Objective Prepubertal mice are administered subcutaneously with letrozole sustained-release pellets behind the neck and treated with a high-fat diet to establish a mouse model of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS).The liver transcriptomes of the model mice are compared with those of the placebo control mice to investigate the underlying mechanisms of liver involvement in the pathogenesis of PCOS.Methods A customized 2 mg dose of letrozole sustained-release pellets with a 40-day release period was used.The control placebo and letrozole pellets were implanted subcutaneously in the dorsal cervical region of 3-4-week-old C57BL/6J mice(8 mice per group)to establish the control group and letrozole-induced PCOS model group.Both groups were treated with a high-fat diet starting the day after administration.The modeling period lasted for 5 weeks,during which body weight and 24-hour food intake were monitored in each group every week.When samples were collected,liver weight was recorded.Pathological changes in ovarian and hepatic tissues were examined by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,while hepatic lipid deposition was observed by Oil Red O staining.The extent of macrophage infiltration in the liver was evaluated via F4/80 immunohistochemical staining,and hepatic fibrosis levels were observed by Masson's trichrome staining.Transcriptomic sequencing was performed to analyze differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in liver tissues between the control and model groups,followed by enrichment analysis of significant DEGs.Quantitative real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(qPCR)was subsequently used to validate the expression of significant DEGs in liver tissues of both groups.Results Compared with the control group,the model group which received subcutaneous letrozole sustained-release pellets combined with a high-fat diet exhibited significantly increased body weight(P＜0.001),prominent polycystic ovarian morphology,and significantly decreased liver-to-body weight ratio(P＜0.05).However,no significant changes were observed in absolute liver weight(P＞0.05),hepatic histomorphology,or lipid deposition.Transcriptome sequencing identified 119 upregulated and 217 downregulated DEGs in the liver tissues of letrozole-treated mice,which were predominantly enriched in pathways related to cholesterol and steroid biosynthesis,steroid hormone metabolism,and inflammatory responses.qPCR validation demonstrated that mRNA expression of HSD3B2 and HMGCR was significantly upregulated in liver(P＜0.01),while mRNA expression of IL4,CCL2 and COL1A1 was downregulated(P＜0.05)in the model group compared with the control group.However,Masson's trichrome staining and F4/80 immunohistochemical analysis showed no significant changes in hepatic fibrosis or macrophage infiltration.Conclusion Subcutaneous administration of letrozole sustained-release pellets combined with a high-fat diet successfully establishes a mouse model of PCOS.The model mice exhibited significant changes in hepatic gene expression.Liver may contribute to PCOS pathogenesis through regulating cholesterol and steroid metabolism.

Objective Prepubertal mice are administered subcutaneously with letrozole sustained-release pellets behind the neck and treated with a high-fat diet to establish a mouse model of polycystic ovary syndrome(PCOS).The liver transcriptomes of the model mice are compared with those of the placebo control mice to investigate the underlying mechanisms of liver involvement in the pathogenesis of PCOS.Methods A customized 2 mg dose of letrozole sustained-release pellets with a 40-day release period was used.The control placebo and letrozole pellets were implanted subcutaneously in the dorsal cervical region of 3-4-week-old C57BL/6J mice(8 mice per group)to establish the control group and letrozole-induced PCOS model group.Both groups were treated with a high-fat diet starting the day after administration.The modeling period lasted for 5 weeks,during which body weight and 24-hour food intake were monitored in each group every week.When samples were collected,liver weight was recorded.Pathological changes in ovarian and hepatic tissues were examined by hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining,while hepatic lipid deposition was observed by Oil Red O staining.The extent of macrophage infiltration in the liver was evaluated via F4/80 immunohistochemical staining,and hepatic fibrosis levels were observed by Masson's trichrome staining.Transcriptomic sequencing was performed to analyze differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in liver tissues between the control and model groups,followed by enrichment analysis of significant DEGs.Quantitative real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(qPCR)was subsequently used to validate the expression of significant DEGs in liver tissues of both groups.Results Compared with the control group,the model group which received subcutaneous letrozole sustained-release pellets combined with a high-fat diet exhibited significantly increased body weight(P＜0.001),prominent polycystic ovarian morphology,and significantly decreased liver-to-body weight ratio(P＜0.05).However,no significant changes were observed in absolute liver weight(P＞0.05),hepatic histomorphology,or lipid deposition.Transcriptome sequencing identified 119 upregulated and 217 downregulated DEGs in the liver tissues of letrozole-treated mice,which were predominantly enriched in pathways related to cholesterol and steroid biosynthesis,steroid hormone metabolism,and inflammatory responses.qPCR validation demonstrated that mRNA expression of HSD3B2 and HMGCR was significantly upregulated in liver(P＜0.01),while mRNA expression of IL4,CCL2 and COL1A1 was downregulated(P＜0.05)in the model group compared with the control group.However,Masson's trichrome staining and F4/80 immunohistochemical analysis showed no significant changes in hepatic fibrosis or macrophage infiltration.Conclusion Subcutaneous administration of letrozole sustained-release pellets combined with a high-fat diet successfully establishes a mouse model of PCOS.The model mice exhibited significant changes in hepatic gene expression.Liver may contribute to PCOS pathogenesis through regulating cholesterol and steroid metabolism.

