Objective To investigate the changes of serum miR-21 expression level in patients with HCC before and after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) and to discuss its clinical significance. Methods Before and after TACE the levels of serum miR-21 in 42 patients with HCC and 42 healthy subjects were determined by reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-PCR), and the levels of serum AFP were also estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results were analyzed. Results The serum miR-21 level in patients with HCC was (12.9 ± 3.5) times of that in normal subjects(t=19.430 7, P < 0.01). One month after TACE, the serum miR-21 level became (7.2 ± 1.7) times of that of normal reference value, which was remarkably lower than that obtained before the treatment (t=9.493 7, P<0.01). The serum miR-21 level was closely correlated with the tumor size, the presence of tumor thrombus and HBV infection. One month after TACE the serum miR-21 levels in patient groups showing partial response, stable disease and progressive disease were (4.0 ± 0.3), (6.0 ± 1.5) and (8.6 ± 1.5) times, respectively, of that of normal reference value, and statistically significant difference existed between each other among the three groups (F=38.168, P=0.000). ROC-AUC value of MiR-21 in diagnosing HCC was 0.910 ± 0.041, which was significantly higher than that of AFP (0.860 ± 0.037, t=6.3042, P<0.01). The specificity of miR-21 in detecting HCC was 88.1%, which was remarkably higher than that of AFP (69%, χ2= 4.5253, P = 0.033).Conclusion After TACE the serum MiR-21 level in HCC patients is significantly decreased, which is very helpful in predicting the therapeutic efficacy of TACE. Therefore, MiR- 21 can be regarded as a potential molecular marker of HCC.

Purpose To evaluate the expression of miR-21 in the tissues and cell lines of hepatocellular carcinoma,and to try to find its possible target genes.Methods The expression profile of miR-21 was detected in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cell lines.Mter miR-21 inhibitor was used,the alterations in the vitality and invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma cells were observed.The possible target gene of miR-21 was predicted by bioinformatics analysis.The influence of miR-21 inhibitors on the target gene activity was evaluated by dual luciferase reporting gene system.Results The expression level of miR-21 was significantly higher in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues than that in the adjacent ones (P ＜0.05).The expression level of miR-21 in hepatocellular carcinoma cells was significantly higher than that in the hepatic cells (P ＜0.01).After inhibiting miR-21,the viability and invasion ability of hepatocellular carcinoma cells were decreased (P ＜ 0.01).The expression level of programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues was significantly lower than that in the adjacent tissues (P ＜ 0.01).Its expression level in hepatocellular carcinoma cells was significantly lower than that in the hepatic cells (P ＜ 0.01).After interfering with PDCD4,the vitality and invasion ability of liver cancer cells were increased (P ＜ 0.05).Dual luciferase reporter gene assay indicated that by inhibiting miR-21,the expression level of PDCD4 was up-regulated (P ＜ 0.01).The vitality and invasion ability of liver cancer cells were reduced (P ＜ 0.001).Conclusion MiR-21 can regulate the growth and invasion of liver cancer cells through targeting PDCD4.

Objective: To establish a method for the determination of bilastine in human plasma, and evaluate the uncertainty by LC-MS/MS. Methods: The uncertainty sources were obtained from the whole process of the determination including repeatability, e-quipment error, weighting, solution preparation, calibration fitting and plasma sample handling. The uncertainty and synthesized un-certainty of each component were calculated, and then the expanded uncertainty was obtained. Results: The expanded uncertainty for low (15 ng·ml-1), medium (400 ng·ml-1) and high(1 200 ng·ml-1) level of bilastine was 1. 45 ng·ml-1, 28. 72 ng·ml-1 and 74. 61 ng·ml-1, respectively (k=2, P=95% ). Conclusion: The uncertainty in the determination of bilastine in human plasma is mainly caused by equipment error, solution preparation, protein precipitation and calibration fitting (especially at low level).

