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Objective To investigate the relationship between plasma miR-93-5p and the risk of esophageal cancer, as well as the influence of miR-93-5p on the biological function of esophageal cancer cells, exerted through exosomes. Methods The expression of plasma miR-93-5p in esophageal cancer patients and healthy controls was analysed by real-time quantitative PCR. The influence of miR-93-5p on the risk and prognosis of esophageal carcinoma was analyzed by conditional logistic regression and survival analysis. The effect of miR-93-5p on the biological function of recipient cells was investigated by establishing an in vitro donor cell co-culture model. The target gene of miR-93-5p was validated by luciferase reporter assay and Western Blotting. Results Upregulation of plasma miR-93-5p expression significantly increases the risk of esophageal cancer and is associated with poor prognosis. miR-93-5p transferred by exosomes promotes the proliferation of recipient esophageal cancer cells and affects the expression of PTEN and its downstream proteins p21 and cyclin D1. Conclusion Our study provides a reference for the identification of biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of esophageal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To report the prevalence and trend of overweight and obesity among students aged 7-22 years in Jiangsu, 2010 to 2013. Methods This cross-sectional study was carried out as part of students physical fitness and health survey in Jiangsu province. A total of 255,581 subjects (50.03% males and 49.97% females) enrolled in 82 school and 10 universities in Jiangsu. Weights and heights were obtained for each subject and its body mass index (BMI) was calculated using the Chinese Working Group on Obesity in China (CWGO). Results Anthropometric measurement including bodyweight, height, BMI and bust were significantly different between males in urban compared to females living rural areas ( P <0.001). The total prevalence of overweight and obesity was 12.4% and 5.7%. Males had a significantly higher rate than in female's student. The prevalence of overweight and obesity by age groups was (14.5%, 10.3%) at age 7-11 years, (11.2%, 6.8%) at age 12-14 years, (11.7%, 3.1%) at age 15-17 years, and (11.4%, 2.3%) at age 18-22 years. By regions; the highest prevalence of overweight obesity reported in Taizhou (10%, 14.2%), Xuzhou (9.4%, 12.5%), and Nanjing (9.2%, 15.6%), respectively. Conclusion The finding declares that overweight and obesity are important health problems among students in Jiangsu Province. Early intervention programme are needed to address this problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To isolate and characterize indigenous algicidal bacteria and their algae-lysing compounds active against Microcystis aeruginosa, strains TH1, TH2, and FACHB 905. Methods The bacteria were identified using the Biolog automated microbial identification system and 16S rDNA sequence analysis. The algae-lysing compounds were isolated and purified by silica gel column chromatography and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Their structures were confirmed by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Algae-lysing activity was observed Using microscopy. Results The algae-lysing bacterium LTH-2 isolated from Lake Taihu was identified as Serratia marcescens. Strain LTH-2 secreted a red pigment identified as prodigiosin (C20H25N30), which showed strong lytic activity with algal strains M. aeruginosa TH1, TH2, and FACHB 905 in a concentration-dependent manner. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of prodigiosin with the algal strains was 4.8 (±0.4)x10-2 μg/mL, 8.9 (±1.1)x10-2 μg/mL, and 1.7 (±0.1)x10-1 μg/mL in 24 h, respectively. Conclusion The bacterium LTH-2 and its pigment had strong Microcystis-lysing activity probably related to damage of cell membranes. The bacterium LTH-2 and its red pigment are potentially useful for regulating blooms of harmful M. aeruginosa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: This study aims to investigate and compare the toxic effects of four types of metal oxide (ZnO, TiO2, SiO2, and Al2O3) nanoparticles with similar primary size (∼20 nm) on human fetal lung fibroblasts (HFL1) in vitro. Methods: The HFL1 cells were exposed to the nanoparticles, and toxic effects were analyzed by using MTT assay, cellular morphology observation and Hoechst 33 258 staining. Results: The results show that the four types of metal oxide nanoparticles lead to cellular mitochondrial dysfunction, morphological modifications and apoptosis at the concentration range of 0.25-1.50 mg/mL and the toxic effects are obviously displayed in dose-dependent manner. ZnO is the most toxic nanomaterials followed by TiO2, SiO2, and Al2O3 nanoparticles in a descending order. Conclusion: The results highlight the differential cytotoxicity associated with exposure to ZnO, TiO2, SiO2, and Al2O3 nanoparticles, and suggest an extreme attention to safety utilization of these nanomaterials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]