Comparison of model fit and discriminatory ability of the 8th edition of the tumor-node-metastasis classification and the 9th edition of the Japanese classification to identify stage III colorectal cancer

International Journal of Clinical Oncology - The most widely accepted staging system for colorectal cancer (CRC) is the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) classification. In Japan, the Japanese...     

Mitochondrial and Nuclear Genes Suggest that Stony Corals Are Monophyletic but Most Families of Stony Corals Are Not (Order Scleractinia, Class Anthozoa, Phylum Cnidaria)

Modern hard corals (Class Hexacorallia; Order Scleractinia) are widely studied because of their fundamental role in reef building and their superb fossil record extending back to the Triassic. Nevertheless, interpretations of their evolutionary relationships have been in flux for over a decade. Recent analyses undermine the legitimacy of traditional suborders, families and genera, and suggest that a non-skeletal sister clade (Order Corallimorpharia) might be imbedded within the stony corals. However, these studies either sampled a relatively limited array of taxa or assembled trees from heterogeneous data sets. Here we provide a more comprehensive analysis of Scleractinia (127 species, 75 genera, 17 families) and various outgroups, based on two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome oxidase I, cytochrome b), with analyses of nuclear genes (ß-tubulin, ribosomal DNA) of a subset of taxa to test unexpected relationships. Eleven of 16 families were found to be polyphyletic. Strikingly, over one third of all families as conventionally defined contain representatives from the highly divergent “robust” and “complex” clades. However, the recent suggestion that corallimorpharians are true corals that have lost their skeletons was not upheld. Relationships were supported not only by mitochondrial and nuclear genes, but also often by morphological characters which had been ignored or never noted previously. The concordance of molecular characters and more carefully examined morphological characters suggests a future of greater taxonomic stability, as well as the potential to trace the evolutionary history of this ecologically important group using fossils.     

17β-雌二醇对去卵巢SD大鼠离体骨组织微损伤的影响

目的 :观察 17β 雌二醇对不同时期去卵巢SD大鼠离体骨组织微损伤的影响 ,评价抗骨质疏松药物的防治效果及评价指标。方法 :10月龄SD大鼠 90只 ,随机分为 3组各 30只 ,每组分成去卵巢组 (OVX组 )、17β 雌二醇替代组(EST组 )和对照组 (SHAM组 ) 3个小组 ,分别于去卵巢后 3、15和 2 1周时处死大鼠 ,右侧胫骨上端行常规骨形态计量学观察 ,对第 4离体椎骨进行疲劳损伤后观测微损伤。结果 :疲劳损伤后每块骨组织磨片均可见微损伤 ,以微破裂最常见 ,各组间及小组间比较差异均无显著性。骨小梁单位面积百分率微破裂长度和数目在 3周时出现OVX组明显低于EST组 ,与SHAM组比较差异无显著性 (P >0 0 5 ) ;15周时 3组差异消失 ,2 1周时OVX组明显大于其它 2组 (P <0 0 5 ) ,EST组与SHAM组比较差异均无显著性 (P >0 0 5 )。结论 :10月龄SD大鼠去卵巢后早期尚不表现出骨结构性能的下降 ,17β 雌二醇早期应用可使骨结构性能提高 ,且应用至去卵巢后较晚时期显示出良好的抗骨结构性能下降效果。单位骨小梁面积百分率的微破裂长度和数目可反映药物对骨质疏松的影响 ,可作为骨结构性能的评价指标。观察时间以去卵巢后 2 1周较佳。     

颅内脂肪瘤的MRI表现

报告15例颅内脂肪瘤的MRI表现，特征为：最好发于胼胝体处，次为四叠体池和／或小脑上池、基底池、侧裂池等。T1加权象呈高信号，T2加权象上高信号逐渐衰减，增强无强化。测量还发现，颅内脂肪瘤T1、T2值与皮下脂肪相仿（P＞0．05）。     

Sensitization of TRPA1 by PAR2 contributes to the sensation of inflammatory pain

Proinflammatory agents trypsin and mast cell tryptase cleave and activate PAR2, which is expressed on sensory nerves to cause neurogenic inflammation. Transient receptor potential A1 (TRPA1) is an excitatory ion channel on primary sensory nerves of pain pathway. Here, we show that a functional interaction of PAR2 and TRPA1 in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons could contribute to the sensation of inflammatory pain. Frequent colocalization of TRPA1 with PAR2 was found in rat DRG neurons. PAR2 activation increased the TRPA1 currents evoked by its agonists in HEK293 cells transfected with TRPA1, as well as DRG neurons. Application of phospholipase C (PLC) inhibitors or phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP(2)) suppressed this potentiation. Decrease of plasma membrane PIP(2) levels through antibody sequestration or PLC-mediated hydrolysis mimicked the potentiating effects of PAR2 activation at the cellular level. Thus, the increased TRPA1 sensitivity may have been due to activation of PLC, which releases the inhibition of TRPA1 from plasma membrane PIP(2). These results identify for the first time to our knowledge a sensitization mechanism of TRPA1 and a novel mechanism through which trypsin or tryptase released in response to tissue inflammation might trigger the sensation of pain by TRPA1 activation.     

