To investigate the cell-killing effect and its possible mechanism of rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL on human hepatic carcinoma (HCC) cell line, first of all, recombinant plasmid pee12.4-hDR5 was introduced into HepG2 cells by liposome transfection. After five rounds of screening by flow cytometry, HepG2 cells expressing high levels of DR5 on cell surface were isolated. The cytotoxicity of TRAIL to selected cells was higher than that of TRAIL to HepG2 cells by MTT method (P < 0.01). The result suggested that the cloned hDR5 gene had biological activity. MTT assay showed that, rClone30- hDR5 in combination with TRAIL more efficiently inhibited the tumor growth of HepG2 cells compared to rClone30-hDR5 or TRAIL in vitro. The results of Annexin V-FITC/PI staining and Quantitative Real-time PCR indicated that rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL significantly increased the mRNA levels of caspase 3 and caspase 8, and induced the apoptosis of tumor cells. HepG2 cells were infected with rClone30-hDR5 or rClone30 at MOI of 1. The expression of hDR5 on tumor surface increased significantly by rClone30-hDR5 compared to that by rClone30, which contributed to the sensitivity to TRAIL. In conclusion, rClone30-hDR5 in combination with TRAIL has potential application value in cancer treatment.
Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; pathology ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Caspase 8 ; metabolism ; Drug Synergism ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; pathology ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Receptors, TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand ; pharmacology ; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand ; pharmacology ; Transfection

There have been several epidemiological studies evaluating the potential association between the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) A1298C polymorphism and the risk of male infertility.However,the results obtained were inconsistent.Therefore,we performed a meta-analysis to further examine the association between the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and male infertility.A comprehensive search was conducted to identify all eligible studies from the online literature databases published prior to January 15th,2016.A total of 20 studies with 4293 cases and 4507 controls were included.An odds ratio (OR) and a 95％ confidence interval (95％ CI) were calculated to assess the strength of the association.A cumulative meta-analysis,sensitivity analysis and assessment of the publication bias were also performed in this study.The results showed that in the overall analysis,the association between the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism and male infertility was not significant.A stratified analysis by ethnicity revealed a significant increase in the risk of male infertility in the Asian population with the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism (especially in the heterozygote model:OR=l.20,95％ CI=1.01-1.44,P=0.994;the dominant model:OR=1.23,95％ CI=1.04-1.45,P=0.996;and the allele model:OR=l.20,95％ CI=1.04-1.39,P=0.985) but not in the Caucasian population.In the stratified analyses,no significant association was observed between the different types of male infertility.This meta-analysis suggests the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism may be a potential risk factor for male infertility,especially in the Asian population.

Prostate cancer(PCa)is currently the second most common malignancy in men worldwide,and its incidence rate is on the rise.Most cases of PCa are treated by radical prostatectomy,but with the development of medical imaging and innovation in therapeutic theories and technology,focal therapy has shown better application prospects in the treatment of PCa.Compared with radi-cal prostatectomy,focal therapy yields satisfactory results in terms of effectiveness and reduction of complications in addition to avoid-ance of overtreatment and treatment-related financial burden.This article reviews the strategies of focal therapy for PCa,including cryo-ablation,high-intensity focused ultrasound,irreversible electroporation,and photodynamic therapy,with an analysis of the clinical tri-als in recent years.

