ObjectiveTo evaluate the relation between protein expression of RAS-association domain family 1A (RASSF1A) gene and the occurrence and development of vulvar cancer. MethodsImmunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of RASSF1A protein in 9 normal vulvar tissues, 12 vulvar intraepithelial neoplasm (VIN) tissues, as well as 35 vulvar cancer tissue samples which were taken from patients treated during January 2008 to December 2010. Then, we analyzed the correlation between the RASSF1A protein expression and the clinical pathological features of vulvar cancer. ResultsThe expression of RASSF1A protein in vulvar cancer samples was significantly different from that in samples of normal vulvar tissues and VIN tissues (P<0.05). Significant difference also existed in the expression of RASSF1A protein between normal vulvar tissues and VIN tissues (P<0.05). The expression of RASSF1A protein was not significantly correlated with age, grade, stage, lymph nodes involvement and sites (lateral/median) of vulvar cancer (P>0.05). ConclusionInactivation of RASSF1A gene involves in the occurrence of vulvar cancer but has no significant correlation with its development. There is no obvious correlation between cancer sites, onset ages and the expression of RASSF1A protein.
To explore the relationship between the drug-seeking behavior, motivation of conditioned place preference (CPP) rats and the frontal association cortex (FrA) electroencephalogram (EEG) sample entropy, we in this paper present our studies on the FrA EEG sample entropy of control group rats and CPP group rats, respectively. We invested different behavior in four situations of the rat activities, i.e. rats were staying in black chamber of videoed boxes, those staying in white chamber of videoed boxes, those shuttling between black-white chambers and those shuttling between white-black chambers. The experimental results showed that, compared with the control group rats, the FrA EEG sample entropy of CPP rats staying in black chamber of video box and shuttling between white-black chambers had no significant difference. However, sample entropy is significantly smaller (P < 0.01) when heroin-induced group rats stayed in white chamber of video box and shuttled between black-white chambers. Consequently, the drug-seeking behavior and motivation of CPP rats correlated closely with the EEG sample entropy changes.
ObjectiveTo explore the effect of five copies hypoxia-responsive element (5HRE) and carcinoembryonic antigen promoter (CEAp) element, and to explore the inhibition effect of lentiviral vectors targeted Ras association domain family 1 isoform A (RASSF1A) gene on SGC7901 human gastric cancer cells. Methods①Expressions of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) mRNA and its protein, and RASSF1A protein in SGC7901, MKN28, and MCF-10A cells were detect by real time-PCR (qRT-PCR), immunocytochemistry, and Western blot, to confirm the experimental and negative control cells.②The recombinant vectors of pGL4.20-5HRE-CEAp-Luc were constructed through molecular cloning technique to transfected SGC7901, MKN28, and MCF-10A cells. Each kind of cell was divided into 2 groups:one of them didn't add CoCl2 (normoxia group), and another group added CoCl2 (hypoxia group). Comparison of the fold of activation was performed.③SGC7901 cells were infected by lentiviral vectors of pLV-5HRE-CEAp-RASSF1A (infection group) and negative virus (negative control group), SGC7901 cells without any treatment as blank control group. Then SGC7901 cells of 3 groups were divided into 2 groups:one of them didn't add CoCl2 (normoxia group), and another group added CoCl2 (hypoxia group). The expression of RASSF1A protein was tested by Western blot, and the growth inhibition rate was confirmed by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Comparisons of expression of RASSF1A protein and growth inhibition rate of each group were performed. Results①Results of qRT-PCR, immunocytochemistry and Western blot showed that, SGC7901 cells showed higher expression of CEA mRNA and positive expression of RASSF1A protein than corresponding index of MKN28 cells and MCF-10A cells (P < 0.05), which were assigned as experimental cells; but MKN28 cells showed lower expression of CEA mRNA and negative expression of RASSF1A protein, which were assigned as negative control cells.②In SGC7901 and MKN28 cells transfected recombinant vectors of pGL4.20-5HRECEAp-Luc, compared with normoxia group in the same kind of cell group, the folds of activation in hypoxia group were higher (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference between the normoxia group and hypoxia group in MCF-10A cells (P > 0.05). In the condition of with or without CoCl2, compared with SGC7901 cells in the same condition, the folds of activation in MCF-10A and MKN28 cells were both lower (P < 0.05); compared with MKN28 cells, the fold of activation in MCF-10A cells was lower (P < 0.05).③Western blot results showed that, in the condition with and without CoCl2, expressions of RASSF1A protein decreased in SGC7901 cells of blank control group and negative control group; weak expressions of RASSF1A protein was observed in SGC7901 cells of infection group when in condition of without CoCl2, but increased when adding CoCl2. But RASSF1A protein didn't expressed in MKN28 cells of blank control group, negative control group, and infection group, whether adding CoCl2 or not. CCK-8 assay result showed that, in SGC7901 cells, the growth inhibition rate of infection group which added CoCl2 was higher than those of other 5 groups (P < 0.05); in MKN28 cells, the growth inhibition rates of infection group and negative group were all higher than those of blank control group, whether adding CoCl2 or not (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference among the infection group and negative group, whether adding CoCl2 or not (P > 0.05). ConclusionsA new hypoxia inducible and cea-positive tumor-targeting transcriptional regulatory element of 5HRE-CEAp is established successfully, and lentivirus vector of pLV-5HRE-CEAp-RASSF1A can significant inhibit the growth of SGC7901 cells under hypoxia condition.
