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Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) serves an important role in maintaining plasma cholesterol levels, and fatty acid metabolism is involved in the progression of various types of cancer. In the present study, the role of PCSK9 in the development of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) was investigated. PCSK9 expression was compared between ESCC and normal esophageal epithelial tissues using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. In addition, the association between PCSK9 expression and clinical staging and prognosis was assessed by immunohistochemistry. The effects of PCSK9 overexpression or knockdown on cell proliferation was evaluated using Cell Counting Kit-8 and colony formation assays. The invasion and migration of cancer cells was assessed using wound healing and Transwell assays. Western blotting was performed to evaluate changes in the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins. ELISA was performed to detect the effects of PCSK9 on chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 25 (CCL25) secretion. The results revealed that PCSK9 was highly expressed in ESCC tissues compared with that in normal esophageal tissues, and the high expression of PCSK9 was associated with a poor prognosis. Furthermore, PCSK9 could promote the proliferation, migration and invasion of ESCC cells in vitro. Mechanistically, PCSK9 could promote EMT by secreting CCL25. In conclusion, patients with ESCC may benefit from a novel therapeutic strategy based on these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article, published in the journal Biocell, presents a systematic analysis of DNA polymerases as therapeutic targets in various types of cancer. The study examines the expression profiles of 15 DNA polymerases and their clinical correlations using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). The analysis reveals that DNA polymerases exhibit distinct expression patterns in tumor and normal samples across most cancer types. The study also highlights the prognostic value of DNA polymerases in multiple cancers and explores their associations with immune cells, DNA damage repair pathways, and ubiquitination. The findings suggest that DNA polymerases could serve as potential therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for cancer. [Extracted from the article]

The outbreak of SARS in 2003 opened the way of public health emergency management in China. COVID-19 which suddenly outbroke in 2019 is still raging all over the world, and emergency management mechanism of China is being tested. Efforts to improve the emergency management mechanism can provide effective institutional guarantee for the overaH victory of anti epidemic and the prevention and control of public health emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interactions among the three phases of nano-hydroxyapatite (n-HA), Konjac glucomannan (KGM) and Chitosan (CS) in n-HA/KGM/CS composite were investigated using TEM, IR, XRD, XPS and TGA methods. The crystalline structure of n-HA was studied by means of Rietveld method. A series of structure parameters, such as, cell lattice parameters ( a or c), bonding lengths and a numerical index of distortion for PO4 tetrahedron, were calculated by Newton–Raphson calculating method to characterize the crystalline structure of HA at atom level. The results showed that n-HA was mainly linked with KGM and CS by hydrogen bonding between OH−–PO of n-HA and –C=O, –NH of KGM-CS copolymer, and there was a stable interface formed between the three phases in the composite. Besides, orientation of this hydrogen bonding resulted in the decrease of the relative crystallization degree of KGM-CS copolymer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]