Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Orthop Translat 2020 Jul 23;23:21-28. Epub 2020 Apr 23.

Department of Orthopaedics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, Hubei, China.

Background/objectives: Articular cartilage erosion probably plays a substantial role in osteoarthritis (OA) initiation and development. Studies demonstrated that umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) could delay chondrocytes apoptosis and ameliorate OA progression in patients, but the detailed mechanisms are largely uncharacterised. In this study, we aimed to study the effects of UCMSCs on monosodium iodoacetate (MIA)-induced rat OA model, and explore the cellular mechanism of this effect. Read More

Int J Cosmet Sci 2020 May 26. Epub 2020 May 26.

Nuritas Ltd, Joshua Dawson House, Dawson St, Dublin 2, D02 RY95, Dublin, Ireland.

Objective: As skin ages, impaired extracellular matrix (ECM) protein synthesis and increased action of degradative enzymes manifests as atrophy, wrinkling and laxity. There is mounting evidence for the functional role of exogenous peptides across many areas, including in offsetting the effects of cutaneous ageing. Here, using an artificial intelligence (AI) approach, we identified peptide RTE62G (pep_RTE62G), a naturally occurring, unmodified peptide with ECM stimulatory properties. Read More

Cancer Immunol Immunother 2020 May 24. Epub 2020 May 24.

Department of Otolaryngology, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias and Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria del Principado de Asturias (ISPA), Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, University of Oviedo, 33011, Oviedo, Spain.

Introduction: The importance of immune tumor microenvironment in the prognosis of patients with head and neck squamous carcinomas (HNSCC) is increasingly recognized. We analyzed the prognostic relevance of PD-L1 and PD-1 expressions in relation to the infiltration by CD8 and FOXP3 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).

Methods: Samples from 372 surgically treated HPV-negative HNSCC patients were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for PD-L1 expression [both tumor proportion score (TPS) and combined proportion score (CPS)], PD-1 expression in immune cells, and density of infiltrating CD8 and FOXP3 TILs. Read More

Zhen Ci Yan Jiu 2020 May;45(5):357-62

College of Acupuncture-moxibustion and Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 610075, China.

Objective: To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on intestinal epithelial mucosal barrier function in diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome(IBS-D) rats, so as to explore its mechanisms underlying improvement of IBS-D.

Methods: Forty SD rats (half male and half female) were randomly divided into control, model, EA and medication (Pinaverium Bromide, PB) groups, with 10 rats in each group. The IBS-D model was established by chronic unpredictable mild stress combined with gavage of Senna-leaf solution. Read More

Breast Cancer 2020 May 23. Epub 2020 May 23.

Department of Pathology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Japan.

Background: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on immune cells (ICs) is a predictive marker for PD-L1 checkpoint blockade in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the level of PD-L1 expression and the percentage of cells that are PD-L1+ are continuous variables not dichotomous variables for tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and other cells.

Methods: Multiplexed immunohistochemistry was applied to 31 archived surgical specimens from untreated TNBC patients. Read More

Breast Cancer Res Treat 2020 May 22. Epub 2020 May 22.

Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.

Purpose: MMP9 is a matricellular protein associated with extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling, that promotes tumour progression, and modulates the activity of cell adhesion molecules and cytokines. This study aims to assess the prognostic value of MMP9 and its association with cytoskeletal modulators in early-stage invasive breast cancer (BC).

Methods: MMP9 expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry using a well-characterised series of primary BC patients with long-term clinical follow-up. Read More

Mol Biol Rep 2020 May 22. Epub 2020 May 22.

Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Pamukkale, Denizli, Turkey.

Asherman syndrome (AS) occurs due to fibrosis or uterine adhesions as a result of damage to the basal layer of the endometrium. The aim of this study is investigating the effects of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) application on the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), miRNA-98, miRNA199a in endometrial tissue in rats with AS. Study groups were designed as, control (C), Asherman syndrome (AS), AS + oral estrogen (ASO), AS + ADMSC (ASSC), AS + oral estrogen + ADMSC (ASSCO) with 7 samples in each group. Read More

Sci Rep 2020 May 22;10(1):8496. Epub 2020 May 22.

Department of Surgery, School of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic disease with several degrees of histological features which may progress to cirrhosis. Obesity is an important risk factor and although NAFLD has no specific pharmacological treatment, bariatric surgery has been associated with NAFLD regression in severely obese patients. However, few longitudinal histological studies support this finding. Read More

J Ethnopharmacol 2020 May 19;259:112979. Epub 2020 May 19.

Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Research in TCM Prescriptions and Zheng, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, 410208, China. Electronic address:

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Li-Zhong-Tang (LZT) is a well-known Chinese herbal formulation first described in one of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) scriptures, Treatise on Febrile Diseases. LZT has been commonly prescribed for the treatment of various gastrointestinal diseases for over 1800 years, and has demonstrated pronounced therapeutic effects on patients with gastric ulcers.

Aim Of The Study: The present study aimed to scientifically evaluate protective effects of LZT on indomethacin (IND)-induced gastric injury in rats and to elucidate whether LZT exerts its gastro-protective effects via enhancing mucosal immunity by regulating TLR-2/MyD88 signaling pathway. Read More

J Spinal Cord Med 2020 May 22:1-11. Epub 2020 May 22.

Fourth Department of Acupuncture, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China.

Acupuncture combined with moxibustion (AM) therapy has been applied to treat spinal cord injury (SCI), but the underlying mechanism is unclear. The present study aimed to confirm the effect and mechanism of AM treatment on the recovery of SCI. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to establish the SCI model by impact method. Read More

Onco Targets Ther 2020 8;13:3903-3920. Epub 2020 May 8.

Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Purpose: Conventional chemotherapy and enucleation usually fail to cure advanced retinoblastoma. We investigated the retinoblastoma immune microenvironment and the efficacy of the combination of dinutuximab and CD16-expressing NK-92MI (NK-92MI) cells on retinoblastoma cells in this study.

Patients And Methods: Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry (FC) were performed to assess the expression level of GD2 in retinoblastoma tissues and cells. Read More

Onco Targets Ther 2020 4;13:3739-3750. Epub 2020 May 4.

Department of Urology, Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200240, People's Republic of China.

Background: Eukaryotic initiation factor 3 (eIF3) is the largest translation initiation factor, and oncogenic roles have been discovered for its subunits, including the f subunit (ie, eIF3f), in various human cancers. However, the roles of eIF3f in the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa) have not been reported.

Materials And Methods: We performed in silico analysis to screen the expression of eIF3 subunits. Read More

Saudi Pharm J 2020 May 2;28(5):607-614. Epub 2020 Apr 2.

Human Genetics Laboratory, Department of Biosciences, Jamia Millia Islamia, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi 110025, India.

Background: encodes 11-zinc finger protein which is implicated in multiple tumors including the carcinoma of the breast. The Present study investigates the association of mutations and their expression in breast cancer cases.

Methods: A total of 155 breast cancer and an equal number of adjacent normal tissue samples from 155 breast cancer patients were examined for mutation(s) by PCR-SSCP and automated DNA sequencing. Read More

Bone Joint Res 2020 Apr 16;9(4):173-181. Epub 2020 May 16.

MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Director, Orthopaedic Innovation Center, Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Aims: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is a potential cause of hip osteoarthritis (OA). The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression profile of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the labral tissue with FAI pathology.

Methods: In this study, labral tissues were collected from four FAI patients arthroscopically and from three normal hips of deceased donors. Read More

Can J Cardiol 2020 May 16. Epub 2020 May 16.

Department of Cardiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. Electronic address:

Background: Cardiac fibrosis is an important cause of heart failure(HF) after myocardial infarction(MI). The cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2b(CDKN2b) regulates the cell cycle by encoding the p15 protein and participates in the development of various tumors. However, the role of CDKN2b/p15 in cardiac fibrosis and HF after MI remains unclear. Read More

Front Oncol 2020 30;10:638. Epub 2020 Apr 30.

Department of General Surgery, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of death in the world. However, the key roles of most molecules in CRC remain unclear. This study aimed to identify key modules and hub genes associated with the progression of CRC. Read More

Ther Adv Med Oncol 2020 10;12:1758835920922055. Epub 2020 May 10.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 615 Charles, E. Young. Dr. South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.

Background: Over the past four decades, outcomes for osteosarcoma patients have plateaued as there have been few emerging therapies showing clinical results. Thus, the identification of novel biomarkers and therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to address these primary obstacles in patient care. Although the Myc-oncogene has known roles in oncogenesis and cancer cell growth, its expression and function in osteosarcoma are largely unknown. Read More

Front Immunol 2020 30;11:837. Epub 2020 Apr 30.

Wuxi Children's Hospital, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, China.

