Developmental pluripotency-associated 4: a novel predictor for prognosis and a potential therapeutic target for colon cancer

Backgrounds

Developmental pluripotency-associated 4 (Dppa4) gene plays an important role in self-renewal and pluripotency sustainability in embryonic stem cells. It is re-expressed in several malignant tumors and is identified as a new pluripotency-related oncogene. The present study investigates the expression and clinical significance of Dppa4 in colon cancer.

Methods

Real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to evaluate Dppa4 mRNA and protein expression in 39 pairs of fresh-frozzen colon cancer samples, which were compared with adjacent normal mucosa. The Dppa4 protein was evaluated by immunohistochemical techniques using colon tissue microarrays (TMA). The sample included 185 cancer specimens and corresponding normal colorectal mucosa. The effect of Dppa4 knockdown on colorectal cancer cell proliferation was investigated using Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) assays and colony-formation assays.

Results

Both the mRNA and protein level expression of Dppa4 gene was found to be upregulated in colon cancer tissues. Furthermore, the upregulated expression of Dppa4 was significantly correlated with the results of American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage (P = 0.01), invasion depth (P = 0.028), nodal involvement (P = 0.012), distant metastasis (P = 0.003), and differentiation (P = 0.002). Dppa4 was also shown to be an independent prognostic indicator of disease-free survival (HR 6.118, 95 % CI 3.004–12.462) and overall survival (HR 6.348, 95 % CI 2.875–14.014) for patients with colon cancer. Knockdown of Dppa4 expression inhibited the proliferation of colorectal cancer cell lines through G1/S transition regulation.

Conclusion

The results indicate that Dppa4 might play an important role in colon cancer progression and function as a novel prognostic indicator and a potential therapeutic target.     

Positive ALDH1A3 and Negative GPX3 Expressions Are Biomarkers for Poor Prognosis of Gallbladder Cancer

Background. Gallbladder cancers (GBCs) are highly aggressive cancers with high mortality. However, biological markers for the progression and prognosis of GBC are currently unavailable in the clinic. Objective. To identify biomarkers for predicting GBC metastasis and prognosis. Methods. We examined ALDH1A3 and GPX3 expressions in 46 squamous cell/adenosquamous carcinomas (SC/ASC) and 80 adenocarcinomas (AC) by using immunohistochemistry. Results. Positive ALDH1A3 and negative GPX3 expressions were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and invasion of SC/ASCs and ACs. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that either positive ALDH1A3 (P < 0.001) or negative GPX3 (P < 0.001) expression significantly correlated with decreased overall survival in both SC/ASC and AC patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that positive ALDH1A3 expression or negative GPX3 expression was an independent poor-prognostic predictor in both SC/ASC and AC patients. Conclusions. Our study suggested that positive ALDH1A3 and negative GPX3 expressions are closely associated with clinical pathological behaviors and poor prognosis of gallbladder cancer.     

以学报为载体提高医学高专生的科研能力

高等教育的一个重要目标是培养学生的创新精神,而提高科研能力是培养创新精神的一个有效途径.我校学报编辑部以学报为载体,通过多种方式提高学生的科研能力.包括服务基金项目、挖掘大学生竞赛项目附加值、开设科研设计与论文写作课程等.通过这一系列的努力,我校学生的科研能力得到了一定的提高.     

壳寡糖-水杨酸接枝物纳米粒用于释放阿霉素的研究

目的 考察壳寡糖/水杨酸纳米粒负载碱化阿霉素的可能性,评价制备而得的微粒给药系统理化性质及其体外释放行为。方法 以碳二亚胺为交联偶合剂合成壳寡糖/水杨酸接枝共聚物,三硝基苯磺酸法测定水杨酸接枝率。运用超声分散法制备壳寡糖/水杨酸空白纳米粒,芘荧光法测定纳米粒临界聚集浓度,动态光散射法测定微粒粒径和表面电位,MTT法考察空白纳米粒的细胞毒性。以碱化阿霉素为模型药物,透析法制备壳寡糖/水杨酸载药纳米粒,经透射电镜考察载药纳米粒的形态,对其体外释放行为进行了研究。结果 合成得到的壳寡糖分子量=9000/水杨酸理论投料量=50%的实际接枝率为16.92%,空白纳米粒的临界聚集浓度为867.0 μg/mL,空白纳米粒的粒径和表面Zeta电位分别为434.0 nm和48.6 mV,对人肝癌细胞Hep-G2的半数抑制浓度为1745μg/mL。在碱化阿霉素理论投药量为10%时壳寡糖/水杨酸载药纳米粒的实际载药量为8.52%,包封率为93.15%。;载药纳米粒的粒径和表面电位分别为214.2 nm和33.6 mV。体外释放结果表明药物的释放呈现pH敏感性;并主要以溶蚀的方式从载体内部释放出来。结论 壳寡糖/水杨酸接枝物可以有效包裹碱化阿霉素并成为粒径均一的纳米粒给药系统。载药纳米粒具有pH敏感和缓释作用。壳寡糖/水杨酸接枝物有望成为潜在的难溶性药物的载体材料。     