Objective:To study the early-onset epilepsy of intracerebral hemorrhage and build a prediction model to evaluate its prediction efficiency.Methods:A cross-sectional investigation was conducted to construct a specialized optimized prediction model. The prediction model was converted into a visual optimized scoring scale, so as to quantify the probability of secondary epilepsy after intracerebral hemorrhage. Based on the current prediction model of acute cerebral infraction and post-stroke seizure (AIS-PSS), the evaluation efficacy of optimized score for secondary epilepsy after hemorrhagic stroke was explored.Results:① After sample size calculation and sufficient inclusion and exclusion, 159 patients with cerebral hemorrhage were continuously selected as the model group of this cross-sectional study. A total of 29 patients with early-onset epilepsy and 130 patients without secondary epilepsy were enrolled. The time span was from January 2021 to August 2021. In addition, 77 patients with acute cerebral hemorrhage from August 2021 to February 2022 were selected as the verification group, among which 12 patients had early-onset epilepsy and 65 patients had not any secondary epilepsy. ② There were significant differences in demographic characteristics such as diabetes history, cerebral infarction history, smoking history, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score, intracerebral hemorrhage hematoma volume, serum creatinine (SCr), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), S-100 protein and intracerebral hemorrhage site between the two model groups with different prognosis (all P < 0.05). ③ The above indexes were included in univariate and multivariate Poisson regression analysis, and the results showed that the duration of diabetes [relative risk ( RR) = 1.229, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was 1.065-1.896, P = 0.036], smoking history ( RR = 1.419, 95% CI was 1.133-2.160, P = 0.030), history of cerebral infarction ( RR = 1.634, 95% CI was 1.128-2.548, P = 0.041), hematoma volume of cerebral hemorrhage ( RR = 1.222, 95% CI was 1.024-2.052, P = 0.041), NES content ( RR = 1.146, 95% CI was 1.041-1.704, P = 0.032), were independent influencing factors to constitute the prediction model. The prediction model was converted into a visual optimized scoring scale in the form of a line diagram to obtain the prediction probability corresponding to the corresponding score. ④ Receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC curve) was used to test the evaluation efficiency of optimized score and AIS-PSS score for early-onset cerebral hemorrhage epilepsy. Relevant data of patients in the verification group were extracted according to the information of two scores, and the final score of each patient in the verification group was obtained. The score and prognosis were put into the ROC curve to evaluate the predictive ability of different prediction models. The results showed that the cut-off value of the optimized score and the AIS-PSS score were 144 points and 7 points, respectively, and the area under the ROC curve (AUC) and the Yoden index of the optimized score were slightly lower than the AIS-PSS score. However, compared with AIS-PSS score, there was no significant difference in the evaluation efficiency of optimized score for early-onset epilepsy ( Z = 1.874, P > 0.05). Conclusion:This study constructed a specific early-onset epilepsy prediction model for patients with hemorrhagic stroke, and transformed it into an optimized score that is easy for clinical use, and its evaluation efficiency is reliable.

Objective To describe the epidemiologieal features of viral encephalitis and burden of Japanese encephalitis (JE),and to identify potential strategies for effective JE control measures,using data from the Viral Encephalitis Surveillance Program (VESP) launched in Ankang,Baoji,and Weinan prefectures,Shaanxi province.Methods Data was gathered from sentinel hospitals reporting system on all the viral encephalitis (VE) eases identified between June 2005 and May 2007.County Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigated the cases,drawing blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from the hospitals,and testing IgM antibody against JE using ELISA.We used Epi Data and Excel for data entry and analysis.Results A total of 1097 VEs were reported and 1053 (96.0%) had blood or CSF samples collected and tested for IgM antibody against JE.Three hundred and eleven cases (29.5%) showed JE antibody positive (JE confirmed case).Among the JE confirmed cases,numbers of those under 15 year of age accounted for 33.7%,43.9%and 88.3%in Baoji,Weinan and Ankang prefectures respectively.The rest were mainly children aged 5-14 years old (53.3%).Toddlers,farmers and children accounted for 85.2%in JE confirmed cases.About half of other VE cases (51.0%) were students of all age.Data an investigation on 398 reported VE cases at discharge,showed that 67.1%of JE confirmed cases recovered while 83.7%of the other VE cases fully recovered.The case fatality rates were 9.2%for JE confirmed cases and 3.1%for other VE cases.578 cases were followed up at 90-days after discharge,69.6%of JE confirmed cases and 90.2%of other VE cases recovered,with case fatality rates were 13.6%and 3.6%for JE confirmed cases and for other VE cases,respectively.The sequelae rates were 10.0%for JE confirmed cases and 4.5%for other VE cases.Conclusion The peak of the VE season was the sameas that of JE.There were 45.6%of reported JE cases with negative JE IgM,suggesting that it is necessary to carry out laboratory testing for clinical diagnosis cases.The fact that high risk population was different at prefectures levels suggested that more attention be paid in JE control and prevention.

