Septin 9 hypermethylation contributes to migration and resistance to drug treatments in colon cancer

Purpose: To examine septin 9 gene-promoter methylation content in colorectal cancer and establish its significance in cancer progression and chemoresistance.Methods: Patient samples and colorectal cancer cell lines (CRC) were evaluated for septin 9 expression and promoter hypermethylation content. Septin 9 promoter methylation and expression in cells were perturbed by 5-AZA (5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine) treatments or overexpression and probed for changes in Rho A signaling, cell proliferation, and migration. Finally, the significance of septin 9 methylation in chemoresistance was probed using apoptotic assays in CRC cells and in a xenograft tumor model.Results: Expression analysis showed a reduction in septin 9 levels in tumor tissues (p < 0.001) and cell lines (p < 0.01), while an increase in septin 9 promoter methylation was seen, respectively ( > 2-fold; p < 0.01). Increasing septin 9 levels in CRC cells by 5-AZA treatments or overexpression showed decreased Rho A signaling and cell migration (p < 0.01), whereas cell proliferation remained unaffected. Furthermore, increasing septin 9 levels also exhibited increased cisplatin-induced apoptosis in CRC cells and reduced chemoresistance in the mouse (~2-fold; p < 0. 01).Conclusion: Septin 9 promoter hypermethylation reduces septin 9 expression and promotes migration and chemoresistance.Keywords: Septin 9, Hypermethylation, Colorectal cancer, Drug resistance, Rho A signalin

Effects of Glyphosate-Resistant Genetically Modified Soybean on Blood Biochemical Indexes, Hepatopancreatic Antioxidant Capacity and Tissue Morphology of Cyprinus carpio

The juvenile carps (Cyprinus carpio) were fed diets with four protein sources (15% and 30% glyphosate-resistant genetically modified (GM) named GM 15 and GM 30, respectively, and 15% and 30% non-genetically modified (NGM) soybean named NGM 15 and NGM 30) for 180 days. Results showed that alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity for the GM30 group was significantly lower than that of the NGM30 group. The activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the hepatopancreas of carp for the GM30 group was significantly higher than that of the NGM15 group (P0.05). This study indicates that it may aggravate the damage degree of intestinal epithelial cells of carp and more easily cause liver cell damage in the short term when the amount of GM soybean in the feeds was 30%. Therefore, higher glyphosate-resistant GM soybean may have adverse effects on the carp's serum, intestinal, and hepatopancreas and considerably reduce the hepatopancreatic carp's antioxidant capacity

Recurrent paratesticular giant liposarcoma: A case report and literature review

BackgroundPrimary paratesticular liposarcoma is rarely diagnosed among urinary tumors. In this study, through the retrospective analysis of clinical data and literature review, a case of recurrent paratesticular liposarcoma with lymph node metastasis after radical resection has been reported to explore novel strategies for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of this rare disease.Case summaryThe present case involved a patient who was misdiagnosed as a left inguinal hernia for the first time two years ago, but was later diagnosed as mixed liposarcoma by using postoperative pathology. Currently, he is readmitted to the hospital with a recurrence of the left scrotal mass for more than 1 year. Combined with the patient's past medical history, we performed radical resection of the left inguinal and scrotal tumors and lymphadenectomy of left femoral vein. The postoperative pathology indicated that well-differentiated liposarcoma was accompanied by mucinous liposarcoma (about 20%), and lymph node metastasis of left femoral vein both of which occurred at the same time. After the operation, we recommended the patient to receive further radiation therapy, but the patient and his family refused, hence we followed up the patient closely for a long time. During the recent follow-up, the patient reported no complaints of discomfort, and no recurrence of mass in the left scrotum and groin area.ConclusionAfter conducting extensive review of literature, we conclude that radical resection remains the key to treat primary paratesticular liposarcoma, while the significance of the lymph node metastasis is still unclear. The potential effects of postoperative adjuvant therapy depends on the pathological type, and hence close follow-up observation is essential

Predictive value of controlling nutritional status score for prostate cancer diagnosis

ObjectiveThis study aims to explore the predictive value of the Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT) score for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis.MethodsThe data of 114 patients who underwent prostate needle biopsies from June 2020 to December 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The relationship between CONUT score and various clinical factors as well as PCa diagnosis was evaluated.ResultsThe pathological results classified patients into the PCa (n = 38) and non-PCa (n = 76) groups. Compared with the non-PCa group, the PCa group exhibited statistically significant differences in age, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), PSA density (PSAD), the proportion of PI-RADS ≥ 3 in mpMRI, and the CONUT score, prostate volume, lymphocyte count, and total cholesterol concentration (p < 0.05). ROC curve analyses indicated the diagnostic accuracy as follows: age (AUC = 0.709), prostate volume (AUC = 0.652), PSA (AUC = 0.689), PSAD (AUC = 0.76), PI-RADS ≥ 3 in mpMRI (AUC = 0.846), and CONUT score (AUC = 0.687). When CONUT score was combined with PSA and PSAD, AUC increased to 0.784. The AUC of CONUT score combined with PSA, PSAD, and mpMRI was 0.881, indicates a higher diagnostic value. Based on the optimal cut-off value of CONUT score, compared with the low CONUT score group, the high CONUT score group has a higher positive rate of PCa diagnosis (p < 0.05).ConclusionCONUT score is an excellent auxiliary index for PCa diagnosis in addition to the commonly used PSA, PSAD, and mpMRI in clinical practice. Further prospective trials with a larger sample size are warranted to confirm the present study findings

