We scrutinize the temporally-resolved speed of active cargo transport in living cells, and show intermittent bursting motions. These nonlinear fluctuations follow a scaling law over several decades of time and space, the statistical regularities displaying a time-averaged shape that we interpret to reflect stress buildup followed by rapid release. The power law of scaling is the same as seen in driven jammed colloids, granular, and magnetic systems. The implied regulation of active transport with environmental obstruction extends the classical notion of "molecular crowding".

BackgroundWe previously reported that miR-203 functions as a tumor suppressor in ovarian cancer cells by directly targeting transcription factor Snai2 and inhibiting epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), whereas BIRC5/survivin promotes EMT. In this study, we tested our hypothesis that miR-203 inhibits ovarian tumor metastasis by suppressing EMT through targeting BIRC5, using an orthotopic ovarian cancer mouse model.MethodsWe overexpressed miR-203 in ovarian cancer SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells using a lentiviral vector and examined cell migration and invasion using transwell plates. The small molecule inhibitor, YM155, was used to inhibit survivin expression. miR-203-expressing and control SKOV3 cells were intrabursally injected into immunocompromised NSG female mice. Primary tumors in ovaries and metastatic tumors were collected to determine the expression of survivin and EMT markers using Western blot and immunostaining.ResultsOverexpression of miR-203 inhibits EMT by targeting BIRC5 in ovarian cancer SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells. miR-203 expression enhances the ability of the survivin inhibitor YM155 to reduce tumor cell migration and invasion in vitro. We further showed that miR-203 expression attenuated the TGFβ pathway in both SKOV3 and OVCAR3 cells. miR-203 expression also inhibited primary tumor growth in ovaries and metastatic tumors in multiple peritoneal organs including liver and spleen.ConclusionmiR-203 inhibits ovarian tumor metastasis by targeting BIRC5/survivin and attenuating the TGFβ pathway.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13046-018-0906-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

We performed this study to examine the association of sexual coercion with HIV-related risk behaviors and suicidal thoughts and attempts among female sex workers (FSWs) in Guangxi, China. Four hundred fifty-four FSWs in 57 entertainment establishments (including shampooing salons, massage parlors, and restaurants) were interviewed between March and May 2004. Fifteen percent of the women reported having been coerced into sex in the last 6 months. The prevalence of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts in the last 6 months were 14.3% and 8.4%, respectively. Sexual coercion was significantly associated with both an increased rate of HIV-related risk behavior, and suicidal thoughts and attempts among FSWs. Therefore, along with the awareness and intervention programs, efforts should be taken to reduce the exposure of FSWs to sexual coercion and to improve the mental health of FSWs.

In this prospective study of an in-vivo cervical examination using optical coherence tomography (OCT), we evaluated the diagnostic value of non-invasive and real-time OCT in cervical precancerous lesions and cancer diagnosis, and determined the characteristics of OCT images. 733 patients from 5 Chinese hospitals were inspected with OCT and colposcopy-directed biopsy. The OCT images were compared with the histological sections to find out the characteristics of various categories of lesions. The OCT images were also interpreted by 3 investigators to make a 2-class classification, and the results were compared against the pathological results. Various structures of the cervical tissue were clearly observed in OCT images, which matched well with the corresponding histological sections. The OCT diagnosis results delivered a sensitivity of 87.0% (95% confidence interval, CI 82.2–90.7%), a specificity of 84.1% (95% CI 80.3–87.2%), and an overall accuracy of 85.1%. Both good consistency of OCT images and histological images and satisfactory diagnosis results were provided by OCT. Due to its features of non-invasion, real-time, and accuracy, OCT is valuable for the in-vivo evaluation of cervical lesions and has the potential to be one of the routine cervical diagnosis methods.