BACKGROUND:Among the surface modification technologies of metal implants,micro-arc oxidation has been widely concerned for its convenience,low cost and ability to effectively adjust the microstructure and elements of surface coatings. OBJECTIVE:To summarize research advances in physical and chemical properties and biological activities of oxidation coatings prepared by micro-arc oxidation on different materials. METHODS:The articles about the effects of micro-arc oxidation on the biological activity of medical metals were searched in PubMed and Web of Science based on the English search terms"MAO,micro-arc oxidation,osseointegration,mechanical property,biological activity,angiogenesis,fibrogenesis".The search time was from January 2016 to December 2022.According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria,82 articles were finally retained for review. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Micro-arc oxidation is a potential surface modification technology,which can greatly improve the success rate of implantation,and can be widely used in other fields.The specific reasons are as follows:(1)Micro-arc oxidation technology forms special porous morphology on the surface of materials,which can optimize the mechanical properties such as wear resistance and corrosion resistance,contributing to the reduction of the degradation rate of magnesium alloys.(2)Micro-arc oxidation technology can significantly enhance the bioactivity and improve the bioinertness of titanium and titanium alloys through the addition of strontium,hydroxyapatite and other metallic or nonmetallic substances to its porous morphology for helping elevate its osteogenic differentiation,angiogenesis,fibrogenesis and other biological activities.

BACKGROUND:Micro-arc oxidation can effectively add bioactive elements to the metal surface and improve the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of biomedical metal materials,so this technology has become one of the hotspots of biomedical materials. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of surface coatings prepared by the combination of micro-arc oxidation and other surface modification technologies. METHODS:Articles from January 1996 to December 2022 were searched on CNKI,WanFang and PubMed databases using Chinese and English search terms"micro-arc oxidation,antibacterial properties,anti-inflammatory properties,metal implants".After preliminary screening according to inclusion and exclusion criteria,89 articles were retained and summarized. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The ceramic layer prepared by micro-arc oxidation can improve the anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties of titanium,magnesium and other alloys.Combination with other surface modification technologies can effectively solve the effect of pores on the surface properties of the alloy,and further improve the biological properties of the oxide film.It has a wide application prospect in orthopedics and dentistry.At present,most studies are limited to metal coatings,and most of them focus on metal elements with good antibacterial properties such as silver and copper,while only a few studies mention non-metallic coatings such as graphene oxide,hydroxyapatite and chitosan.In the future,extensive studies can be conducted on inorganic coatings and polymer coatings,and more combinations of different bioactive elements can also be adopted to improve antibacterial properties.Currently,studies on the inflammation of implant coatings prepared by micro-arc oxidation are mostly limited to the immune system and focused on macrophages,while studies on neutrophils and platelets are scarce.In the future,a variety of advanced technologies should be combined to explore the specific effects of micro-arc oxidation coating on other immune cells and inflammatory cells.

BACKGROUND: Microglia plays an indispensable role in the pathological process of sleep deprivation (SD). Here, the potential role of microglial CX3C-chemokine receptor 1 (CX3CR1) in modulating the cognition decline during SD was evaluated in terms of microglial neuroinflammation and synaptic pruning. In this study, we aimed to investigat whether the interference in the microglial function by the CX3CR1 knockout affects the CNS's response to SD. METHODS: Middle-aged wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 and CX3CR1-/- mice were either subjected to SD or allowed normal sleep (S) for 8 h to mimic the pathophysiological changes of middle-aged people after staying up all night. After which, behavioral and histological tests were used to explore their different changes. RESULTS: CX3CR1 deficiency prevented SD-induced cognitive impairments, unlike WT groups. Compared with the CX3CR1-/- S group, the CX3CR1-/- SD mice reported a markedly decreased microglia and cellular oncogene fos density in the dentate gyrus (DG), decreased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and decreased microglial phagocytosis-related factors, whereas increased levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus and a significant increase in the density of spines of the DG were also noted. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that CX3CR1 deficiency leads to different cerebral behaviors and responses to SD. The inflammation-attenuating activity and the related modification of synaptic pruning are possible mechanism candidates, which indicate CX3CR1 as a candidate therapeutic target for the prevention of the sleep loss-induced cognitive impairments.
Animals ; Cognitive Dysfunction ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Microglia ; Neuroinflammatory Diseases ; Sleep Deprivation