Ataxia Telangiectasia Mutated Proteins ; Breast ; metabolism ; pathology ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; metabolism ; Checkpoint Kinase 2 ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Grading ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; metabolism ; Tumor Burden ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; metabolism

To develop a cell-penetrating chimeric apoptotic peptide AVPI-LMWP/DNA co-delivery system for cancer therapy, we prepared the AVPI-LMWP/pTRAIL self-assembled complexes containing a therapeutic combination of peptide drug AVPI and DNA drug TRAIL. The chimeric apoptotic peptide AVPI-LMWP was synthesized using the standard solid-phase synthesis. The cationic AVPI-LMWP could condense pTRAIL by electrostatic interaction. The physical-chemical properties of the AVPI-LMWP/pTRAIL complexes were characterized. The cellular uptake efficiency and the inhibitory activity of the AVPI-LMWP/pTRAIL complexes on tumor cell were also performed. The results showed that the AVPI-LMWP/pTRAIL complexes were successfully prepared by co-incubation. With the increase of mass ratio (AVPI-LMWP/DNA), the particle size was decreased and the zeta potential had few change. Agarose gel electrophoresis showed that AVPI-LMWP could fully bind and condense pTRAIL at a mass ratio above 15:1. Cellular uptake efficiency was improved along with the increased ratio of W(AVPI-LMWP)/WpTRAIL. The in vitro cytotoxicity experiments demonstrated that the AVPI-LMWP/pTRAIL (W:W = 20:1) complexes was significantly more effective than the pTRAIL, AVPI-LMWP alone or LMWP/pTRAIL complexes on inhibition of HeLa cell growth. Our studies indicated that the AVPI-LMWP/pTRAIL co-delivery system could deliver plasmid into HeLa cell and induce tumor cell apoptosis efficiently, which showed its potential in cancer therapy using combination of apoptoic peptide and gene drugs.
Antineoplastic Agents ; chemistry ; Cell-Penetrating Peptides ; chemistry ; DNA ; chemistry ; Drug Delivery Systems ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Particle Size ; Plasmids

BACKGROUNDGlaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the world. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and primary congenital glaucoma (PCG) are subtypes of glaucoma. Myocillin is the first gene identified to be involved in POAG. Recently, myocillin mutation has been found in PCG. In this context, we reported a special glaucoma pedigree, which was composed of both PCG and POAG patients, and analyzed the mutation of myocillin in this pedigree.

METHODSThe family was composed of the parents, a son and a daughter. All members of the family underwent the complete ophthalmologic examinations. All coding exons 1 - 3 and flanking introns of myocilin gene were screened for sequence alterations by polymerase chain reaction and direct DNA sequencing.

RESULTSThe son was the proband, who was diagnosed as PCG in both eyes. The father was diagnosed as POAG in the right eye, the left eye was still normal. Both the sister and the mother of the proband had normal intraocular pressure without glaucomatous optic disc changes. The mutations in intron 2 of myocilin gene were detected in the family. While the proband and the father were homozygous, the mother and the sister were heterozygous for the mutation.

CONCLUSIONSHomozygous mutation in intron 2 of myocilin gene is involved in both POAG and PCG. It is suggested that the pathogenesis might be overlapping in POAG and PCG.

Cytoskeletal Proteins ; genetics ; Eye Proteins ; genetics ; Female ; Glaucoma ; congenital ; genetics ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; genetics ; Glycoproteins ; genetics ; Humans ; Introns ; Male ; Mutation ; Pedigree

