Purpose:To explore different functions and values of Livin ? and Livin ?-specific silencing in inducing SPC-A1 cell apoptosis, respectively. Methods:First, Livin ?+?, Livin?and Livin ?-specific siRNA were steadily expressed in SPC-A1 respectively. Next, after isoform-specific gene silencing, biological changes with regard to cell morphology and proliferation of lung cancer cell were observed. Then, TUNEL and FCAS were performed to test the rate of apoptosis. Lastly, statistical analysis was performed to explore the different functions and values of isoform-specific gene silencing in inducing lung cancer cell apoptosis.Results:After gene silencing of Livin ?+?, Livin ? and Livin ?,there was an evident decrease in colony forming ability of SPC-A1 compared with the control(P

Medical English is an indispensible tool subject for medical students.However,the limited in-class teaching hours fail to provide adequate opportunities for students to participate in a diversity of subject-based tasks to practice medical English.Therefore,extracurricular activities serve as a complement to in-class teaching.Moreover,the features of extracurricular activities conform to those of Content-based instruction ( CBI),a teaching mode adopted in the teaching of ESP ( English for special purposes).The specific forms of extracurricular activities can be designed based on need analysis to cultivate the students' language competence in communicating biomedicine in Medical English.

The language of English medical papers should be accurate, precise, clear and objective. Unfamiliar with these features and influenced by mother tongue, Chinese authors are prone to use unnecessary words, subjective expressions and long and confusing sentences, etc. To avoid those mistakes, they are suggested to practice a lot, keep a good reading habit and equip themselves with necessary searching skills, etc.

Objective To express miR-122 in HeLa cells. Methods pAVU6+27-mir122, an eukaryotic expression vector of miR-122, was transfected into HeLa cell line by electroporation. G418-resistant clones were screened for cell clones with stable transfection. Northern blotting and dot blotting were used to detect miR-122 expression in the transfected HeLa cells. Results Northern blot and dot blot analyses demonstrate miR-122 expression in both transfected HeLa cells and murine hepatocytes, but miR-122 expression was not found in HeLa cells transfected with pAVU6+27. Conclusion The expression of miR-122 in HeLa cells may provide the basis for further studies of its targets and biological functions.

The course of medical English fundamental reading carefully chooses reading materials from original English medical textbooks as the course materials, aiming at imparting the skills for reading biomedical English literature, and meeting the reading needs of medical undergraduates. In conducting this course, formative assessment is adopted, the frame of which is the theoretical model developed by Professor Wen Qiufang. There are three key phases in this model: setting up goals, eliciting learning evidence, and providing feedback. Three ways are employed to assess the course (symposium records, reflective journals and quizzes), which confirms that this model of formative assessment has improved the effectiveness of the course.

As a new interdisciplinary course, the current paper writing course for medical postgraduates exhibits certaln disadvantages. For example, the course does not well target the learners' needs because of the absence of the needs analysis before class;English or biomedical teachers fall to combine English with medicine, thus unable to provide ideal courses. As textbooks are an important means to improve the quality of the course, one way to reform the course is to compile high-quality textbooks by interdisciplinary talents. Meanwhile, the compiling process should be guided by needs analysis as well as the teaching and editing experiences. In addition, the textbooks need to be con-tinuously improved in teaching practice.

BACKGROUNDAs a new member of inhibitor of apoptosis protein(IAP) family,Livin,especially Livin α,is known to be involved in occurrence and development of lung cancer.Livin is an important mechanism of chemotherapy resistance of lung cancer cell.The aim of this study is to set up Livin isoform(α & β)-specific gene silencing system in SPC-A1 cells by gene transfection and RNA interference(RNAi),and to explore the different functions and value of the isoforms in enhancing chemosensitivity of SPC-A1 cells.

METHODSLivinα+β,Livinα and Livinβ specific siRNA were expressed stably in SPC-A1 cells,respectively.MTT was performed to study sensitivity of the cells to chemotherapy drugs.In vivo experiment was performed to test sensitivity of mouse bearing tumor to cisplatin after gene silencing of Livin.

RESULTSAfter silencing of Livinα+β,Livinα and Livinβ genes,sensitivity of SPC-A1 cells to many chemotherapy drugs(including cisplatin,carboplatin,cyclophosphamide and adriblastine) was markedly increased(P < 0.05).Among them,gene silencing of Livinα+β showed the strongest enhancement effect on chemosensitivity of SPC-A1 cells(P < 0.01).Animal experiment showed that tumor inhibition rate of pSilencer-Livinα+β,pSilencer-Livinα and pSilencer-Livinβ groups was 146.1%,130.7% and 110.5%,respectively.

CONCLUSIONSThe results suggest that Livin isoform,especially Livinα+β is hopeful to be a molecular target for increasing sensitivity of lung cancer cell to chemotherapy.Gene silencing may be a new means of gene therapy for non-small cell lung cancer.

With globalization of biomedicine,Chinese postgraduates in medical colleges are facing increasing challenges.Writing and publishing research papers in English have become an essential requirement for their graduation and career development,but for non-native English speakers,having a good command of English for academic purposes (EAP) is of special difficulty.In China,lack of self-written textbooks is a bottleneck that restricts the teaching of EAP.Therefore,guided by EAP theories,this study carries out in-depth demand analysis for graduate students in medical colleges and universities,and designs a textbook framework with genre analysis theory.Based on self-established corpus finally completed an EAP writing textbook for postgraduates of biomedicine.This textbook and the writing and research process can provide implications for construction of EAP textbooks in other principles,thus promoting the all-round development of postgraduate education in China.

English biomedical research paper writing is a key skill for biomedical postgraduates as it directly determines the publicity of their research findings and their international academic influence. It belongs to the field of ESP (English for Specific Purposes), and has the characteristics of diversified students, specialized and complicated teaching content, and a curriculum with time and space constraints. Based on the characteristics, needs analysis of this course as well as years of discipline construction and teaching research, the flipped classroom for English biomedical research paper writing based on collaborative teaching is put forward, which has combined the advantages of both collaborative teaching and flipped classroom: it integrates the knowledge expertise of biomedical teachers and English teachers to meet the requirements for ESP teachers; in the meantime, it has broken the time and space constraints of traditional classroom through "after-class knowledge input and in-class knowledge extension and deepening", blazing new trails for course delivery.

After in-depth needs analysis, we combined our previously written textbook with digitalized platform by information technology, and proposed construction principles guided by English for academic purposes (EAP) theories. Through scientific design and ongoing modification, we finally developed an open online digital course with academic and practical properties. The course received positive feedback after release online. It may become an effective way to improve research paper writing skills for medical postgraduates and provide references for medical colleges to develop other EAP digital courses.