This study aims to investigate the effects of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF-21) on learning and memory abilities and antioxidant capacity of D-galactose-induced aging mice. Kunming mice (37.1 +/- 0.62) g were randomly divided into normal control group, model group and FGF-21 high, medium and low dose groups (n = 8). Each group was injected in cervical part subcutaneously with D-galactose 180 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1) once a day for 8 weeks. At the same time, FGF-21-treated mice were administered with FGF-21 by giving subcutaneous injection in cervical part at the daily doses of 5, 2 and 1 mg x kg(-1) x d(-1). The normal control group was given with normal saline by subcutaneous injection in cervical part. At seventh week of the experiment, the learning and memory abilities of mice were determined by water maze and jumping stand tests. At the end of the experiment, the mice were sacrificed and the cells damage of hippocampus was observed by HE staining in each group. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in the brain of mice were determined. The results showed that different doses of FGF-21 could reduce the time reaching the end (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) and the number of touching blind side (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) in the water maze comparing with the model group. It could also prolong the latency time (P < 0.05) and decrease the number of errors (P < 0.01 or P < 0.05) in the step down test. The result of HE staining showed that FGF-21 could significantly reduce brain cell damage in the hippocampus. The ROS and MDA levels of three different doses FGF-21 treatment group reduced significantly than that of the model group [(5.58 +/- 1.07), (7.78 +/- 1.92), (9.03 +/- 1.77) vs (12.75 +/- 2.02) pmol (DCF) x min(-1) x mg(-1), P < 0.01 or P < 0.05], [(2.92 +/- 0.71), (4.21 +/- 0.81), (4.41 +/- 0.97) vs (5.62 +/- 0.63) nmol x mg(-1) (protein), P < 0.01]. Comparing with the model group, the activities of SOD, GPx, CAT and T-AOC of the three different doses FGF-21 treatment groups were also improved in a dose-dependent manner. This study demonstrates that FGF-21 can ameliorate learning and memory abilities of D-galactose induced aging mice, improve the antioxidant abilities in brain tissue and delay brain aging. This finding provides a theoretical support for clinical application of FGF-21 as a novel therapeutics for preventing aging.
Aging ; drug effects ; Animals ; Antioxidants ; metabolism ; Brain ; drug effects ; Catalase ; metabolism ; Fibroblast Growth Factors ; pharmacology ; Galactose ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; Malondialdehyde ; metabolism ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Memory ; drug effects ; Mice ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism

In order to enhance the antitumor efficacy of recombinant Newcastle disease virus, rNDV-IL15 was rescued in this study. Recombinant plasmid prNDV-IL15 was constructed, and BHK21 cells were transfected with the recombinant plasmid. Finally, the recombinant Newcastle disease virus rNDV-IL15 was successfully rescued. The growth curves of these two recombinant viruses were determined. Murine melanoma B16F10 cells were infected with rNDV-IL15 at MOI of 0.1, and the expression level of IL15 in the supernatant was detected by ELISA. The antitumor efficacy of rNDV-IL15 and rNDV was compared in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that prNDV-IL15 was constructed and recombinant virus rNDV-IL15 was successfully rescued. The growth curve of rNDV-IL15 showed that the growth of rNDV-IL15 had not been changed after insertion of IL15 gene. Results showed that there was high level of IL15 expression in the supernatant of rNDV-IL5-infected B16F10 cells (1 044.3 +/- 27.7 ng x mL(-1)). rNDV-IL15 and rNDV significantly inhibited the growth of B16F10 cells in vitro in a time-dependent manner. However, there was no significant difference between them. In animal experiments, rNDV-IL15 efficiently suppressed tumor growth in vivo when compared with rNDV, and the difference was statistically significant. The results suggested that rNDV-IL15 is a more effective antitumor agent.
Animals ; Body Weight ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Chick Embryo ; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic ; Female ; Genetic Therapy ; Interleukin-15 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Melanoma, Experimental ; pathology ; therapy ; Mice ; Neoplasm Transplantation ; Newcastle disease virus ; genetics ; Plasmids ; Recombinant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Tumor Burden

OBJECTIVETo extract the active component from the root of Actinidia valvata Dunn and to investigate the effects on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells in vitro.