Objective To study the inhibitory effect of Tilianin on non -small cell lung cancer cell lines (A549) and the associated mechanisms.Methods The control group and 10,20,40,80 and 160 μmol· L-1 experimental group were treated with 0,10,20,40,80 and 160 μ mol· L-1Tilianin for 24 h,cell proliferation and toxicity test kit (CCK8) was used to observe the proliferation of A549 cells.The apoptosis of A549 cells in each group was detected by flow cytometry.In the hypoxia model group,A549 cells were cultured in hypoxic incubator for 4 h.In the hypoxia experimental group of 10,20 and 40 μmol · L-1Tilianin,A549 cells were pretreated with 10,20 and 40 μmol · L-1Tilianin for 4 h,and then cultured in hypoxic incubator for 4 h.Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the gene expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) and HIF-1α (HIF-1α).The protein expressions of VEGF-A,HIF-1α and p-Akt were detected by Western blot.Results Compared with control group,Tilianin significantly inhibited the proliferation of A549 in a dose -dependent manner.The inhibitory rates of proliferation of 10,20,40,80 and 160 μmol · L-1 experimental groups were (5.83 ±1.67)％,(6.77 ±0.87)％,(12.26 ±0.23)％,(22.97 ±0.50)％ and (46.24±1.44)％,the difference was statistically significant (P ＜0.05).The apoptosis rates of 10,20,40,80 and 160 μmol · L-1Tilianin were (6.80 ±0.62)％,(14.70 ±1.36)％,(24.76 ±4.37)％,(39.26±6.42)％ and (62.31 ±1.79)％,respectively,compared with the control group,the differences were statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05).In the hypoxia model group,the gene expression of HIF-1α was 4.30 ± 0.26,VEGF expression was 6.02 ± 0.53,compared with the control group,the differences was statistically significant (P ＜0.05).In 10,20,40 μmol · L-1Tilianin hypoxia experiment group,the gene expression of VEGF were 4.73 ±0.20,2.31 ±0.09 and 1.47 ±0.16,respectively.The expression of HIF-1α were 3.01 ± 0.11,1.81 ± 0.13 and 1.03 ± 0.16.Compared with hypoxia model group,the differences was statistically significant (P ＜ 0.05).The expression of p-AKT protein in hypoxic model group was (106.47 ± 2.08)％,the expression of HIF-1αwas (204.31 ± 8.35)％,the expression of VEGF-A was 212.30 ±4.80.The expression of p-AKT protein in 10,20,40 μmol · L-1 hypoxic experimental group were (87.51 ±2.72)％,(75.18 ± 1.67)％ and (32.40 ± 0.86)％,the protein expression levels of HIF-1α were (182.54 ± 6.42),(90.95 ± 2.76)％,(15.03 ± 4.21)％,the protein expression of VEGF-A were (156.38 ± 5.12) ％,(79.62 ± 2.84) ％ and (13.72 ± 4.64) ％,with significant difference (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Tilianin has the effect of inhibiting the proliferation and inducing apoptosis of A549 in vitro through AKT / HIF-1α signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVETo explore the correlations of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) with the clinicopathological characteristics, prognostic events, and survival outcomes in esophageal cancer (EC) patients.

METHODSThe PubMed, Web of Science, Embase database and Cochrane database were searched for studies reporting the outcomes of interest. The studies were selected according to established inclusion/exclusion criteria. Meta-analysis of the studies was performed using Review Manager 5.3 and Stata12.0 software with the odds ratio (OR), risk ratio (RR) , hazard ratio (HR) , and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) as the effect indexes.

RESULTSNineteen studies involving a total of 1766 patients were included in the analysis. Significant correlations of CTCs and DTCs were found with the clinicopathological parameters including the tumor stage (OR=1.95), depth of invasion (OR=1.99), lymph node metastasis (OR=2.44), distal metastasis (OR=5.98), histological differentiation (OR=1.67) and lymphovascular invasion (OR=4.48). CTCs and DTCs were also correlated with the prognostic events including relapse (RR=6.86) and metastasis (RR=3.22) and with the survival outcomes including the overall survival (OS) overall analysis (HR=3.46) and disease-free survival/progression-free survival (DFS/PFS) overall analysis (HR=3.00).

CONCLUSIONCTCs and DTCs are significantly associated with an advanced tumor stage, depth of tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis before therapy, differentiation, lymphovascular invasion, relapse and metastasis in patients with EC. They are also significantly correlated with a poorer survival for OS and DFS/PFS to serve as clinical and prognostic predictors in patients with EC.

Disease-Free Survival ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating ; Odds Ratio ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Survival Analysis

BACKGROUNDMany researchers studied the possibility of using stem cells as gene therapeutic vector. But few related reports on the adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are available. Therefore we intended to construct a lentiviral VEGF(165) expression vector and then infect the ADSCs to produce therapeutic seed cells.

METHODSEHS1001-68950485313912 clone was mutated by PCR method to produce consensus fragment of VEGF(165) transcript (NM_001025368). Lentivirus was enveloped with pGC-FU, pHelper 1.0 and pHelper 2.0 plasmids in 293T cells. And then the ADSCs (multiplicity of infection = 20) were transfected with the vectors after titer determination. Stable expression of VEGF(165) in ADSCs was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting analysis.

RESULTSDNA sequencing and 293T transfection verified VEGF(165) was linked to the GFP fused vector. The virus titer is up to 2 × 10(8) determined by quantitative PCR. VEGF(165) transduced cells could show green fluorescence confirmed by immunofluorescence staining (almost 95%). ELISA analyses could detect out the density of VEGF was 850.86 - 1202.13 pg/ml (mean (923.00 ± 31.22) pg/ml) in the supernatant of VEGF(165)-transduced cells but not detected in the GFP-transduced cells (P < 0.001) and the Western blotting analyses also confirmed VEGF(165) expression in VEGF(165)-transduced cells.

CONCLUSIONSThe VEGF(165) over-expression ADSCs were obtained and may be used as a cell therapeutic tool and may be applied for vascular regeneration, especially in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Adipose Tissue ; cytology ; Animals ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Genetic Vectors ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; Rats ; Stem Cells ; chemistry ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; analysis

Cells, Cultured ; Claudin-1 ; Dexamethasone ; pharmacology ; Electric Impedance ; Gene Expression Regulation ; drug effects ; Glaucoma ; chemically induced ; Humans ; Membrane Proteins ; genetics ; Trabecular Meshwork ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo make an attempt at the multi-element speciation in the Chinese medicinal herbs by determining the concentrations of 25 elements in different extraction solutions.

