB3 mRNA in HepG2 transfected by GFP and GFP-HBx were detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).The migration and invasion of HepG2 were respectively detected by Transwell assay with and without matrix.The measurement data with normal distribution were represented as $± s.The comparisons between groups were evaluated with the independent-sample t test.Correlation analysis was done by the Pearson test.Results (1) The expressions of ErbB3 were detected by IHC:relative value of mean optical density (MOD) of ErbB3 in HCC tissues of 20 patients with HCC and peritumoral normal tissues of 10 patients with benign tumor of liver were 2.54± 1.33 and O.99±0.29,respectively,with a statistically significant difference (t =6.542,P ＜ 0.05).(2) The relative expressions of ErbB3 and HBx were detected by Western blot:relative expressions of ErbB3 and HBx were respectively 0.79±0.13,1.10±0.28 in HCC tissues of 10 patients with HCC and 1.07±0.17,0 in peritumoral normal tissues of 10 patients with benign tumor of liver,with statistically significant differences (t =3.229,19.486,P＜0.05).The results of Pearson test showed that there was a positive correlation of expression between ErbB3 and HBx in HCC tissues (r=O.637,P＜ 0.05).(3) The relative expressions and transcriptional levels of ErbB3 were detected by Western blot and RT-PCR:relative expressions of ErbB3 in HepG2 of which GFP and GFP-HBx were respectively transfected were O.75±0.11 and 1.10±0.10,respectively,with a statistically significant difference (t=4.291,P＜0.05).The relative expressions of ErbB3 mRNA in HepG2 of which GFP and GFP-HBx were respectively transfected were O.38±0.03 and O.94±0.07,respectively,with a statistically significant difference (t=11.703,P＜O.05).(4) The effects of ErbB3 on migration and invasion of HepG2:numbers of transmenbrane cell in HepG2 of which His and His-ErbB3 were respectively transfected by Transwell assay with matrix were respectively 271± 18 and 463± 31,respectively,with a statistically significant difference (t =8.202,P＜0.05).Numbers of transmenbrane cell in HepG2 of which His and His-ErbB3 were respectively transfected by Transwell assay without matrix were respectively 315±38 and 549±34,respectively,with a statistically significant difference (t =8.310,P＜0.05).Conclusion HBx protein can promote the invasion and migration of hepatocellular carcinoma cells through up-regulating expressions of ErbB3 protein.

Objective To investigate the effect of radiation on the expressions of RANKL and OPG in osteoblasts in order to disclose the molecular mechanism of bone injury induced by ionizing radiation.Methods The osteoblasts were differentiated from MC3T3-E1 cells.After 2 or 4 Gy137 Cs γ-irradiation,the mRNA and protein expression levels of RANKL and OPG of osteoblast precursor and osteoblast were detected by real-time PCR and Western blot.Results The expressions of RANKL mRNA (t=5.41,P＜0.05)and protein(t=68.37,P＜0.01)were up-regulated after 4 Gy irradiation,while the expressions of OPG mRNA(t=5.20,7.02,P＜0.05)and protein(t=7.78,9.45,P＜0.05)were down-regulated after 2 and 4 Gy irradiation.Conclusions 2 and 4 Gy ionizing radiation alters RANKL/RANK/OPG pathway in osteoblasts,which may promote the osteoclast differentiation and maturation and hence promote bone resorption of osteoclasts.

Objective To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of different HbA1C cutoff points for diabetes diagnosis in high risk outpatients in Harbin.Methods A total of 2 122 high risk outpatients(male 1 032 and female 1 090)for diabetes screening in the Fourth affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University from April 2013 to February 2015 were included in this study, with the average age of(49.26±13.00)year. Oral glucose tolerance tests(OGTT)were conducted and HbA1C levels were examined in these patients. The sensitivity and specificity of different HbA1C cutoff points were calculated and a receiver operator characteristic(ROC)curve was then built.Results The average level of HbA1C in these subjects was(6.45±1.72)%. The prevalence of diabetes was 41.85%. The area under ROC curve(AUC)was 0.89 with the optimal cutoff point of HbA1C 6.0% and 0.68 for the highest Yonden index. The sensitivity and specificity of HbA1C 6.0% were 84.01% and 83.67% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of HbA1C 6.5% were 62.84% and 95.92%, respectively. The AUC of HbA1C≥6.5% was 0.732. Conclusion HbA1C works well as the diagnostic standard for diabetes in high risk outpatients of Harbin city. The cutoff point of HbA1C 6.0% is suitable for screening diabetes in high risk population, and HbA1C 6.5% is appropriate for diabetes diagnosis, with high sensitivity and specificity.