METHODSTotal saponin was extracted from the root of A. valvata (TSAVD). HCC cells, such as BEL-7402, HepG2, PLC, SMMC-7721, MHCC-97-H, and MHCC-97-L, were treated with TSAVD in 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenytetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. BEL-7402 and MHCC-97-H cells were also treated respectively with TSAVD at different concentrations for 24 h in wound healing and adhesion assays, and the effects of TSAVD on BEL-7402 and MHCC-97-H cells mobility and adhesion abilities were observed. Meanwhile, the effects of TSAVD on invasion and migration of BEL-7402 and MHCC-97-H cells were also investigated by transwell chamber in invasion and migration assays.

RESULTSTSAVD at 1.5 mg/mL inhibited BEL-7402 cell proliferation with inhibition ratios (IRs) of 61.08%, 74.12%, 84.55% at 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively. Meanwhile, TSAVD inhibited MHCC-97-H proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner from 1.5 to 0.5 mg/mL, with the IR of 36% at 1.5 mg/mL at 24 h. For SMMC-7721, PLC, and HepG2, the IR was lower than 30% at 1.5 mg/mL at 24 h. In the wound healing assay, mobility abilities of BEL-7402 and MHCC-97-H cells in TSAVD treated groups were significantly weaker than those of the control group. After pretreatment for 24 h with TSAVD, adhesion abilities were reduced in both MHCC-97-H and BEL-7402 cells, with IRs of 48.50%±4.86% and 49.85%±5.25% at 200 μg/mL. The IRs of MHCC-97-H and BEL-7402 cells in the migration assay were 49.13%±2.91% and 79.37%±0.09% at 200 μg/mL. In the invasion assay, IRs were 69.78%±4.88% and 82.48%±0.25% at 200 μg/mL.

CONCLUSIONSOf all HCC cells, the highest inhibition by TSAVD was seen for BEL-7402 proliferation. TSAVD could restrain adhesion, invasion, mobility, and migration abilities of BEL-7402 and MHCC-97-H cells in vitro.

Actinidia ; chemistry ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Cell Adhesion ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Movement ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; drug therapy ; prevention & control ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Saponins ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Wound Healing ; drug effects

BACKGROUNDThis study was to examine the expression of total vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and the anti-angiogenic VEGF 165 b isoform in the vitreous body of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) patients, and to further study the role of the VEGF splicing in the development of ROP.

METHODSThis was a prospective clinical laboratory investigation study. All patients enrolled received standard ophthalmic examination with stage 4 ROP that required vitrectomy to collect the vitreous samples. The control samples were from congenital cataract patients. The expression of total VEGF and the anti-angiogenic VEGF 165 b were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results were analyzed statistically using nonparametric tests.

RESULTSThe total VEGF level was markedly elevated in ROP samples while VEGF 165 b was markedly decreased compared to control group. The relative protein expression level of VEGF 165 b isoform was significantly decreased in ROP patients which were correlated with the ischemia-induced neovascularization.

CONCLUSIONSThere was a switch of VEGF splicing from anti-angiogenic to pro-angiogenic family in ROP patients. A specific inhibitor that more selectively targets VEGF 165 and controls the VEGF splicing between pro- and anti-angiogenic families might be a more effective therapy for ROP.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Protein Isoforms ; metabolism ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism ; Vitreous Body ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the permeability of intact mouse abdominal skin to aniline and the protective capability of two typical lab gloves against aniline.

METHODSA Franz diffusion cell was used to perform in vitro transdermal absorption test and glove permeation test for aniline (0.102 mg/ml and 0.010 mg/ml). The permeabilities of intact mouse abdominal skin and gloves to aniline were measured by high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection.

RESULTSThe transdermal penetration of the two concentrations of aniline followed zero order kinetics within 12 h, exhibiting total aniline permeabilities within 24 h of 51.71% and 48.31%, respectively. The absorption liquid had an aniline concentration of at least 18 µg/L. The medical disposable latex glove could not stop the penetration of 0.010 mg/ml aniline, but the industrial natural latex glove could.

CONCLUSIONThe penetration of 0.102 mg/ml and 0.010 mg/ml aniline through the mouse abdominal skin follows zero order kinetics within 12 h. The medical disposable latex glove cannot stop the penetration of 0.010 mg/ml aniline, but the industrial natural latex glove can.

Aniline Compounds ; pharmacokinetics ; toxicity ; Animals ; Gloves, Protective ; Mice ; Skin Absorption ; drug effects