To develop a highly sensitive immunoassay for PLA2R autoantibodies and study the relationship between PLA2R autoantibodies and autoimmune thyroid disease-associated nephropathy. We applied a highly sensitive time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay to quantitatively detect the concentration of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) antibodies in the serum of patients with Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), nephrotic patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), and normal controls. We immunohistochemically analyzed the existing PLA2R target antigen in the thyroid tissue of patients with Graves' disease and HT, as well as the nephridial tissue of nephrotic patients with IMN. Read More

Cancer Manag Res 2020 23;12:2697-2709. Epub 2020 Apr 23.

Department of Integrative Chinese and Western Medicine, Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province 225009, People's Republic of China.

Purpose: Biliverdin reductase A (BLVRA) is a pleiotropic enzyme that converts biliverdin-IX-alpha into the antioxidant and anti-nitrosative compound, bilirubin-IX-alpha. It is related to various diseases, including cancer. It is overexpressed in many types of cancers and promotes cancer development and metastasis, but the effects of BLVRA in colorectal cancer have not been researched at present. Read More

Ann Vasc Surg 2020 May 15. Epub 2020 May 15.

The Vascular Biology and Therapeutics Program, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Surgery and of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. Electronic address:

Background: The spiral saphenous vein graft is an excellent choice for venous reconstruction after periphery vein injury, but only few cases have been reported. We implanted a segment of a single saphenous vein into both the popliteal vein as a venous vein graft and into the popliteal artery as an arterial vein graft at the same time in a trauma patient; we then had an extraordinary opportunity to harvest and examine both patent venous and arterial vein grafts at two weeks after implantation.

Method: A spiral saphenous vein graft was made as previously described and implanted into the popliteal vein and artery as interposition grafts; because of the patient's serious injuries, an amputation was performed at day 18 after vascular reconstruction. Read More

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2020 28;2020:3019674. Epub 2020 Apr 28.

The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109 Xue Yuan Xi Road, Lu Cheng District, Wenzhou 325000, China.

The traditional Chinese medicine of Qingxin Kaiqiao Recipe (QKR) is effective in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aims to investigate whether QKR improves the cognitive ability and takes neuroprotective effect on APP/PS1 double transgenic mice via the PI3K/Akt pathway. APP/PS1 double transgenic mice were randomly divided into a model, donepezil-treated, or QKR-treated group (L-QKR: 4. Read More

Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2020 Apr 22;195:105865. Epub 2020 Apr 22.

First Propaedeutic Department of Internal Medicine, Laikon Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; Department of Pathology and Pituitary Tumor Reference Center, G. Gennimatas General Hospital of Athens, Greece. Electronic address:

Objectives: Thyrotroph adenomas are the most infrequent adenohypophysial tumors. Somatostatin (SST) inhibits hormone secretion and suppresses cell proliferation. SST receptors (sstr) belong to a family of 5 types of G-coupled membrane proteins, which show high binding affinity to SST. Read More

Viruses 2020 May 12;12(5). Epub 2020 May 12.

Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals & Health (FARAH), Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart Tilman B43, B-4000 Liège, Belgium.

Usutu virus (USUV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, closely related to the West Nile virus (WNV). Similar to WNV, USUV may cause infections in humans, with occasional, but sometimes severe, neurological complications. Further, USUV can be highly pathogenic in wild and captive birds and its circulation in Europe has given rise to substantial avian death. Read More

Oral Dis 2020 May 14. Epub 2020 May 14.

Department of Medical Biosciences/Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

Objective: To use alternative quantitation approaches to clarify the clinical implication of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) in squamous cell carcinoma of the oral tongue (SCCOT).

Materials And Methods: Ventana SP263 immunohistochemistry assay and a multiplicative QuickScore method were applied to quantify PD-L1 in tumor and surrounding immune cells from 101 patients with SCCOT. Tumor-infiltrating immune cells were estimated from bulk tissue transcriptional profiles of 25 patients. Read More

Oncologist 2020 May 14. Epub 2020 May 14.

Department of Breast Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.

Background: Molecular subtyping of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) via gene expression profiling is essential for understanding the molecular essence of this heterogeneous disease and for guiding individualized treatment. We aim to devise a clinically practical method based on immunohistochemistry (IHC) for the molecular subtyping of TNBCs.

