Curcumin ameliorates hepatic chronic inflammation induced by bile duct obstruction in mice through the activation of heme oxygenase-1

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Melatonin induces apoptosis of colorectal cancer cells through HDAC4 nuclear import mediated by CaMKII inactivation

Melatonin induces apoptosis in many different cancer cell lines, including colorectal cancer. However, the precise mechanisms involved remain largely unresolved. In this study, we provide evidence to reveal a new mechanism by which melatonin induces apoptosis of colorectal cancer LoVo cells. Melatonin at pharmacological concentrations significantly suppressed cell proliferation and induced apoptosis in a dose‐dependent manner. The observed apoptosis was accompanied by the melatonin‐induced dephosphorylation and nuclear import of histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4). Pretreatment with a HDAC4‐specific siRNA effectively attenuated the melatonin‐induced apoptosis, indicating that nuclear localization of HDAC4 is required for melatonin‐induced apoptosis. Moreover, constitutively active Ca²⁺/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II alpha (CaMKIIα) abrogated the melatonin‐induced HDAC4 nuclear import and apoptosis of LoVo cells. Furthermore, melatonin decreased H3 acetylation on bcl‐2 promoter, leading to a reduction of bcl‐2 expression, whereas constitutively active CaMKIIα(T286D) or HDAC4‐specific siRNA abrogated the effect of melatonin. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that melatonin‐induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer LoVo cells largely depends on the nuclear import of HDAC4 and subsequent H3 deacetylation via the inactivation of CaMKIIα.     

An Environmental Scan of the National and Provincial Diagnostic Reference Levels in Canada for Common Adult Computed Tomography Scans

Several regulatory bodies have agreed that low-dose radiation used in medical imaging is a weak carcinogen that follows a linear, non-threshold model of cancer risk. While avoiding radiation is the best course of action to mitigate risk, computed tomography (CT) scans are often critical for diagnosis. In addition to the as low as reasonably achievable principle, a more concrete method of dose reduction for common CT imaging exams is the use of a diagnostic reference level (DRL). This paper examines Canada's national DRL values from the recent CT survey and compares it to published provincial DRLs as well as the DRLs in the United Kingdom and the United States of America for the 3 most common CT exams: head, chest, and abdomen/pelvis. Canada compares well on the international scale, but it should consider using more electronic dose monitoring solutions to create a culture of dose optimization.     

Toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) to THP-1 macrophages: interactions with saturated or unsaturated free fatty acids

In a biological microenvironment, free fatty acids (FFA) as ubiquitous biological molecules might interact with nanoparticles (NPs) and consequently change the toxicological responses. However, whether the chemical structures of FFA could influence their interactions with NPs remain unknown. This study investigated the interactions between ZnO NPs and saturated or unsaturated FFA (complexed to BSA), namely stearic acid (SA, C18:0), oleic acid (OA, C18:1), and α-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3). It was shown that BSA, SA, OA, and ALA increased the atomic force microscope (AFM) heights as well the polydispersity index (PDI) of ZnO NPs. BSA modestly protected THP-1 macrophages from ZnO NP exposure, whereas OA and ALA led to relatively less cyto-protective effects of BSA. Moreover, only co-exposure to ZnO NPs and SA significantly promoted the release of interleukin-8. BSA, SA, OA, and ALA equally changed intracellular ROS and Zn ions associated with ZnO exposure, but co-exposure to ZnO NPs and OA/ALA particularly activated the expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-apoptosis genes. In combination, these results showed that FFA could influence the colloidal aspects and toxicological signaling pathway of ZnO NPs, which is dependent on the number of unsaturated bonds of FFA.     

