miR-137 is frequently down-regulated in gastric cancer and is a negative regulator of Cdc42.

Aims: The ginsenoside Rg3 (Rg3) inhibits xenograft growth and angiogenesis in tumors mainly via down-regulates VEGF expression. This study was designed to investigate the mechanisms by which Rg3 down-regulates VEGF expression. Methods: MTT assay was performed to investigate the effect of Rg3 on the growth of human esophageal carcinoma cell line Eca-109 and 786-0 cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. ELISA was used to detect VEGF protein secreted by the cells under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting were used to detect gene expression and protein synthesis. Results: Rg3 inhibited Eca-109 and 786-0 cell proliferation and induced a significant reduction in VEGF mRNA under hypoxia conditions. Rg3 treatment inhibited hypoxia-induced expression HIF-1Α, COX-2 and NF-ĸB under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Treatment with Rg3 reduced the hypoxia-induced phosphorylation of STAT3 in a dose-dependent manner in the both cell lines. Rg3 treatment also inhibited the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and JNK induced by hypoxia. Conclusions: Rg3 targets hypoxia-induced multiple signaling pathways to down-regulate VEGF expression in cancer cells. These actions may contribute to the overall efficacy of Rg3 against tumor angiogenesis and growth.

Natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) is characterized by its highly aggressive nature and rapid progression. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in the development of NKTCL. We utilized next-generation Solexa high-throughput sequencing to compare miRNA expression in the SNK-6 and YTS NKTCL cell lines with expression in normal NK cells. We found that 195 miRNAs were upregulated in the SNK-6 cells and 286 miRNAs were upregulated in the YTS cells. Based on those results, we selected six miRNAs, including miRNA-155, and confirmed their expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Expression of miRNA-155 was higher in SNK-6 and YKS cells than in normal NK cells. We next determined the levels of miRNA-155 in the serum of healthy individuals and NKTCL patients, and correlated its expression with clinical parameters and inflammatory factors detected using enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assays. Levels of miRNA-155 were higher in NKTCL patients’ serum than in serum from healthy individuals. miRNA-155 expression was higher in patients with stable or progressive disease (SD+PD) than in those with partial or complete remission (PR+CR). While further studies are needed to clarify the underlying molecular mechanisms, it appears miRNA-155 may be a molecular marker of NKTCL.

Background/Aims: Nanog plays a key role in stem cell self-renewal and pluripotency differentiation in embryonic stem cells ( ESCs). Recently, some studies reported that abnormal expression of Nanog could be detected in several tumors, indicating that Nanog might be related to tumor development. However, studies on the correlation between Nanog expression and esophageal cancer are sparse. Methods: In this study, we established two esophageal cancer cell lines 9706-Nanog and 9706-shNanog which stably expressed Nanog and Nanog-short-hairpin RNA (shRNA) genes. Results: We found that Nanog expression could promote the proliferation and invasiveness of the cancer cells, and inhibit the apoptosis. We also treated 9706-Nanog, EC9706 and 9706-shNanog cell lines with cisplatin and evaluated the drug sensitivity of the three cell lines. We found that the sensitivity of cisplatin was decreased with increased expression of Nanog. The expression of MDR-1 was also increased in 9706Nanog cells. Conclusions: Nanog may play an important role in human esophageal cancer development, and could be used as a therapeutic target in esophageal cancer treatment.

Rationale:Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare subtype of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that predominantly manifests in the oral cavity.Patient concerns:Three cases of HIV-negative PBL were reported.Diagnoses:HIV-negative PBLInterventions:The patient had undergone chemotherapy.Outcomes:Clinical outcomes were very poor in Cases 1 and 3; Case 2, whose diagnosis suggested no bone marrow involvement, is still alive.Lessons subsections:These cases served to broaden the reported clinical spectrum of HIV-negative PBL. Clinicians and pathologists need to be familiar with lymphoma in the identified extra-oral PBL variation and there levant differential diagnosis procedures for this particular disease.