Down-regulation of miR-133a and miR-539 are associated with unfavorable prognosis in patients suffering from osteosarcoma

Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in cancer development and progression. The purpose of the present study was to determine the expression levels of miR-133a and miR-539 in osteosarcoma patients and to further investigate the clinicopathological, and prognostic value of these miRNAs. Methods: The expression levels of miR-133a and miR-539 were determined by qRT-PCR. Associations between miRNAs expressions and various clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. Survival rate was determined with Kaplan-Meier and statistically analyzed with the log-rank method between groups. Survival data were evaluated through multivariate Cox regression analysis Results: Our findings revealed that the miR-133a expression was significantly decreased in clinical osteosarcoma tissues compared to adjacent normal bone tissues. The expression level of miR-539 was decreased in clinical osteosarcoma tissues as compared to those adjacent normal tissues. Low expressions of miR-133a and miR-539 were significantly association with advanced TNM stage (P=0.002; P=0.001), and metastasis or recurrence (P=0.001; P=0.01). Furthermore, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and log-rank test showed that the low expressions of miR-133a and miR-539 were correlated with the reduced overall survival of osteosarcoma patients. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model showed that decreased expressions of miR-133a and miR-539 (P=0.007; P=0.02), TNM stage (P=0.001; P=0.002), and metastasis or recurrence (P=0.005; P=0.026) were independent prognostic markers of overall survival of patients. Conclusion: These results suggest that decreased miR-133a and miR-539 expressions may participate in the progression of osteosarcoma. Together, these results showed that miR-133a and miR-539 may have their role in both progression and prognosis of osteosarcoma. © 2015 Mirghasemi et al

Decrease expression and clinicopathological significance of miR-148a with poor survival in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, mainly due to its high rates of postoperative recurrence and metastasis. Please remove, it currently ranks as the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths. MiRNAs are a set of small, single-stranded, non-coding RNA molecules that negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. In this study, we demonstrated the down-regulation of miR-148a in HCC and non-cancerous tissues using qRT-PCR. Methods: Ninety six HCC samples and their noncancerous normal liver tissues were collected. Total mRNA including miRNA was extracted, and miR-148a expression was determined using qRT-PCR. Furthermore, the correlation between the miR-148a expression and clinicopathological parameters was investigated. Results: The result showed that reduction of miR-148a expression was associated with TNM stage, metastasis, and number of tumor nodes. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards model analysis showed that low expression of miR-148a was independently associated with recurrence of HCC in the current study. Moreover, our result showed that lower expression in tumor tissues in comparison with corresponding normal control tissues. Conclusion: Down-regulation of miR-148a is related to HCC carcinogenesis and deterioration of HCC. MicroRNA-148a may act as a suppressor miRNA of HCC, and it is therefore a potential prognostic biomarker for HCC patients. © 2015 Ajdarkosh et al

Retraction to: Down-regulation of miR-133a and miR-539 are associated with unfavorable prognosis in patients suffering from osteosarcoma Cancer Cell Int, 15, (2015), (86) DOI 10.1186/s12935-015-0237-6

The Editors-in-Chief and Publisher have retracted this article 1 because the scientific integrity of the content cannot be guaranteed. An investigation by the Publisher found it to be one of a group of articles we have identified as showing evidence suggestive of attempts to subvert the peer review and publication system to inappropriately obtain or allocate authorship. This article showed evidence of plagiarism (most notably from the articles cited 2, 3) and authorship manipulation. © The Author(s) 2016

Retraction note: Decrease expression and clinicopathological significance of miR-148a with poor survival in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues Diagn Pathol., 10 (2015) (135)

The Editor-in-Chief and Publisher have retracted this article 1 because the scientific integrity of the content cannot be guaranteed. An investigation by the Publisher found it to be one of a group of articles we have identified as showing evidence suggestive of attempts to subvert the peer review and publication system to inappropriately obtain or allocate authorship. This article showed evidence of plagiarism (most notably from the articles cited 2, 3) and authorship manipulation. © The Author(s). 2016