珠海地区NRXN1和NLGN1基因多态性与儿童孤独症的关联性研究

目的 探索珠海地区NRXN1和NLGN1基因多态性与儿童孤独症易感性的关系,为孤独症的防治提供科学依据。方法 采用病例对照的研究方法,选取2011－2016年就诊于珠海市妇幼保健院的123例珠海地区的孤独症患儿和506例健康对照。采用口腔拭子采集口腔上皮细胞以提取DNA,采用Sequenom Mass Array platform分型技术对NRXN1基因上的rs1045881和rs11885824以及NLGN1上的rs9855544进行基因分型。结果 NRXN1基因上的rs1045881和rs11885824以及NLGN1上的rs9855544位点基因型分布在孤独症组和健康对照组比较,差异无统计学意义;但NLGN1基因上的rs9855544与NRXN1基因上的rs11885824存在基因与基因间的交互作用(预测准确率为0.480,交叉验证一致性为10/10,P=0.040)。结论 NRXN1基因上的rs1045881和rs11885824以及NLGN1上的rs9855544位点基因多态性可能与孤独症易感性没有关联,但NLGN1基因上的rs9855544与NRXN1基因上的rs11885824之间的交互作用可能是孤独症易感性的影响因素。     

Quantification of 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor Binding in Depressed Suicide Attempters and Non-Attempters

Objective: To determine serotonin system abnormalities related to major depression or previous suicidal behavior.

Methods: [¹¹C]WAY100635, [¹⁸F]altanserin and positron emission tomography were used to compare 5-HT_1A and 5-HT_2A binding in MDD patients divided into eight past suicide attempters (>4yrs prior to scanning) and eight lifetime non-attempters, and both groups were compared to eight healthy volunteers.

Results: The two receptor types differed in binding pattern across brain regions from each other, but there were no differences in binding between healthy volunteers and the two depressed groups or between depressed suicide attempters and non-attempters. No effects of depression severity or lifetime aggression were observed for either receptor.

Conclusion: Limitations of this study include small sample size and absence of high lethality suicide attempts in the depressed attempter group. No trait-like binding correlations with past suicide attempt or current depression were observed. Given the heterogeneity of nonfatal suicidal behavior, a larger sample study emphasizing higher lethality suicide attempts may find the serotonin biological phenotype seen in suicide decedents.     

滋阴清热方治疗对甲状腺功能亢进症阴虚火旺证患者疗效、血浆内皮素-1、炎症因子和免疫功能的影响

目的:研究滋阴清热方治疗对甲状腺功能亢进症阴虚火旺证患者疗效、血浆内皮素-1、炎症因子和免疫功能的影响。方法:将广州市花都区妇幼保健院收治的100例甲状腺功能亢进症阴虚火旺证患者分成观察组和对照组。对照组:给患者使用常规药物治疗;观察组:在对照组的基础上,给予滋阴清热方治疗。干预后,比较两组患者的临床疗效、血浆内皮素-1(Endothelin,ET)、炎症因子[白介素-2(Interleukin-2,IL-2)、白介素-8(Interleukin-8,IL-8)]及肿瘤坏死因子(Tumour Necrosis Factor-α,TNF-α)和免疫功能(CD3^+、CD4^+、CD8^+及CD4^+/CD8^+)。结果:干预前,两组患者IL-2、IL-8及TNF-α无变化,差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);干预后,观察组患者的IL-2比对照组高,且对照组的IL-8及TNF-α比观察组的高,P<0.05,差异有统计学意义;干预前,两组患者的CD3^+、CD4^+、CD8^+及CD4^+/CD8^+与ET无变化;干预后,观察组的CD3^+、CD4^+、CD8+及CD4^+/CD8^+比对照组高,P <0.05,差异有统计学意义,且观察组的ET低于对照组且观察组总有效率明显高于对照组。结论:滋阴清热方治疗降低了血浆内皮素-1,减少炎症的出现,提高免疫功能。     

Loss of function,missense, and intronic variants in NOTCH1 confer different risks for left ventricular outflow tract obstructive heart defects in two European cohorts

Loss of function variants in NOTCH1 cause left ventricular outflow tract obstructive defects (LVOTO). However, the risk conferred by rare and noncoding variants in NOTCH1 for LVOTO remains largely uncharacterized. In a cohort of 49 families affected by hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a severe form of LVOTO, we discovered predicted loss of function NOTCH1 variants in 6% of individuals. Rare or low-frequency missense variants were found in 16% of families. To make a quantitative estimate of the genetic risk posed by variants in NOTCH1 for LVOTO, we studied associations of 400 coding and noncoding variants in NOTCH1 in 1,085 cases and 332,788 controls from the UK Biobank. Two rare intronic variants in strong linkage disequilibrium displayed significant association with risk for LVOTO amongst European-ancestry individuals. This result was replicated in an independent analysis of 210 cases and 68,762 controls of non-European and mixed ancestry. In conclusion, carrying rare predicted loss of function variants in NOTCH1 confer significant risk for LVOTO. In addition, the two intronic variants seem to be associated with an increased risk for these defects. Our approach demonstrates the utility of population-based data sets in quantifying the specific risk of individual variants for disease-related phenotypes.     