METHODFirstly, five Chinese medicinal herbs (Buddleja officinalis, Dictamnus dasycarpus, Myristica fragrans, Albizia judibrissin and Inula japonica) from the same region of China were treated to obtain water-soluble phase, lipid-soluble phase and non-soluble phase by water extraction, organic solvent extraction and acid digestion, respectively. Secondly, Phytolacca acinosa, a Chinese medicinal herb collected from 9 regions of China, was extracted by 0% EtOH, 50% EtOH, 75% EtOH, 95% EtOH, respectively, referring the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Finally, the concentrations of 25 elements, such as Be, Cr, Cu, Zn, Ge, Sr, Y, Mo, Cd, Tl, Pb and REEs, in the above three phases were determined by ICP-MS.

RESULTUnder the optimal conditions, all the 25 elements could be determined with detection limits ranged from 0.003 to 0.71 ng x g(-1). The average recoveries of the elements in P. acinosa were 88% approximately 119%, with the relative standard deviations 1.7% approximately 13.3%. It was observed that the determined 25 elements distributed in all the water-soluble, lipid-soluble and non-soluble phases, indicating that the inorganic species, organicspecies, as well as the protein bound species were coexisted in the herbs. Big differences of the element extraction rates could be found by using different ethanol solutions.

CONCLUSIONWith the aid of the obtained results, we may increase the extraction of necessary elements while decrease that of the toxic elements from the herbs by choosing a suitable solvent during the drug production.

Buddleja ; chemistry ; Cadmium ; analysis ; Copper ; analysis ; Dictamnus ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Ecosystem ; Lead ; analysis ; Metals, Heavy ; analysis ; Molybdenum ; analysis ; Myristica fragrans ; chemistry ; Phytolacca ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Solvents ; chemistry ; Trace Elements ; analysis ; Zinc ; analysis

Objective To investigate the relationship between children's body mass index (BMI)at 5 to 6 years old and glucose concentrations of mothers without pre-existing diabetes or a gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM) diagnosis during pregnancy.Methods A prospective observational study was performed in offspring whose mother had no pre-existing diabetes or a GDM diagnosis during pregnancy in the First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical Uni versity from Jan.2006 to Dec.2007.The data of maternal glucose concentrations of oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT)were acquired through referring to clinical records.Weight and height at 5 to 6 years old were measured and used to calculate BMI.Multivariable linear regression models were used to examine the association between children's BMI and maternal glucose concentrations.The influence of maternal glucose concentrations on the risk of overweight of offspring was analyzed by Logistic regression.Results There were 860 cases of children were followed-up,including 459 male cases and 401 female cases.The average BMI of children was(15.6 ± 2.7) kg/m2.There were 78 cases of overweight (9.06％) and 50 cases of obesity(5.81％).The mean maternal fasting glucose level of the OGTT was (3.8 ± 0.6) mmol/L and 2 h glucose level of the OGTT was (6.0 ± 0.9) mmol/L.After adjusting for progestation BMI,maternal weight gain during pregnancy,sex,birth weight,age and paternal weight,at the 5 to 6 years old,BMI of offspring of mothers whose fasting glucose level of the OGTT≥5.51 mmol/L were significantly higher than those of mothers whose average blood glucose level ＜5.51 mmol/L(β =0.45,95％ CI:0.15-0.80).Maternal fasting glucose level of the OGTT≥5.51 mmoL/L was associated with an greater risk of children's overweight(OR =2.32,95％ CI:1.30-3.96).Conclusions Even though the mother was in the absence of pre-existing diabetes or GDM during pregnancy,fetal exposure to high maternal glucose concentration may also promote the development of overweight in the offspring at 5 to 6 years old.

Background Many researchers studied the possibility of using stem cells as gene therapeutic vector. But few related reports on the adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are available. Therefore we intended to construct a lentiviral VEGF165 expression vector and then infect the ADSCs to produce therapeutic seed cells.Methods EHS1001-68950485313912 clone was mutated by PCR method to produce consensus fragment of VEGF165 transcript (NM_001025368). Lentivirus was enveloped with pGC-FU, pHelper 1.0 and pHelper 2.0 plasmids in 293T cells.And then the ADSCs (multiplicity of infection=20) were transfected with the vectors after titer determination. Stable expression of VEGF165 in ADSCs was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting analysis.Results DNA sequencing and 293T transfection verified VEGF165 was linked to the GFP fused vector. The virus titer is up to 2x10a determined by quantitative PCR. VEGF165 transduced cells could show green fluorescence confirmed by immunofluorescence staining (almost 95％). ELISA analyses could detect out the density of VEGF was 850.86-1202.13pg/ml (mean (923.00±31.22) pg/ml) in the supernatant of VEGF16s-transduced cells but not detected in the GFP-transduced cells (P ＜0.001) and the Western blotting analyses also confirmed VEGF165 expression in VEGF165-transduced cells.Conclusions The VEGF165 over-expression ADSCs were obtained and may be used as a cell therapeutic tool and may be applied for vascular regeneration, especially in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.