Sequencing-based spatial transcriptomics(ST)is an emerging technology to study in situ gene expression patterns at the whole-genome scale.Currently,ST data analysis is still complicated by high technical noises and low resolution.In addition to the transcriptomic data,matched histopathological images are usually generated for the same tissue sample along the ST experiment.The matched high-resolution histopathological images provide complementary cellular phenotypi-cal information,providing an opportunity to mitigate the noises in ST data.We present a novel ST data analysis method called transcriptome and histopathological image integrative analysis for ST(TIST),which enables the identification of spatial clusters(SCs)and the enhancement of spatial gene expression patterns by integrative analysis of matched transcriptomic data and images.TIST devises a histopathological feature extraction method based on Markov random field(MRF)to learn the cellular features from histopathological images,and integrates them with the transcrip-tomic data and location information as a network,termed TIST-net.Based on TIST-net,SCs are identified by a random walk-based strategy,and gene expression patterns are enhanced by neighborhood smoothing.We benchmark TIST on both simulated datasets and 32 real samples against several state-of-the-art methods.Results show that TIST is robust to technical noises on multiple analysis tasks for sequencing-based ST data and can find interesting microstructures in dif-ferent biological scenarios.TIST is available at http://lifeome.net/software/tist/and https://ngdc.cncb.ac.cn/biocode/tools/BT007317.

Core-shell-type lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles (CSLPHNs) are composed by a biodegradable polymeric core coated with single or multiple layers of biomimetic lipids ,which combine the benefits of polymeric nanoparticles and lipo-somes .CSLPHNs have the advantages of small particle size ,high drug loading ,good biocompatibility and controlled release capability .It has wide applications as a novel drug delivery system .This review gives a brief introduction in characteristics , preparation methods and applications of CSLPHNs ,specifically summarizes the developments in the fields of ophthalmic drug delivery ,tumor therapy and medical diagnostic imaging .

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is highly heterogeneous in nature and has been one of the most common cancer types worldwide. To ensure repeatability of identified gene expression patterns and comprehensively annotate the transcriptomes of HCC, we carefully curated 15 public HCC expression datasets that cover around 4000 clinical samples and developed the database HCCDB to serve as a one-stop online resource for exploring HCC gene expression with user-friendly interfaces. The global differential gene expression landscape of HCC was established by analyzing the consistently differentially expressed genes across multiple datasets. Moreover, a 4D metric was proposed to fully characterize the expression pattern of each gene by integrating data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx). To facilitate a comprehensive understanding of gene expression patterns in HCC, HCCDB also provides links to third-party databases on drug, proteomics, and literatures, and graphically displays the results from computational analyses, including differential expression analysis, tissue-specific and tumor-specific expression analysis, survival analysis, and co-expression analysis. HCCDB is freely accessible at http://lifeome.net/database/hccdb.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; Databases, Genetic ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics

Tumor neovascularization and vasculogenic mimicry are two important angiogenesis pathways, which play an important role in the occurrence, development and metastasis of breast cancer. TCM has confirmed efficacy in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. In recent years, research on inhibition of tumor angiogenesis is also gradually in-depth. This article reviewed the progress of TCM in the dual pathways of breast cancer angiogenesis and its mechanism, and provided references for clinical medication and research and development of new medicine.

Objective To observe the effects of tetra-atsenic oxide (As4O6) on the proliferation, migration and invasion of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells; To explore its potential mechanism. Methods The human breast cancer MCF-7 cells were regarded as the research object and cultured in vitro, with different concentrations of As4O6 using to intervene in MCF-7 cells. The cell proliferation was detected by MTT assay; the flow cytometry and wound-healing assay were used to detect the cell apoptosis and migration, respectively. The expressions of Cyclin E1, Cyclin A2, Caspase 3, p21 and MMP-9 mRNA were accessed by semi quantitative RT-PCR. Results As4O6 had a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in a dose dependent manner. Compared with the control group (0 μmol/L), the apoptosis rate increased significantly when the concentration of As4O6 was 9, 12, 15 μmol/L (P<0.01). Either As4O6 at high (3 μmol/L) or low (1 μmol/L) concentration could effectively inhibit the migration of MCF-7 cells (P<0.01). With the increasing concentration of As4O6, the expressions of Cyclin E1, Caspase 3, and p21 mRNA significantly increased, while the expressions of Cyclin A2 and MMP-9 mRNA significantly decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion As4O6 can significantly inhibit the proliferation, cycle, invasion and migration of breast cancer MCF-7 cells, and the mechanism may be related to the increase of expressions of cyclin E1, caspase 3, p21 and inhibition of expressions of cyclin A2 and MMP-9.

Objective To observe the effects ofTrametes robiniophila Murr and Isatidis Radix bidirectional fermentation products on the migration and invasion of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and relevant factors; To discuss relevant mechanism of action.Methods Breast carcinoma cell line MCF-7 was used as research subject in this experiment. Control group, Isatidis Radix group,Trametes robiniophila Murr group, andTrametes robiniophila Murr and Isatidis Radix group were included in the experiment. The effects ofTrametes robiniophila Murr and Isatidis Radix bidirectional fermentation products on MCF-7 cell proliferation were measured by MTT method. Cell scratch assay, transwell assay and adhesion assay were used to measure the effects ofTrametes robiniophila Murrand Isatidis Radix bidirectional fermentation products on the migration, invasion and adhesion capability of MCF-7 cells, respectively. The effects ofTrametes robiniophila Murrand Isatidis Radix bidirectional fermentation products on the mRNA expression of MMP-9 and Vimentin were measured by RT-PCR.Results Compared with Isatidis Radix group andTrametes robiniophila Murrgroup, Trametes robiniophila Murr and Isatidis Radix bidirectional fermentation products could significantly inhibit the proliferation, migration, invasion and adhesion capability of MCF-7 cells (P<0.05). Similarly,Trametes robiniophila Murr and Isatidis Radix bidirectional fermentation products reduced the mRNA expression of MMP-9 and Vimentin (P<0.05).ConclusionTrametes robiniophila Murrand Isatidis Radix bidirectional fermentation products may down-regulate the expression of MMP-9 and Vimentin to inhibit the migration, invasion and adhesion capabilities of MCF-7 cells.