Materials And Methods: By analyzing the RNA sequencing data on TNBCs from Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center (FUSCC) (n = 360) and The Cancer Genome Atlas data set (n = 158), we determined markers that can identify specific molecular subtypes. Read More

Neurogastroenterol Motil 2020 May 13:e13880. Epub 2020 May 13.

Department of Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.

Background: Neuropathy and neuro-inflammation drive the severe pain and disease progression in human chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. Mice, especially genetically induced-mouse models, have been increasingly utilized in mechanistic research on pancreatic neuropathy, but the normal "peripheral neurobiology" of the mouse pancreas has not yet been critically compared to human pancreas.

Methods: We introduced a standardized tissue-harvesting technique that preserves the anatomic orientation of the mouse pancreas and allows complete sectioning in an anterior to posterior fashion. Read More

Mod Pathol 2020 May 13. Epub 2020 May 13.

Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.

The absence of a robust risk stratification tool for triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) underlies imprecise and nonselective treatment of these patients with cytotoxic chemotherapy. This study aimed to interrogate transcriptomes of TNBC resected samples using next generation sequencing to identify novel biomarkers associated with disease outcomes. A subset of cases (n = 112) from a large, well-characterized cohort of primary TNBC (n = 333) were subjected to RNA-sequencing. Read More

Lab Invest 2020 May 13. Epub 2020 May 13.

Pathology Unit, Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy.

Glioblastomas (GBM) can be classified into three major transcriptional subgroups (proneural, mesenchymal, classical), underlying different molecular alterations, prognosis, and response to therapy. However, transcriptional analysis is not routinely feasible and assessment of a simplified method for glioblastoma subclassification is required. We propose an integrated molecular and immunohistochemical approach aimed at identifying GBM subtypes in routine paraffin-embedded material. Read More

Zhonghua Gan Zang Bing Za Zhi 2020 Apr;28(4):365-368

Department of Hepatology, The Affiliated Wuxi No.5 People's Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi 214016, China.

RNAscope is a new generation of in situ hybridization technology and with the advantage of new probe design, it is now being gradually applied to a wide range of research fields, and its research scope is constantly expanding. Our country has large number of liver disease patients, so there is a great demand for histological testing and research evaluation based upon biological information. This technology has unique specificity and sensitivity in situ level, which makes up for the technical defects of immunohistochemistry and traditional in situ hybridization. Read More

Lung Cancer 2020 May 6;145:40-47. Epub 2020 May 6.

Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, 465 Kajii-cho, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan. Electronic address:

Objectives: Whether the extent of expression of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is clinically significant remains uncertain, although immuno-oncological features have been studied in thymic epithelial cell tumors (TETs). We investigated the histological features of PD-L1 expression in TETs, and assessed PD-L1 expression using digital image analysis.

Materials And Methods: Participants comprised 66 patients with TET who underwent surgical resection between 2001 and 2016. Read More

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 2020 May 12. Epub 2020 May 12.

Dermatopathology, Bodensee, Friedrichshafen, Germany.

Background: Metabolic reprogramming and altered gene expression mediated by hypoxia inducible-factors play crucial roles during tumour growth and progression. Nevertheless, studies analysing the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α, and its downstream targets in Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) are lacking but are warranted to shed more light on MCC pathogenesis and to potentially provide new therapeutic options.

Objectives: To analyse the immunohistochemical expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), vascular endothelial growth factor-A (referred to as VEGF throughout the manuscript), VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), VEGF receptor-3 (VEGFR-3), glucose transporter-1 (Glut-1), monocarboxylate transporter 4 (MCT4), and carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) in primary cutaneous MCC. Read More

Biomolecules 2020 May 7;10(5). Epub 2020 May 7.

Department of Biochemistry and Medical Chemistry, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, Powstańców Wlkp. 72, 70-111 Szczecin, Poland.

The expression of desaturases is higher in many types of cancer, and despite their recognized role in oncogenesis, there has been no research on the expression of desaturases in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Tumor tissue samples were collected during surgery from 28 patients (16 men and 12 women) diagnosed with GBM. The effect of necrotic conditions and nutritional deficiency (mimicking conditions in the studied tumor zones) was studied in an in vitro culture of human brain (glioblastoma astrocytoma) U-87 MG cells. Read More

Biotechnol Bioeng 2020 May 11. Epub 2020 May 11.

Biomedical Technologies Department, Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.

