Int J Med Sci
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We aimed to analyze the in vitro and in vivo effects of miRNA-19b/20a/92a on gastric cancer stem cells (GCSCs) and the related mechanism. GCSCs were cultured until adherence and differentiation, and subjected to miRNA microarray analysis to find and to verify miRNA deletion. Cells stably expressing lentivirus carrying miRNA-19b/20a/92a were constructed by transfection. ⋯ The proliferation of cells transfected with pre-miRNA-19b/20a/92a was accelerated, whereas that of cells transfected with the antagonists was decelerated. Compared with the control group, the number of colonies in the former group was higher, but that in the latter group was lower. miRNA-19b and miRNA-92a could bind the 3' untranslated region of HIPK1, while miRNA-20a was able to bind that of E2F1. Expressions of miRNA-20a and miRNA-92a in gastric cancer samples were negatively correlated with the prognosis of patients. miRNA-19b/20a/92a facilitated the self-renewal of GCSCs by targeting E2F1 and HIPK1 on the post-transcriptional level and activating the β-catenin signal transduction pathway. miRNA-92a was an independent factor and index predicting the prognosis of gastric cancer.
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In the last 10 years the number of studies showing the benefits of resistance training (RT) to the cardiovascular system, have grown. In comparison to aerobic training, RT-induced favorable adaptations to the cardiovascular system have been ignored for many years, thus the mechanisms of the RT-induced cardiovascular adaptations are still uncovered. The lack of animal models with comparable protocols to the RT performed by humans hampers the knowledge. ⋯ However, to a lesser extent, other models are also employed to investigate the cardiovascular adaptations. In the subsequent sections we will review the information regarding cardiac morphological adaptations, signaling pathway of the cardiac cell, cardiac function and the vascular adaptation induced by RT using this animal model developed by Tamaki et al. in 1992. Furthermore, we also describe cardiovascular findings observed using other animal models of RT.
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Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is a multi-drug resistant opportunistic pathogen that causes nosocomial infections in immunocompromised patients. This pathogen is difficult to treat owing to its intrinsic multidrug resistance and ability to form antimicrobial-tolerant biofilms. In the present study, we aimed to assess the potential use of celastrol as a novel anti-biofilm and/or anti-virulence agent against S. maltophilia. ⋯ To support these phenotypic results, transcriptional analysis revealed that celastrol down-regulated the expression of biofilm- and virulence- associated genes (smeYZ, fsnR, and bfmAK) in S. maltophilia. Interestingly, celastrol significantly inhibited the expression of smeYZ gene, which encodes the resistance-nodulation-division (RND)-type efflux pump, SmeYZ. Overall, our findings suggested that celastrol might be a promising bioactive agent for treatment of biofilm- and virulence-related infections caused by the multi-drug resistant S. maltophilia.
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Observational Study
Orofacial Manifestations and Temporomandibular Disorders of Sjögren Syndrome: An Observational Study.
The study group included 72 SS patients (2 men, 70 women) diagnosed according to the American-European Consensus Group (AECG) Criteria. A randomly selected group of 72 patients, matched by sex and age, served as control group. The examination for TMD signs and symptoms was based on the standardized Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) through a questionnaire and clinical examination. ⋯ Sjӧgren's Syndrome seems to play a role in temporomandibular joint disorders.
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Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disruptor which can bind to the oestrogen receptor. It also possesses oestrogenic, antiandrogenic, inflammatory and oxidative properties. Since bone responds to changes in sex hormones, inflammatory and oxidative status, BPA exposure could influence bone health in humans. ⋯ Two cross-sectional studies have been performed to examine the relationship between BPA level and bone mineral density in humans but they yielded negligible association. As a conclusion, BPA and its derivatives could influence bone health and a possible gender effect was observed in animal studies. However, its effects in humans await verification from more comprehensive longitudinal studies in the future.