PdCu nanoalloy decorated photocatalysts for efficient and selective oxidative coupling of methane in flow reactors

Methane activation by photocatalysis is one of the promising sustainable technologies for chemical synthesis. However, the current efficiency and stability of the process are moderate. Herein, a PdCu nanoalloy (~2.3 nm) was decorated on TiO2, which works for the efficient, stable, and selective photocatalytic oxidative coupling of methane at room temperature. A high methane conversion rate of 2480 μmol g-1 h-1 to C2 with an apparent quantum efficiency of ~8.4% has been achieved. More importantly, the photocatalyst exhibits the turnover frequency and turnover number of 116 h-1 and 12,642 with respect to PdCu, representing a record among all the photocatalytic processes (λ > 300 nm) operated at room temperature, together with a long stability of over 112 hours. The nanoalloy works as a hole acceptor, in which Pd softens and weakens C-H bond in methane and Cu decreases the adsorption energy of C2 products, leading to the high efficiency and long-time stability

Measures of kidney function by minimally invasive techniques correlate with histological glomerular damage in SCID mice with adriamycin-induced nephropathy

Maximising the use of preclinical murine models of progressive kidney disease as test beds for therapies ideally requires kidney function to be measured repeatedly in a safe, minimally invasive manner. To date, most studies of murine nephropathy depend on unreliable markers of renal physiological function, exemplified by measuring blood levels of creatinine and urea, and on various end points necessitating sacrifice of experimental animals to assess histological damage, thus counteracting the principles of Replacement, Refinement and Reduction. Here, we applied two novel minimally invasive techniques to measure kidney function in SCID mice with adriamycin-induced nephropathy. We employed i) a transcutaneous device that measures the half-life of intravenously administered FITC-sinistrin, a molecule cleared by glomerular filtration; and ii) multispectral optoacoustic tomography, a photoacoustic imaging device that directly visualises the clearance of the near infrared dye, IRDye 800CW carboxylate. Measurements with either technique showed a significant impairment of renal function in experimental animals versus controls, with significant correlations with the proportion of scarred glomeruli five weeks after induction of injury. These technologies provide clinically relevant functional data and should be widely adopted for testing the efficacies of novel therapies. Moreover, their use will also lead to a reduction in experimental animal numbers

Activatable molecular probes for second near-infrared fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and photoacoustic imaging

Optical imaging plays a crucial role in biomedicine. However, due to strong light scattering and autofluorescence in biological tissue between 650-900 nm, conventional optical imaging often has a poor signal-to-background ratio and shallow penetration depth, which limits its ability in deep-tissue in vivo imaging. Second near-infrared fluorescence, chemiluminescence, and photoacoustic imaging modalities mitigate these issues by their respective advantages of minimized light scattering, eliminated external excitation, and ultrasound detection. To enable disease detection, activatable molecular probes (AMPs) with the ability to change their second near-infrared fluorescence, chemiluminescence, or photoacoustic signals in response to a biomarker have been developed. This Minireview summarizes the molecular design strategies, sensing mechanisms, and imaging applications of AMPs. The potential challenges and perspectives of AMPs in deep-tissue imaging are also discussed.Ministry of Education (MOE)Nanyang Technological UniversityK.P. thanks Nanyang Technological University (Start-Up grant: M4081627) and Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1 (2017-T1-002-134, RG147/17; 2019-T1-002-045, RG125/19) and Academic Research Fund Tier 2 (MOE2018-T2-2-042) for the financial support

Target‐tracking algorithm based on improved probabilistic data association

Abstract When tracking a single manoeuvring target in clutter environment, when the number of effective measurements within the detection threshold is small, it usually has a greater and more obvious impact on target‐tracking results. If the observation data error is large at this time, the tracking position and speed error will be larger. To solve this problem, a target‐tracking algorithm based on improved probabilistic data association is proposed in this paper. By dynamically adjusting the detection threshold, the effective quantity within the detection threshold of each frame is basically stable. Simulation results show that the improved algorithm is more accurate in location and speed than the traditional probabilistic data association method and Kalman filter, and the availability and effectiveness of the algorithm are verified

Molecular Chemiluminescent Probes with a Very Long Near‐Infrared Emission Wavelength for in Vivo Imaging

Chemiluminescence imaging is imperative for diagnostics and imaging due to its intrinsically high sensitivity. To improve in vivo detection of biomarkers, chemiluminophores that simultaneously possess near-infrared (NIR) emission and modular structures amenable to construction of activatable probes are highly desired; however, these are rare. Herein, we report two chemiluminophores with record long NIR emission (>750 nm) via integration of dicyanomethylene-4H-benzothiopyran or dicyanomethylene-4H-benzoselenopyran with dioxetane unit. Caging of the chemiluminophores with different cleavable moieties produces NIR chemiluminescence probes (NCPs) that only produce signals upon reaction with reactive oxygen species or enzymes, for example, β-galactosidase, with a tissue-penetration depth of up to 2 cm. Thus, this study provides NIR chemiluminescence molecular scaffolds applicable for in vivo turn-on imaging of versatile biomarkers in deep tissues.Ministry of Education (MOE)Nanyang Technological UniversityThis work was supported by Nanyang Technological University (Start-up Grant: M4081627) and Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1 (2019-T1-002-045,RG125/19) and Tier 2 (MOE2018-T2-2-042