Microwave-induced acoustic imaging of biological tissues

We present tomographic imaging of biological tissues by use of microwave-induced acoustic signal. It was demonstrated that the acoustic signal was proportional to the intensity of the incident microwave and was related to the absorption property of microwave in the medium. Pulsed microwave radiation was used to illuminate the samples. Absorbed microwave energy caused thermoelastic expansion that radiated acoustic waves. A focused ultrasonic transducer detected the time-resolved acoustic signals. Each acoustic signal was converted into a one-dimensional image. A linear scanning of the ultrasonic transducer yielded multiple one-dimensional images, which formed a two-dimensional image. The imaging contrast is based on the difference in the dielectric constants among biological tissues. Because of the large contrast in microwave absorption among different tissue types, microwave-induced acoustic tomography could potentially provide a new modality for detecting early-stage cancers

Expression and distribution of PPP2R5C gene in leukemia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recently, we clarified at the molecular level novel chromosomal translocation t(14;14)(q11;q32) in a case of Sézary syndrome, which caused a rearrangement from TRAJ7 to the <it>PPP2R5C </it>gene. <it>PPP2R5C </it>is one of the regulatory B subunits of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). It plays a crucial role in cell proliferation, differentiation, and transformation. To characterize the expression and distribution of five different transcript variants of the <it>PPP2R5C </it>gene in leukemia, we analyzed the expression level of <it>PPP2R5C </it>in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 77 patients with <it>de novo </it>leukemia, 26 patients with leukemia in complete remission (CR), and 20 healthy individuals by real-time PCR and identified the different variants of <it>PPP2R5C </it>by RT-PCR.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Significantly higher expression of <it>PPP2R5C </it>was found in AML, CML, T-ALL, and B-CLL groups in comparison with healthy controls. High expression of <it>PPP2R5C </it>was detected in the B-ALL group; however, no significant difference was found compared with the healthy group. The expression level of <it>PPP2R5C </it>in the CML-CR group decreased significantly compared with that in the <it>de novo </it>CML group and was not significantly different from the level in the healthy group. By using different primer pairs that covered different exons, five transcript variants of <it>PPP2R5C </it>could be identified. All variants could be detected in healthy samples as well as in all the leukemia samples, and similar frequencies and distributions of <it>PPP2R5C </it>were indicated.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Overexpression of <it>PPP2R5C </it>in T-cell malignancy as well as in myeloid leukemia cells might relate to its proliferation and differentiation. Investigation of the effect of target inhibition of this gene might be beneficial to further characterization of molecular mechanisms and targeted therapy in leukemia.</p

Trends of Laryngeal Cancer Incidence and Mortality in China，2005—2016

BackgroundThe human health damage caused by laryngeal cancer has attracted worldwide attention. But there is a lack of research on the incidence and mortality trend of laryngeal cancer among Chinese residents from 2005 to 2016.ObjectiveTo describe laryngeal cancer incidence and mortality trends in China from 2005 to 2016 by analyzing the incidence and death data of laryngeal cancer collected from Chinese Cancer Registry Annual Report, providing a reference for scientific prevention and control of laryngeal cancer in China.MethodsData about laryngeal cancer incidence and death in China during 2005—2016 were collected and input into Excel spreadsheets, then the annual standardized incidence, standardized mortality, age-specific incidence and age-specific mortality were calculated. Age-standardized rates were calculated by dividing the number of deaths caused by laryngeal cancer by the fifth national population census (2000) and multiplying by 1 000. Joinpoint Regression Program was adopted to calculate annual percentage change (APC) and average annual percentage change (AAPC) to analyze the temporal trends of annual laryngeal cancer incidence and mortality rates.ResultsFrom 2005 to 2016, the standardized incidence rate of laryngeal cancer in Chinese residents showed a decreasing trend (AAPC=-2.25%, P&lt;0.05) . The overall standardized incidence rate of laryngeal cancer in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas. Males had a significantly higher standardized incidence rate of laryngeal cancer than did females. The incidence of laryngeal cancer increased with age in those aged over 40 years, showing a significant upward trend. And the annual incidence peaks were concentrated in the 70-75-year-old age group. From 2005 to 2014, the overall standardized mortality rate of laryngeal cancer showed a decreasing trend (APC=-1.67%, P&lt;0.05) , although it increased in 2014—2016, the increase was insignificant (P&gt;0.05) . The overall standardized mortality rate in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas. Males had a significantly higher standardized mortality rate than did females. The mortality rate increased gradually with age in those over 40 years old.ConclusionBy and large, the standardized incidence and mortality rates of laryngeal cancer in China showed a downward trend from 2005 to 2016, but showed sex- and age-specific and urban-rural differences. Therefore, targeted measures should be actively taken to develop prevention and treatment strategies to reduce the harm of laryngeal cancer

Transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 transcriptionally suppresses hepatitis B virus replication

Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) replication in hepatocytes is restricted by the host innate immune system and related intracellular signaling pathways. Transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is a key mediator of toll-like receptors and pro-inflammatory cytokine signaling pathways. Here, we report that silencing or inhibition of endogenous TAK1 in hepatoma cell lines leads to an upregulation of HBV replication, transcription, and antigen expression. In contrast, overexpression of TAK1 significantly suppresses HBV replication, while an enzymatically inactive form of TAK1 exerts no effect. By screening TAK1-associated signaling pathways with inhibitors and siRNAs, we found that the MAPK-JNK pathway was involved in TAK1-mediated HBV suppression. Moreover, TAK1 knockdown or JNK pathway inhibition induced the expression of farnesoid X receptor α, a transcription factor that upregulates HBV transcription. Finally, ectopic expression of TAK1 in a HBV hydrodynamic injection mouse model resulted in lower levels of HBV DNA and antigens in both liver and serum. In conclusion, our data suggest that TAK1 inhibits HBV primarily at viral transcription level through activation of MAPK-JNK pathway, thus TAK1 represents an intrinsic host restriction factor for HBV replication in hepatocytes

Ovarian Cancer in China：Trends in Incidence and Mortality，2005—2016

BackgroundThe health impairment caused by ovarian cancer in female population has become a global focus. However, there is a lack of research on ovarian cancer incidence and mortality trends in Chinese female population.ObjectiveTo describe the trends of ovarian cancer incidence and mortality in China from 2005 to 2016 by analyzing the incidence and death data of ovarian cancer collected from Chinese Cancer Registry Annual Report, providing a basis for the scientific prevention and control of ovarian cancer in China.MethodsThe incidence and mortality of ovarian cancer in China during 2005 to 2016 were collected and input into Excel spreadsheets, then the annual age-standardized incidence rate, age-standardized mortality rate, age-specific incidence rate and age-specific mortality rate were computed. Joinpoint Regression Program was used to estimate the annual percentage change (APC) , and average annual percentage change (AAPC) to analyze the temporal trends of annual ovarian cancer incidence and mortality rates.ResultsThe incidence rate of ovarian cancer showed a trend of rapid increase over the period of 2005 to 2016 (AAPC=7.25%, P&lt;0.05) . The annual age-standardized ovarian cancer incidence rate in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas in each year. The ovarian cancer incidence rate increased obviously with age in women over the age of 35, and peaked in those aged 55 years old. From 2005 to 2016, the overall ovarian cancer mortality rate showed a rapid upward trend (AAPC=6.06%, P&lt;0.05) . The age-standardized ovarian cancer mortality rate in urban areas was higher than that in rural areas. The mortality rate increased rapidly with age in women over 35 years of age, but decreased gradually in those aged over 75 years.ConclusionBoth ovarian cancer incidence and mortality rates during 2005 to 2016 in China increased rapidly, but with age-specific and urban-rural differences. Therefore, targeted interventions should be taken, and strategies for ovarian cancer prevention and treatment should be developed to reduce the risk of ovarian cancer

Age-Dependent Up-Regulation of HCN Channels in Spiral Ganglion Neurons Coincide With Hearing Loss in Mice

Age-related hearing loss (AHL) is the most common sensory disorder in the elderly population, and the etiologies are diverse. To understand the underlying mechanisms of AHL, one strategy is to identify correlates of the disease for comprehensive evaluation of treatment approaches. Dysfunction and degeneration of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) are major contributors to AHL. Previously, we showed that one of the changes in the aging auditory system is SGN excitability increase in mice. Since hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated (HCN) channels play important roles in determining neuronal excitability, we predicted that HCN channels in SGNs are involved in AHL. To investigate the contribution of HCN channels to AHL, we examined the expression and biophysical properties of HCN channels in SGNs from adult (2–3 months) and 11–12-month-old mice. We report a dramatic increase of HCN channel current (Ih) in SGNs in old mice (11–12 months old). The results matched well with increased expression of HCN1 and HCN2 subunits, suggesting that upregulation of HCN channels in SGNs is one of the important facets of the aging SGNs. Moreover, the activity of Ih produced a major impact on the firing properties of SGNs in older mice. The upregulation of Ih may contribute to AHL by regulating SGN excitability. We assessed whether increased SGNs excitability dovetail with neurodegeneration. Apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF)-mediated apoptosis in SGNs was observed in old mice and activation of HCN channels mediates AIF activation. Thus, these findings demonstrate stark correlation between age-dependent increased expression of HCN channels and Ih, and apoptosis in SGNs, which may contribute towards the varied mechanisms of AHL