3D cancer tumor models are becoming vital approaches for high-throughput drug screening, drug targeting, development of novel theranostic systems and personalized medicine. Yet, it is becoming more evident that the tumor progression and metastasis is fueled by a subpopulation of stem-like cells within the tumor that are also called "cancer stem cells (CSCs)". This study aimed to develop a tumoroid model using CSCs. Read More

J Pathol 2020 May 11. Epub 2020 May 11.

Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease. The majority of cases are sporadic (sALS) while the most common inherited form is due to C9orf72 mutation (C9ALS). A high burden of inclusion pathology is seen in glia (including oligodendrocytes) in ALS, especially in C9ALS. Read More

Infect Agent Cancer 2020 6;15:28. Epub 2020 May 6.

11Department of Cellular Pathology, University College Hospital, London, London UK.

Background: The Tumor Microenviroment (TME) is a complex milieu that is increasingly recognized as a key factor in multiple stages of disease progression and responses to therapy as well as escape from immune surveillance. However, the precise contribution of specific immune effector and immune suppressor components of the TME in Burkitt lymphoma (BL) remains poorly understood.

Methods: In this paper, we applied the computational algorithm CIBERSORT to Gene Expression Profiling (GEP) datasets of 40 BL samples to draw a map of immune and stromal components of TME. Read More

Fish Physiol Biochem 2020 May 9. Epub 2020 May 9.

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, National Reference Laboratory for Fish, Mollusc and Crustacean Diseases, Viale Università, 10, 35020, Legnaro, Italy.

In aquaculture, fish species may experience stressful episodes caused by poor farming conditions. The exponential increase of global aquaculture has raised the number of research studies aimed at demonstrating the sensitivity of aquatic animals in confined environments. The development of a real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry methods were investigated to evaluate the presence, localization, and quantity of biomarkers of oxidative stress in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Read More

Oncologist 2020 May 9. Epub 2020 May 9.

Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan.

Background: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression is associated with clinical outcomes of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutant lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). However, whether PD-L1 expression plays a role in anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive lung ADC is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the impact of PD-L1 in patients with ALK-positive lung ADC receiving crizotinib. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2020 25;2020:7348745. Epub 2020 Apr 25.

Department of Neurology, The 306th Hospital of PLA, Beijing 100101, China.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of microglia on simulated microgravity-induced hippocampal neurogenesis reduction and the possible mechanism underlying. Adult rats were treated with tail suspension for different times and the changes of neural stem cells (NSCs) were examined by immunohistochemistry. Then, minocycline was used to inhibit the activation of microglia, and the numbers of microglia and NSCs were detected after microgravity. Read More

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2020 24;2020:3784671. Epub 2020 Apr 24.

Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, No. 318, Chaowang Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou 310005, China.

The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of berberine (BBR) on endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) and apoptosis of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) in mice with ulcerative colitis (UC). BALB/c mice were randomly divided into five groups as follows: blank control, model, and low-, medium-, and high-dose BBR. A dextran sodium sulfate- (DSS-) induced model of UC was prepared, and the low-, medium-, and high-dose BBR groups were simultaneously gavaged with a BBR suspension for 7 d. Read More

J Vet Med Sci 2020 May 1. Epub 2020 May 1.

Laboratory of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Cooperative Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Applied Biological Sciences, Gifu University.

Serum amyloid A (SAA) is both an amyloidogenic protein of amyloid A amyloidosis and an acute phase protein in most animal species. Although SAA isoforms, such as SAA1, 2, 3, and 4, have been identified in cattle, their biological functions are not completely understood. Previous studies using mice indicated that SAA3 mRNA expression increased by stimulation with Escherichia coli and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in colonic epithelial cells, and subsequently the SAA3 protein enhanced the expression of mucin2 (MUC2) mRNA, which is the major component of the colonic mucus layer. Read More

Clin Transl Immunology 2020 May 5;9(5):e1127. Epub 2020 May 5.

Upper Gastrointestinal Translational Research Laboratory Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Melbourne VIC Australia.

Objectives: To facilitate disease prognosis and improve precise immunotherapy of gastric cancer (GC) patients, a comprehensive study integrating immune cellular and molecular analyses on tumor tissues and peripheral blood was performed.

Methods: The association of GC patients' outcomes and the immune context of their tumors was explored using multiplex immunohistochemistry (mIHC) and transcriptome profiling. Potential immune dysfunction mechanism/s in the tumors on the systemic level was further examined using mass cytometry (CyTOF) in complementary peripheral blood from selected patients. Read More

Life Sci 2020 May 3;254:117746. Epub 2020 May 3.

