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We aimed to study whether red blood cell distribution width (RDW) could be one of the variables determining the extent of liver fibrosis and inflammation in patients with biopsy-proven hepatitis B.A total of 446 hepatitis B virus-infected patients who underwent liver biopsy were divided into 2 groups: absent or mild and moderate–severe according to the severity of liver fibrosis and inflammation. The independent variables that determine the severity of liver fibrosis and inflammation were explored.RDW values increased with progressive liver fibrosis and inflammation. After adjustments for other potent predictors, liver fibrosis (moderate–severe) was independently associated with RDW, platelet, and albumin (odds ratio = 1.121, 0.987, and 0.941, respectively), whereas increased odds ratios of significant inflammation were found for RDW, alanine aminotransferase, albumin, and PLT (odds ratio = 1.146, 1.003, 0.927, and 0.990, respectively). The sensitivity and specificity of model A were 70.0% and 62.9% for detection of significant liver fibrosis [area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.713, P < .001]. The sensitivity and specificity of model B were 66.1% and 79.4% for predicting advanced liver inflammation (AUC = 0.765, P < .001). Compared with preexisting indicators, model A achieved the highest AUC, whereas model B showed a higher AUC than RDW to platelet ratio (0.670, P < .001) and FIB-4 (0.740, P = .32).RDW may provide a useful clinical value for predicting liver fibrosis and necroinflammation in hepatitis B-infected patients with other markers.

This study investigated expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), proliferation-associated nuclear antigen (Ki-67) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in tissues of breast invasive ductal carcinoma, and analyzed the correlations between these indexes and X-ray features in mammography. A total of 90 patients who were admitted to Huangshi Central Hospital and diagnosed as breast invasive ductal carcinoma from January 2014 to January 2016 were selected. The expression of PCNA, Ki-67 and COX-2 in cancer tissues and cancer-adjacent normal tissues of patients were detected by immunohistochemical staining, and X-ray features in mammography of patients were observed. By using Spearman correlation analysis, the correlations between expression of PCNA, Ki-67 and COX-2 and X-ray features in mammography in breast cancer were investigated. As a result, the positive expression rates of PCNA, Ki-67 and COX-2 in cancer tissues of the patient groups were respectively 42.2, 45.6 and 51.1%, which were significantly higher than those in cancer-adjacent normal tissues of the control group (p<0.05). PCNA, Ki-67 and COX-2 expression in cancer tissues of the patient group was associated with clinical staging and lymphatic metastasis (p<0.05), but had no correlation with age and tumor size (p>0.05). PCNA, Ki-67 and COX-2 expression in cancer tissues of the patient group had no correlation with the existence of lumps and localized density-increased shadows (p>0.05), but were associated with manifestations of architectural distortion, calcification as well as skin and nipple depression (p<0.05). Spearman correlation analysis revealed that there was a significantly positive correlation between the expression of PCNA and COX-2 in cancer tissues of the patient group (r=0.676, p<0.05); there was a significantly positive correlation between the expression of Ki-67 and COX-2 (r=0.724, p<0.05); PCNA expression had no obvious correlation with the expression of Ki-67 (p>0.05). In conclusion, PCNA, Ki-67 and COX-2 expression is of great significance in the occurrence, invasion and metastasis of breast invasive ductal carcinoma. There is a strong correlation between PCNA, Ki-67 and COX-2 expression levels and X-ray features in mammography in breast invasive ductal carcinoma. The application of X-ray features in mammography can evaluate the expression levels of PCNA, Ki-67 and COX-2 in tissues of breast invasive ductal carcinoma, thereby prospectively predicting biological behavior of these cancer cells and patient prognosis.

Apoptosis and cell proliferation are two important cellular processes that determine the accumulation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC) during pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is an endocrine and autocrine/paracrine growth factor that circulates at high levels in the plasma and is expressed in most cell types. IGF-1 has major effects on development, cell growth and differentiation, also tissue repair. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) has been shown to serve many vasoprotective roles in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) including inhibition of VSMC proliferation and migration and stimulation of endothelial cell growth. In this study, we investigated the involvement of iNOS in the process of IGF-1-induced inhibition of PASMC apoptosis. We also examined the role of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in the IGF-1-induced iNOS activation. Our results show that exogenous IGF-1 induced the up-regulation of iNOS in PASMC. Immunofluorescence of IGF-1 and iNOS showed a decreased immunostaining of both IGF-1 and iNOS in the cytoplasm and the perinucleus under serum deprivation condition. iNOS inhibition in PASMC in vitro markedly induced IGF-1-mediated anti-apoptosis as assessed by the cell viability measurement, Western blot, mitochondrial potential analysis and nuclear morphology determination. A p38 MAPK inhibitor blocked all the effects of IGF-1 on iNOS. Our findings suggest that IGF-1 inhibits cells apoptosis in PASMC by activating the p38 MAPK-iNOS transduction pathway. This mechanism may contribute to the accumulation of PASMC in early human PAH.

BackgroundCurcumin is a polyphenol compound extracted from the root of the herb Curcuma longa, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Worldwide, colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is an increasing cause of morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate the effects of increasing concentrations of curcumin on cell viability, proliferation, and apoptosis of SW620 human colonic adenocarcinoma cells cultured in vitro, and the signaling pathways involved.Material/MethodsSW620 human colonic adenocarcinoma cells were cultured in curcumin at concentrations of 0, 4, 8, 16, and 32 μmol/l for 48 hours. Specific small interfering RNA (siRNA) was transfected into SW620 cells to silence the expression of caudal type homeobox-2 (CDX2). Cell viability was measured using the MTT assay. Flow cytometry evaluated cell apoptosis. Western blot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to assess the nuclear translocation of β-catenin and the activation of Wnt signaling.ResultsCurcumin reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis of SW620 human colonic adenocarcinoma cells in a dose-dependent way, and increased the expression of CDX2 but decreased β-catenin nuclear translocation and the expression of Wnt3a, c-Myc, survivin, and cyclin D1. CDX2 silencing significantly reduced the effects of curcumin on SW620 human colonic adenocarcinoma cells. The nuclear translocation of β-catenin, and expression levels of Wnt3a, c-Myc, survivin, and cyclin D1 were significantly higher in CDX2-silenced SW620 cells.ConclusionsCurcumin reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis in SW620 human colonic adenocarcinoma cells by restoring CDX2, which inhibited the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

A rare and highly malignant small round cell tumor, Ewing sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumor (ES/PNET) usually occurs in the pelvis, long-axis bones, and femur. In contrast, extraosseous ES is more often found in the paraspinal region, limbs, and retroperitoneum, but is extremely rare in the stomach. We report a case of a 55-year-old woman who presented with fatigue, fever, and black stool. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) imaging showed a large ulcerative lesion of approximately 5.5 × 5.0 cm in the stomach and irregular thickening of the ulcer wall. Upper endoscopy revealed a large, irregular ulcer in the posterior wall of the stomach. Histopathological examination suggested that the mass with the largest diameter (7.5 cm) was ES. Immunohistochemistry indicated positivity for CD99. Enhanced CT of the whole body was performed but no definite masses were found in other organs, and the patient was diagnosed with primary gastric ES. The patient underwent radical distal gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y gastrojejunostomy, but refused chemoradiotherapy.

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Objective: To investigate associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs2228314 and rs2267443 in the sterol regulatory element binding protein-2 gene (SREBP-2) and knee osteoarthritis (OA) susceptibility in a Chinese Han population. Methods: SREBP-2 rs2228314 and rs2267443 polymorphisms were genotyped in patients with knee OA and age-and sex-matched OA-free controls from a Chinese Han population. Results: A total of 402 patients with knee OA and 410 controls were enrolled in the study. GC and CC genotypes of rs2228314, and variant C, were associated with a significantly increased risk of knee OA. On stratification analysis, the association between the risk of OA and rs2228314 GC heterozygotes compared with GG homozygotes was stronger in females and those aged >65 years. In contrast, the GA and AA genotypes of rs2267443 were not significantly associated with the risk of knee OA, even after further stratification analysis according to age or sex. Conclusions: SREBP-2 rs2228314 G to C change and variant C genotype may contribute to knee OA risk in a Chinese Han population.