LOXL4 is downregulated in hepatocellular carcinoma with a favorable prognosis

Lysyl oxidase like 4 (LOXL4), a member of the secreted copper-dependent amine oxidases that contribute to the assemble and maintenance of the extracellular matrix (ECM), was found to be up-regulated or down-regulated in different cancer types, suggesting its paradoxical roles in cancer. The specific role of LOXL4 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), however, is still yet to be defined. Twenty-eight pairs of HCC specimens were used for LOXL4 mRNA expression analysis. The mRNA expression in HCC cell lines was examined, and HepG2 was selected for LOXL4 small interfering RNA (siRNA) interference to investigate the biological function of LOXL4, LOXL4 immunohistochemical staining was performed using a tissue microarray containing 298 HCC patients. The prognostic and diagnostic value of LOXL4 was evaluated using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis. LOXL4 mRNA or protein expression was significantly lower in HCC tissues than peritumoral tissues (LOXL4 mRNA expression, P = 0.018; LOXL4 protein expression, P < 0.001). Low LOXL4 expression was associated with lower overall survival (OS) rates and higher cumulative recurrence rates. Multivariate analysis indicated that LOXL4 was an independent prognostic indicator for OS and time to recurrence (TTR). Our results revealed that LOXL4 was down-regulated in HCC and correlated with aggressive tumors and a worse clinical outcome. LOXL4 may be a potential biomarker to identify the HCC patients with a higher risk of recurrence.     

Novel Conjugative Plasmid from Escherichia coli of Swine Origin That Coharbors the Multiresistance Gene cfr and the Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase Gene blaCTX-M-14b

Two porcine Escherichia coli isolates harbored the cfr gene on conjugative plasmids of 38,405 bp (pGXEC6) and 41,646 bp (pGXEC3). In these two plasmids, the cfr gene was located within a 4,612-bp region containing a tnpA-IS26-cfr-IS26-Δhyp element. Plasmid pGXEC3 was almost identical to pGXEC6 except for a 3,235-bp ISEcp1-bla_CTX-M-14b insertion. The colocation of the multiresistance cfr gene with an extended-spectrum-β-lactamase gene on a conjugative plasmid may support the dissemination of these genes by coselection.     

Hybrid Molecule from Farnesylthiosalicylic Acid-diamine and Phenylpropenoic Acid as Ras-related Signaling Inhibitor with Potent Antitumor Activities

Novel series of Farnesylthiosalicylic acid-diamine/phenylpropenoic acid hybrids were designed and synthesized. Their in vitro growth inhibitory assays showed that most compounds displayed strong antiproliferation activity against seven cancer cells. Especially, the new hybrid 12f , by the conjugation of 10a with ferulic acid, could selectively suppress the proliferation of tumor cells and display significantly lower toxicities to normal cells than its intermediate 10a . Furthermore, 12f dose-dependently induced SMMC-7721 cell apoptosis. Additionally, our observations demonstrated that 12f inhibited both Ras-related signaling and phosphorylated NF-κB synergistically, which may be advantageous to the strong antitumor activities of 12f . Our findings suggest that these novel hybrids may hold a great promise as therapeutic agents for the intervention of human cancers.     

B-Vitamins and Bone Health–A Review of the Current Evidence

Because of ongoing global ageing, there is a rapid worldwide increase in incidence of osteoporotic fractures and the resultant morbidity and mortality associated with these fractures are expected to create a substantial economic burden. Dietary modification is one effective approach for prevention of osteoporosis in the general population. Recently, B vitamins have been investigated for their possible roles in bone health in human studies. In this review, we provide different lines of evidence and potential mechanisms of individual B vitamin in influencing bone structure, bone quality, bone mass and fracture risk from published peer-reviewed articles. These data support a possible protective role of B vitamins, particularly, B2, B6, folate and B12, in bone health. However, results from the clinical trials have not been promising in supporting the efficacy of B vitamin supplementation in fracture reduction. Future research should continue to investigate the underlying mechanistic pathways and consider interventional studies using dietary regimens with vitamin B enriched foods to avoid potential adverse effects of high-dose vitamin B supplementation. In addition, observational and interventional studies conducted in Asia are limited and thus require more attention due to a steep rise of osteoporosis and hip fracture incidence projected in this part of the world.