RETRACTION: Diagnostic investigations of canine prostatitis incidence together with benign prostate hyperplasia, prostate malignancies, and biochemical recurrence in high-risk prostate cancer as a model for human study (Retraction of Vol 36, Pg 2437, 2015)

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of acute and chronic inflammation, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and cancer of the prostate glands in the canine as a human model in prostate disorders. The study was carried out on 12 cases of different male dogs of terrier (50 ), German shepherd (25 ) breeds, and Greden (25 ), and the age of the dogs ranged from 6 to 13 years (average age 7.8 +/- 3.6). The bodyweight ranged from 3.6 to 7.9 kg. Signalment, clinical signs, and diagnostic tools such as ultrasonography, urinary cytology, and histopathology are presented. Dysuria was the most common clinical sign in this study and occurred in 10/12 canine (83.3 ) included. Other clinical signs included lameness (5/12 canine, 41.6 ) and constipation (3/12 canine, 25 ). The range of duration of clinical signs was 5 days to 7 months. Moreover, in the present study, the urinary biochemical markers of different prostate lesions include blood, protein, and glucose and were detected in 11/12 cases (91.6 ), 5/12 cases (41.6 ), and 2/12 cases (16.6 ), respectively. Taken together, sonographic data were classified into four groups based on histological diagnosis. In 7/12 cases (58.4 ), the prostate appeared to have BPH lesions, and the remaining lesions included inflammation (3/12 cases, 25 ), abscess (1 case, 8.3 ), and adenocarcinoma (1 case, 8/3 ) on ultrasound. In all cases, prostate tissue had an irregular echotexture. None of the dogs had sonographic evidence of sublumbar lymph node enlargement. Histopathologically, we looked at the prevalence of inflammation (33.3 chronic and 8.3 acute) and BPH (58.4 ) in dogs of different ages and breeds, and also, we observed chronic inflammation in >20 of dogs, which was about 25 in 3 cases of the 12 cases referred. More chronic inflammation was associated with more BPH. The majority of the asymptomatic inflammation that is detected in the prostate is classified as chronic inflammation (i.e., as evidenced by the presence of monocytic and/or lymphoplasmacytic inflammatory cell infiltrates); however, acute inflammation is also observed to a lesser degree. Acute inflammation, as is typically evidenced by the infiltration of neutrophils, is classically an indicator of an infectious process. Finally, the patients included seven castrated, four castrated together with antibiotic therapy, and one castrated together with chemotherapy intact male dogs, which were treated with the mentioned cases. In conclusion, chronic prostatic inflammation could be a central mechanism in BPH progression, but the pathological features of tissue inflammation were different between BPH and prostate cancer (PCa). Nevertheless, the histological examination of prostate biopsies remains the only way to diagnose prostatic disorders