附加钢板技术治疗股骨干髓内钉术后骨不连的现状和研究进展

目的对附加钢板技术治疗股骨干髓内钉术后骨不连的历史、现状和进展进行综述。方法广泛查阅国内外关于附加钢板技术治疗股骨干髓内钉术后骨不连的临床研究文献，并进行综合分析。结果自 1997 年附加钢板技术已成功用于治疗股骨干髓内钉术后骨不连，根据原髓内钉是否失效，可分为保留原髓内钉和更换原髓内钉两类。该技术不仅适用于简单骨不连，还可用于合并严重畸形的复杂性骨不连。相比更换髓内钉、更换外侧钢板和双钢板技术，附加钢板技术手术创伤更小，骨折愈合时间更短，骨折愈合率更高，患者能更早重返社会和工作。然而，该技术也存在一些问题有待解决，包括双皮质螺钉固定困难、缺乏适合股骨干解剖型附加钢板以及缺乏术后功能和生活质量的评估研究。结论相比其他翻修固定方式，附加钢板技术能够获得更高的骨折愈合率和更好的临床预后。然而，术后患者能否在功能和生活质量方面进一步获益还有待证实。此外，还需要更高质量的临床对照研究深入证明其是否确实优于其他翻修固定方式。     

补骨脂素抗增生性瘢痕作用机制研究

目的探讨补骨脂素抗增生性瘢痕的作用机制。方法体外培养成纤维细胞,按随机数字表法分为正常组(培养正常成纤维细胞)、瘢痕组(培养增生性瘢痕成纤维细胞)、TGF-β1组(10 ng/ml TGF-β1处理增生性瘢痕成纤维细胞5 min^12 h)、Smurf2 RNA干扰组[Smad泛素化调节因子2(Smad ubiquitin regulatory factor2,Smurf2)siRNA转染增生性瘢痕成纤维细胞72 h]、补骨脂素组(10μmol/L补骨脂素处理增生性瘢痕成纤维细胞继续培养72 h)、补骨脂素+TGF-β1组(增生性瘢痕成纤维细胞加入补骨脂素培养72 h后加入TGF-β1培养6 h)。采用Western blot法检测Smurf2、α-平滑肌肌动蛋白(α-actin SMA,α-SMA)蛋白表达;RT-PCR法检测Ⅰ型胶原蛋白mRNA表达;ELISA法检测TGF-β1蛋白分泌。结果与正常组比较,瘢痕组Smurf2蛋白[(0.83±0.08)比(0.38±0.07)]表达增加(P<0.05);与瘢痕组比较,Smurf2 RNA干扰组TGF-β1[(2.2±0.18)比(4.2±0.47)]表达降低(P<0.05);TGF-β1组Smurf2[(0.71±0.06)比(0.42±0.04)]、α-SMA[(1.42±0.12)比(0.91±0.09)]蛋白表达增加(P<0.05),Ⅰ型胶原蛋白mRNA[(0.72±0.09)比(0.41±0.07)]表达增加(P<0.05);补骨脂素组Smurf2[(0.05±0.01)比(0.42±0.04)]、α-SMA[(0.71±0.07)比(0.91±0.09)]蛋白表达降低(P<0.05),Ⅰ型胶原蛋白mRNA表达[(0.12±0.04)比(0.41±0.07)]降低(P<0.05)。结论补骨脂素可能通过TGF-β1/Smurf2信号通路抑制α-SMA蛋白表达,从而降低Ⅰ型胶原蛋白表达,起到抑制瘢痕形成的作用。