Objective To study the discharges regularity of ambulatory electroencephalogram (ambulatory,EEG,AEEG)during sleep and hyperventilation(HV)-induced EEG. Methods Features of epileptiform discharges of AEEG and HV-induced EEG were evaluated comparatively in 65 cases with frontal lobe epilepsy. Results The epileptiform discharge rate of HV-induced EEG was evidently lower than that of AEEG during the shallow sleep period (non-rapid-eye-movement phase 1 and 2,NREM phase 1 and 2),which had statistical significance(P＜0.01);however,the rate of HV-induced EEG had no significant difference from that of AEEG during the awake period and deep sleep period(NREM phase 3 and 4)(P＞0.05). Conclusions The epileptiform discharge rate of AEEG during the shallow sleep period is obviously higher than that of HV-induced EEG in patients with frontal lobe epilepsy,and thus sleep EEG is helpful to enhance the diagnostic rate of epileptiform discharges in these patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVEAs a prospective vaccine carrier, nanoparticles can protect antigens from degradation and enhance immune response. This study prepared nanovaccines with MAGE-3-derived CD4+-CD8+T cell epitope peptides, and investigated its character and antitumor effects on transplanted gastric cancer in mice.

METHODSWe adopted the self-assembly method to prepare peptide/chitosan conjugated with deoxycholic acid (chitosan-deoxycholic acid) nanoparticles. We observed the appearance of the chitosan-deoxycholic acidnanoparticles through a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and analyzed the peptide content and its release pattern by fluorescence spectrophotometry. We observed tumor-suppression efficacy in vivo through animal experiments.

RESULTSWe successfully prepared nanoparticles with MAGE-3 peptide antigen, and its encapsulation efficiency and loading level were about 37% and 17.0%, respectively. These nanoparticles presented a delayed release pattern in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at pH 7.4, and the full release time was about 48 h. In 2 mg/mL lysozyme, the nanoparticles showed a sudden release, and the full release time was about 24 h. ELISPOT and cytotoxic experiments showed that the MAGE-3 peptide loaded nanoparticles could stimulate immune response in vivo and could generate MAGE-3-targeted cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), and kill MAGE-3-specific tumor cells. Tumor suppression experiments showed that the regression ratio of the peptide-loaded nanoparticles group was 37.81%.

CONCLUSIONSMAGE-3 peptide/chitosan-deoxycholic acidvaccine-loaded nanoparticles can stimulate antitumor immune response in vivo and can regress the growth of mouse forestomach carcinoma cell line MFC.

Animals ; Antigens, Neoplasm ; chemistry ; immunology ; Cancer Vaccines ; administration & dosage ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Chitosan ; chemistry ; Dendritic Cells ; immunology ; Deoxycholic Acid ; chemistry ; Drug Carriers ; chemistry ; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte ; immunology ; Male ; Mice ; Nanoparticles ; Neoplasm Proteins ; chemistry ; immunology ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Stomach Neoplasms ; pathology ; therapy ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; immunology ; Tumor Burden

OBJECTIVETo develop a colon-specific prodrug of Indomethacin microbially triggered, carry out in vitro/in vivo evaluation of drug release, and appraise its inhibitory effect on liver metastasis from colon cancer.

METHODSIndomethacin prodrugs were synthesized and characterized by FTIR and NMR, and dissolution test simulating gastrointestinal tract was employed to screen the colon-specific prodrug. Then, the pharmacokinetic profile of portal vein and peripheral blood in Sprague-Dawley rats was studied. Lastly, the inhibitory effect on liver metastasis from colon cancer in nude mice was observed.

RESULTSThe chemical structure characterized by FTIR and NMR demonstrated that six kinds of indomethacin-block-amylose with different drug loading (IDM-AM-1-6) were synthesized, among which IDM-AM-3 was degraded 1.3%, 9.3% and 95.3%, respectively, in simulated gastric fluid for 4 h, small intestine for 6 h, and colon for 36 h. The pharmacokinetic test of IDM-AM-3 showed that absorption was delayed significantly (P < 0.01), peak time [(11.35 + or - 2.45) h], elimination half-life [(16.74 + or - 4.04) h] and mean residence time [(22.27 + or - 0.52) h] were significantly prolonged (P < 0.01), as well as peak serum concentrations [(9.69 + or - 2.40) mg/L] and AUC(0-t) [(236.7 + or - 13.1) mg x L(-1) x h] were decreased markedly (P < 0.01) as compared with those of IDM regarding to portal vein. Additionally, its AUC(0-t) in peripheral blood was remarkably lower than that in Portal vein (P < 0.01). The tumor suppression observation showed that it could remarkably reduce the number of liver metastases in contrast to IDM (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONColon-specific IDM-AM-3 possesses advantage of sustained release in portal vein providing some experimental basis for colon-specific delivery system applied to sustained release in the portal vein.