Kano Jigoro Methods of Learning Judo as a way to Self-perfection

Bakalaura darba tēma ir “Kano Džigoro džudo apgūšanas metodes kā ceļš uz pašpilnveidošanos” galvenais uzdevums ir atspoguļot īpatnības Kano Džigoro džudo apgūšanas metodēs un parādīt, ka džudo pamatā ir pašpilnveidošanās ceļš, kas stiprina cilvēka prātu un ķermeni. Japāņu tradicionālā cīņas māksla un viens no budō veidiem džudo ir labi zināma visā pasaulē, un tas ir iekļauts moderno olimpisko spēļu disciplīnu sarakstā. Burtiski tulkojot, džudo nozīmē „maiguma ceļš”. Pateicoties starptautiskajai popularitātei, džudo var apgūt arī Rietumu valstīs. Mūsdienās tas tiek mācīts daudzās Japānas skolās, universitātēs un dažādu iestāžu pulciņos. Kano Džigoro iedibinātie principi un mērķi džudo apgūšanā nav ierobežoti tikai tehnikas un spēka attīstībā, tas ir dziļš pašattīstības process, kas palīdz veidot cilvēka raksturu. Darbā ir analītiski izpētītas meistara metodiskās pieejas džudo apgūšanā, kuras veidotas tiešā saistībā ar cēloņiem, kas mudināja Kano Džigoro radīt džudo. Ir arī sniegts ieskats džudo apgūšanas procesā saskaņā Kano Džigoro metodēm un principiem. Darba pamatteksta kopējais apjoms ir 40 lapas.The main aim of the Bachelor thesis “Kano Jigoro’s methods of learning Judo as a way to self-perfection” is to reflect the specific methods created by Kano Jigoro in a process of mastering Judo and to prove that a way to self-perfection is the basic principle in Judo which strengthens a human being’s mind and body. A Japanese traditional martial art and one of the budō, judo is well known all over the world and is included in the list of the modern Olympic Games. Literally, Judo means “the way of gentleness”. Nowadays, Judo is taught in many Japanese schools, universities and various institutions like sport clubs and circles. Due to international popularity, Judo can be learned in Western countries. Kano Jigoro’s established principles and objectives of learning Judo are not limited only with development of techniques and physical power, but it is also a deep self-development process that helps to build up a good character. The thesis shows analytic research on Kano Jigoro’s Judo teaching methodological approaches, which are directly connected with the Master’s reasons for creating Judo. There is also an overview of the Judo learning process in accordance with Kano Jigoro’s methods and principles. The total length of the main text is 40 pages

Retraction Note to: Diagnostic investigations of canine prostatitis incidence together with benign prostate hyperplasia, prostate malignancies, and biochemical recurrence in high-risk prostate cancer as a model for human study (Tumor Biol, (2015), 36, (2437-2445), 10.1007/s13277-014-2854-4)

This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in- Chief, the International Society of Oncology and BioMarkers (ISOBM) and the Publisher per the Committee on Publication Ethics guidelines. The article shows evidence of irregularities in authorship during the submission process, there is strong reason to believe that the peer review process was compromised and the article contains patchwork plagiarism from a variety of sources. The main sources are (amongst others): Bruce E. LeRoya, icole Northrup, Prostate cancer in dogs: Comparative and clinical aspects. The Veterinary Journal. 2009; 180:2 149-162 DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2008.07.012 J. Smith, Canine prostatic disease: A review of anatomy, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment, Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Society for Theriogenology. The Society for Theriogenology 2008 Annual Conference, Theriogenology. 2008; 70:3 375-383 DOI: 10.1016/ j.theriogenology.2008.04.039. © 2016, International Society of Oncology and BioMarkers (ISOBM)

Mesenchymal stromal cell therapy in conditions of renal ischaemia/reperfusion.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) represents a worldwide public health issue of increasing incidence, with a significant morbi-mortality. AKI treatment mostly relies on supportive manoeuvres in the absence of specific target-oriented therapy. The pathophysiology of AKI commonly involves ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) events, which cause both immune and metabolic consequences in renal tissue. Similarly, at the time of kidney transplantation (KT), I/R is an unavoidable event which contributes to early graft dysfunction and enhanced graft immunogenicity. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) represent a heterogeneous population of adult, fibroblast-like multi-potent cells characterized by their ability to differentiate into tissues of mesodermal lineages. Because MSC have demonstrated immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory and tissue repair properties, MSC administration at the time of I/R and/or at later times has been hypothesized to attenuate AKI severity and to accelerate the regeneration process. Furthermore, MSC in KT could help prevent both I/R injury and acute rejection, thereby increasing graft function and survival. In this review, summarizing the encouraging observations in animal models and in pilot clinical trials, we outline the benefit of MSC therapy in AKI and KT, and envisage their putative role in renal ischaemic conditioning