桦木酸通过抑制STAT3 的活化提高胰腺癌细胞对吉非替尼的敏感性

[摘要] 目的：探讨桦木酸（BEA）提高胰腺癌Panc-1、Miapaca-2 细胞对吉非替尼的敏感性及其潜在的作用机制。方法：细胞培养完成后,将对吉非替尼不敏感的Panc-1、Miapaca-2 细胞随机分为4 组：对照组、BEA组、吉非替尼组及BEA联合吉非替尼组,分别予以不处理、BEA、吉非替尼及BEA联合吉非替尼处理。MTS法检测BEA对2 种细胞的增敏效果,集落形成实验检测BEA协同吉非替尼的治疗效果,WB实验检测BEA对Panc-1 细胞凋亡相关蛋白的影响,流式细胞术检测BEA对Panc-1 细胞凋亡的影响,表面等离子体共振（SPR）实验验证信号转导子和转录激活子3（STAT3）和BEA的直接结合,分子对接和分子动力学模拟实验预测STAT3 和BEA的结合模式。结果：BEA协同增强Panc-1、Miapaca-2 细胞对吉非替尼的敏感性（P<0.05）,使其对两种细胞的IC50值均降低至原值的50%以下。吉非替尼联合BEA较单用吉非替尼或BEA促进Panc-1 细胞的凋亡以及凋亡相关蛋白cleaved-PARP和Bax 的表达,减少对凋亡抑制蛋白Bcl-2 的表达（均P<0.05 或P<0.01）。BEA对Panc-1 细胞中STAT3 的活化有剂量依赖性抑制作用（P<0.01）。BEA通过与STAT3 的Lys-591、Ser-613 形成氢键而稳定BEA与STAT3 的结合作用,同时BEA稳定在STAT3 的蛋白结合位点内,以此阻断STAT3 二聚发挥增敏作用。结论：联用BEA和吉非替尼显著抑制胰腺癌Panc-1、Miapaca-2 细胞的增殖并促进其凋亡,这种增敏作用可能是由BEA对STAT3 抑制作用所介导。     

药敏试验指导根除幽门螺杆菌治疗的临床研究

目的 观察根据药敏结果选择两种敏感抗生素加奥美拉唑三联1周疗法治疗幽门螺杆菌(Hp)的根除率,探讨幽门螺杆菌药敏试验对根除幽门螺杆菌的指导作用.方法 选择经胃镜确诊的幽门螺杆菌阳性慢性胃炎和消化性溃疡患者120例,将120例患者分为三组,各40例.Hp培养组:经胃镜取患者胃窦黏膜组织进行幽门螺杆菌培养和药敏试验,根据药敏结果选择两种敏感抗生素加奥美拉唑治疗,疗程1周;OAM组:奥美拉唑20 mg、阿莫西林1.0、甲硝唑0.4,每天2次,疗程1周;OAC组:奥美拉唑20 mg、阿莫西林1.0、克拉霉素0.5,每天2次,疗程1周;一个月后检测幽门螺杆菌根除情况,观察Hp根除率.结果 Hp培养组、OAM组和OAC组的根除率分别为97.3%、76.3%和77.8%.Hp培养组与其他两组问Hp根除率比较差异均有显著性(P＜0.05),OAM组和OAC组间Hp根除率比较差异无显著性(P＞0.05).结论 根据药敏结果选择两种敏感抗生素加奥美拉唑三联1周疗法治疗Hp感染可获得较高的根除率,是根除Hp的理想方案;幽门螺杆菌药敏试验对临床幽门螺杆菌菌株的根治有指导作用.     

某警察学院大学生性健康教育现状及需求调查

目的：了解四川某警察学院大学生性生殖健康教育的现状及需求,为相关院校今后更好地开展性教育提供理论依据.方法：采用自行设计的问卷,对四川某警察学院大学生进行问卷调查.结果：53.62％中学时期不知道有性教育课;83.75％大学时期不知道有性教育课.87.15％的受访者认为有必要进行性教育,性生理卫生（89.89％）、性心理卫生（85.39％）和STD防治（84.27％）是最重要的教育内容.12.70％的大学生从家人获得过性知识,59.97％的大学生从网络获取性知识,而接受性知识最愿意的方式是健康咨询（52.88％）.结论：该校大学生性教育课程状况欠佳.今后学校应依照大学生的实际需求,开设健康咨询为主多种形式的性教育课程,家庭性教育也应该发挥其重要的作用,促进大学生性生理、性心理、性行为的健康发展.     

ESD衍生技术的临床应用

内镜技术的问世被誉为是医学史上的一次革命,在内镜治疗方面产生了“内镜外科”和“微创手术”的新概念,消化道疾病的治疗由此进入了一个新时代。近年随着ESD的逐渐开展和经验积累,新的内镜技术和内镜附件不断涌现,国内外学者提出了诸多ESD衍生技术用于消化道疾病的治疗。本文就ESD的衍生技术在消化道疾病治疗中的应用作一综述。