Amylose ; administration & dosage ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacokinetics ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Colon ; metabolism ; Colonic Neoplasms ; pathology ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; Drug Delivery Systems ; HT29 Cells ; Humans ; Indomethacin ; administration & dosage ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacokinetics ; therapeutic use ; Liver Neoplasms ; prevention & control ; secondary ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Prodrugs ; administration & dosage ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacokinetics ; therapeutic use ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; drug therapy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Hepatic Artery ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Postoperative Period ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Treatment Outcome

Background and Objective: As a prospective vaccine carrier,nanoparticles can protect antigens from degradation and enhance immune response.This study prepared nanovaccines with MAGE-3-derived CD4+CD8+T cell epitope peptides,and investigated its character and antitumor effects on transplanted gastric cancer in mice.Methods: We adopted the self-assembly method to prepare peptide/chitosan conjugated with deoxycholic acid(chitosan-deoxycholic acid)nanoparticles.We observed the appearance of the chitosan-deoxycholic acid nanoparticles through a transmission electron microscope(TEM)and analyzed the peptide content and its release pattern by fluorescence spectrophotometry.We observed tumor-suppression efficacy in vivo through animal experiments.Results: We successfully prepared nanoparticles with MAGE-3 peptide antigen,and its encapsulation efficiency and loading level were about 37% and 17.0%,respectively.These nanoparticles presented a delayed release pattern in phosphate buffered saline(PBS)at pH 7.4,and the full release time was about 48 h.In 2 mg/mL lysozyme,the nanoparticles showed a sudden release,and the full release time was about 24 h.ELISPOT and cytotoxic experiments showed that the MAGE-3 peptide loaded nanoparticles could stimulate immune response in vivo and could generate MAGE-3-targeted cytotoxic T lymphocytes(CTLs),and kill MAGE-3-specific tumor cells.Tumor suppression experiments showed that the regression ratio of the peptide-loaded nanoparticles group was 37.81%.Conclusion: MAGE-3 peptide/chitosan-deoxycholic acid vaccine-loaded nanoparticles can stimulate antitumor immune response in vivo and can regress the growth of mouse forestomach carcinoma cell line MFC.

BACKGROUNDBudd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) is characterized by liver sinusoidal congestion, ischemic liver cell damage, and liver portal hypertension caused by hepatic venous outflow constriction. The aim of this research was to investigate the clinicopathological features of BCS-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and explore its surgical treatment and prognosis.

METHODSClinical data from 38 patients with BCS-associated HCC who were surgically treated in our hospital from July 1998 to August 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. The clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients with BCSassociated HCC and surgical treatment for BCS-associated HCC were investigated.

RESULTSCompared to the patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated HCC, the patients with BCS-associated HCC showed a female predominance, and had significantly higher cirrhosis rate, higher incidence of solitary tumors, lower incidence of infiltrative growth, higher proportion of marginal or exogenous growth, lower rate of portal vein invasion, and higher degree of differentiation. Median survival was longer in patients with BCS-associated HCC (76 months) than in those with HBV associated HCC (38 months). Of 38 patients with BCS-associated HCC, 22 patients who received combined surgery mainly by liver resection plus cavoatrial shunts exhibited hepatic venous outflow constriction relief, while the other 16 patients only underwent liver resection. The combined surgery group had significantly longer survival and lower incidences of post-operative lethal complications (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that relief of hepatic venous outflow obstruction was a protective factor for survival of patients with BCS-associated HCC, whereas portal vein invasion was a risk factor.

CONCLUSIONSBCS-associated HCC has a more favorable biological behavior and prognosis than HBV-associated HCC. For patients with BCS-associated HCC, tumor resection accompanied with relief of hepatic venous outflow obstruction can reduce the incidence of complications and extend survival.

Adult ; Aged ; Budd-Chiari Syndrome ; complications ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis