Single-cell proteome analysis has always been an exciting goal because it provides crucial information about cellular heterogeneity and dynamic change. Here we presented an integrated proteome analysis device (iPAD) for 100 living cells (iPAD-100) that might be suitable for single-cell analysis. Once cells were cultured, the iPAD-100 could be applied to inject 100 living cells, to transform the living cells into peptides, and to produce protein identification results with total automation. Due to the major obstacle for detection limit of mass spectrometry, we applied the iPAD-100 to analyze the proteome of 100 cells. In total, 813 proteins were identified in a DLD-cell proteome by three duplicate runs. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that proteins from different cellular compartments were well-represented, including membrane proteins. The iPAD-100 greatly simplified the sampling process, reduced sample loss, and prevented contamination. As a result, proteins whose copy numbers were lower than 1000 were identified from 100-cell samples with the iPAD-100, showing that a detection limit of 200 zmol was achieved. With increased sensitivity of mass spectrometry, the iPAD-100 may be able to reveal bountiful proteome information from a single cell in the near future.

Study Type – Therapy (RCT)
Level of Evidence 1b OBJECTIVE To present 2‐year follow‐up data of a randomized clinical trial comparing bipolar transurethral resection in saline (TURIS) with monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 100 consecutive patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) were randomized to TURIS or TURP. The breath ethanol test was used before and every 10 min during surgery to assess fluid absorption. Complications and treatment efficacy were evaluated after surgery. RESULTS The operative duration and resected tissue weight were similar between the groups. The mean decreases in serum sodium and haemoglobin after surgery were significantly less in the TURIS group. The mean (standard deviation) irrigant absorbed was significantly less in TURIS than in the TURP group, at 208 (344)mL vs 512 (706) mL respectively (P < 0.001). In both the TURIS and TURP groups there were significant improvements in International Prostate Symptoms Scores and maximum urinary flow rates. The acute and late complications in the groups were statistically similar. CONCLUSION Bipolar TURIS seems to be a safe and effective procedure, which is associated with significantly less fluid absorption and similar efficacy as traditional monopolar TURP.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is one of the most important factors leading to chemotherapeutic failure in patients with breast cancer. The invasive/metastatic ability of MDR cells is strengthened compared with their parental cells. However, the mechanisms underlying MDR have not been fully elucidated. We found that CD44 and the cellular prion protein (PrPc) were both overexpressed in MDR cells (MCF7/Adr and H69AR). Subsequently, we chose the human breast cancer cell line MCF7/Adr, which is resistant to adriamycin, for further research. We discovered that PrPc physically and functionally interacted with CD44. The knockdown of CD44 or PrPc by siRNA in MCF7/Adr cells inhibited cell migration, invasion and proliferation in vitro. However, when the MCF7/Adr cells transfected with CD44 siRNA were incubated with 10 times the peak plasma concentration (PPC) of taxol, their invasive ability was again enhanced. In the breast-carcinoma tissue samples, a significant correlation between the CD44 expression and the PrPc expression was observed in the postneoadjuvant-chemotherapy (NAC) cases. Moreover, in Group 2, which was unresponsive to NAC, the CD44 and PrPc expression levels were significantly increased in the post-NAC cases compared with the pre-NAC cases using the paired-samples t-test. These data indicate that the CD44/PrPc interaction enhances the malignancy of breast cancer cells and affects the responses to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients. Therefore, blocking the CD44/PrPc interaction may improve outcomes in chemorefractory breast cancer patients.