ObjectiveTo summarize the research progress of yes association protein (YAP) mechanisms regulatedby different signaling pathways in tumor cells in recent years. MethodsLiteratures about the recent studies on the YAP mechanisms regulated by different signaling pathways in tumor cells were reviewed according to the results searched from PubMed database. ResultsIn addition to the traditional HIPPO pathway for the regulation of YAP, YAP is also regulated by the Rho-GTPases, JNK, and Wnt/β-Catenin signal pathways. ConclusionYAP is regulated by many factors in tumor cells, so better understand the mechanisms of YAP regulated by different signaling pathways will provide anovel putative target fortumor diagnosis and therapy in the future.
ObjectiveTo investigate the significance of expression and correlation of pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) and yes association protein (YAP) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tissue, and then explore the relationship between the 2 kinds of protein. MethodsA total of 120 patients' HCC tissues and adjacent tissues were collected retrospectively, who treated in our hospital from Apr. 2010 to Oct. 2013, the expressions of PKM2 and YAP protein in these HCC tissues and adjacent tissues were detected by SP immunohistochemical method, and then analyzed the relationship between the expressions of PKM2 and YAP ptotein with the clinicopathological features of HCC. Of the 120 patients, the expressions of YAP and PKM2 protein and its mRNA in 50 cases of HCC tissues and adjacent tissues were also examined by Western blot and real-time PCR methods respectively. Results① The immunohistochemical results showed that, the positive rate of PKM2 protein and YAP protein in HCC tissues were 67.50% (81/120) and 71.67% (86/120) respectively, which were both higher than those of adjacent tissues[PKM2 protein:20.83% (25/120); YAP protein:29.17% (35/120)], P < 0.050. ② The expression of PKM2 protein was significantly positively correlated with the expression of YAP protein in HCC tissues (r=0.519, P < 0.001). ③ In HCC tissues, the expression of PKM2 protein was significantly correlated with the diameter of tumor, TNM staging, differentiation of HCC, and lever of alpha fetal protein (P < 0.050), and the expression of YAP protein was significantly correlated with the differentiation of HCC and lever of alpha fetal protein (P < 0.050). ④ Western blot results showed that, the expression levels of PKM2 protein and YAP protein in HCC tissues were 1.25± 0.11 and 1.08±0.10 respectively, which were significantly higher than those of adjacent tissues (PKM2 protein:0.38±0.01, YAP protein:0.41±0.02), P < 0.050. ⑤ Real-time PCR assays results showed that, basing the expressions of PKM2 mRNA and YAP mRNA in adjacent tissues (both as 1), expressions of PKM2 mRNA and YAP mRNA in HCC tissues were 11.38±0.35 and 19.96±0.48 respectively, which were both higher than those of adjacent tissues (P < 0.050). ConclusionPKM2 and YAP protein were related to the initiation of HCC, and they were also closely correlated with the differentiation and prognosis of HCC.
The choice of genetic models was main difficulty in the meta-analysis of gene-disease association studies. In this study, we made a further discussion about the genetic model-free approach that proposed by Minelli et al. The program that coded by JAGS and R was carried out to perform the Bayesian procedure. In a real example, several kinds of prior distribution were used, including non-informative prior distribution and external clinical prior information. Especially, compared to Minelli’s study, we introduced clinical prior information. The results indicated that the pooled results were rather robust no matters the prior distribution were non-informative or informative, especially when the number of included studies were large.
Morning glory syndrome (MGS) is a congenital optic disc anomaly. The characteristic ophthalmoscopic findings consist of a generally enlarged, funnel-shaped and excavated optic disc, surrounded by an elevated annulus of chorioretinal pigment disturbance, with a central glial tuft, multiple narrow branches of retina vessels radiating from the disc. There are peripheral non-perfusion retinal areas in most cases. The pathogenesis of MGS remains unclear. MGS might be associated with many ocular and systemic abnormalities, involving facial, central nervous, cerebrovascular and endocrine systems. Persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous and retinal detachments (RD) are the most common ocular complications of MGS. The mechanism RD in MGS is unclear. Vitrectomy with long-acting gas or silicone tamponade and photocoagulation around the breaks or the enlarged disc might be efficient for rhegmatogenous RD of MGS. Early diagnosis is crucial for recognition and treatment of the ocular and systemic complications, and maintenance of the visual function.
Hypertension is a strong risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), heart failure, and microvascular complications. Hypertension is common among patients with diabetes. Recently, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) published a new position statement which updated the assessment and treatment for hypertensive patients with diabetes. This interpretation is intended to help Chinese clinicians to understand the new ADA position statement.
The association between single nucleotide polymorphism and disease is a typical representation of genetic association studies. Compared with the traditional dichotomous data, single nucleotide polymorphism data has its own characteristics, and 5 genetic models are commonly performed in meta-analysis. In this paper, we show how to use the " meta” package in R software to conduct meta-analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism research through examples.
Meta-analysis has become a common approach to summarize genetic association with the tremendous amount of published epidemiological evidence. Assessing the credibility of meta-analysis evidence on genetic association is a rapidly growing challenge. This paper illuminates how to assess the credibility of meta-analysis evidence by using Venice criteria. A semi-quantitative index assigns three levels for the amount of evidence, replication and protection from bias. At the end, three considerations are merged into a grading scheme, which generates three composite assessments: weak, moderate or strong. Credibility assessment is necessary to estimate whether a true genetic association exists. Such method provides indication for further study and is of clinical importance.