Department of Plastic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. Electronic address:

Aims: Transmembrane 4 L six family member 1 (TM4SF1) is a small plasma membrane glycoprotein that is highly expressed in cancers. However, the role of TM4SF1 that plays in keloids remains unknown. We investigated the expression, function and the microRNA (miRNA) regulatory network of TM4SF1 in keloids. Read More

Oncologist 2020 May 5. Epub 2020 May 5.

Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.

Purpose: Delta-like protein 3 (DLL3) is being developed as a predictive biomarker for DLL3-targeting antibody-drug conjugate and other therapies. Given the neuroendocrine features of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), we sought to evaluate DLL3 expression and its role in MCC.

Experimental Design: Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded MCC cases were consecutively selected. Read More

Histopathology 2020 May 5. Epub 2020 May 5.

Nottingham Breast Cancer Research Centre, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham, UK.

Aims: Aldehyde dehydrogenase family 1 member A1 (ALDH1A1) is reportedly a key ALDH isozyme linked to the cancer stem cells (CSC) of many solid tumours, where it is involved in self-renewal, differentiation and self-protection. In this study, the prognostic significance of ALDH1A1 expression in early invasive breast cancer (BC) and its role as a BC stem cell (BCSC) were evaluated.

Methods: ALDH1A1 expression was assessed, using immunohistochemistry and tissue microarrays, in a large well-characterised BC cohort. Read More

Biosci Rep 2020 May;40(5)

Department of Gynecology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China.

Methylation functions in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. In the present study, we applied an integrated bioinformatics analysis to identify the aberrantly methylated and differentially expressed genes (DEGS), and their related pathways in cervical cancer. Data of gene expression microarrays (GSE9750) and gene methylation microarrays (GSE46306) were gained from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases. Read More

Int J Nanomedicine 2020 14;15:2419-2435. Epub 2020 Apr 14.

Department of Stomatology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, People's Republic of China.

Background: In recent years, nanomaterials have been increasingly developed and applied in the field of bone tissue engineering. However, there are few studies on the induction of bone regeneration by tantalum nanoparticles (Ta NPs) and no reports on the effects of Ta NPs on the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and the underlying mechanisms. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Ta NPs on bone regeneration and BMSC osteogenic differentiation and the underlying mechanisms. Read More

Eur J Histochem 2020 Apr 28;64(2). Epub 2020 Apr 28.

Research Laboratory on Neuropeptides, Virgen del Rocío University Hospital (IBIS), Seville.

To develop a new therapeutic strategy against thyroid cancer (TC), the expression of both substance P (SP) and neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) must be demonstrated in TC cells. This study aims to examine by immunohistochemistry, the localization of SP and the NK-1R in human TC samples (papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic), in metastasis and in healthy thyroid samples. SP and the NK-1R were expressed in all normal and TC samples. Read More

Arthritis Rheumatol 2020 May 2. Epub 2020 May 2.

Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China.

Objective: This study was undertaken to uncover the pathophysiologic role of discoidin domain receptor 2 (DDR-2), a putative fibrillar collagen receptor, in inflammation promotion and joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: In synovial tissue from patients with RA and from mice with collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) (using Ddr2 and DBA/1 mice), gene and protein expression levels of DDR-2, interleukin-15 (IL-15), and Dkk-1 were measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Gene knockdown of DDR2 in human RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) was conducted via small interfering RNA. Read More

Hum Pathol 2020 Apr 29. Epub 2020 Apr 29.

Institute of Pathology, Medizin Campus Bodensee, Friedrichshafen, Germany. Electronic address:

The current WHO classification does not separate transitional cell-like carcinoma of the ovary (TCC) from conventional tubo-ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma (HGSC), despite evidence suggesting improved prognosis for patients with TCC; it is considered, instead a morphologic variant of HGSC. The immunohistochemical (IHC) markers applied to date do not distinguish between TCC and HGSC. Therefore, we sought to compare the proteomic profiles of TCC and conventional HGSC to identify proteins enriched in TCC. Read More

Inflammopharmacology 2020 Apr 30. Epub 2020 Apr 30.

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Basic Medicine, Hebei University of Chinese Medicine, No.3, Xing yuan Road, Luquan district, Shijiazhuang, 050200, Hebei, China.

Gentianella acuta (G. acuta), as a folk medicine, was used to treat heart disease by the Ewenki people in Inner Mongolia. However, the effect of G. Read More