Search

Increasing evidence has shown that circular RNAs (circRNAs) play critical roles in various diseases, including keloid. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of circ_0057452 and related action mechanisms during the development of keloid. The expression levels of circ_0057452, microRNA-7-5p (miR-7-5p) and GRB2 associated binding protein 1 (GAB1) mRNA were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Cell proliferation was evaluated using methylthiazolyldiphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) and 5-Ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (Edu) assays. Flow cytometry analysis was utilized to determine cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis. Western blot assay was used to measure apoptosis-related, collagen synthesis-related, and GAB1 protein levels. Cell migration and invasion were detected by wound healing assay and transwell assay. The interaction between miR-7-5p and circ_0057452 or GAB1 was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter, RNA pull-down, and RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays. Circ_0057452 and GAB1 were upregulated in keloid tissues and keloid fibroblasts (KFs), while miR-7-5p was downregulated. Circ_0057452 knockdown or miR-7-5p overexpression inhibited the proliferation, migration, invasion, and collagen synthesis and induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of KFs. MiR-7-5p was targeted by circ_0057452, and its inhibition overturned the effects of circ_0057452 knockdown. In addition, GAB1 was a target of miR-7-5p, and GAB1 upregulation abolished the role of miR-7-5p overexpression and circ_0057452 knockdown in KFs. Circ_0057452 regulated the expression of GAB1 by adsorbing miR-7-5p in KFs. Circ_0057452 knockdown suppressed keloid development by regulating miR-7-5p/GAB1 axis, which might provide a promising therapeutic target for keloid.

Figure S1. Overexpression of LHFPL3-AS1 facilitated malignant behaviors in HEMa-LP cells. Figure S2. LHFPL3-AS1 positively regulated STAT3 expression. Figure S3. Upregulated LHFPL3-AS1 rescued the functional impacts of elevated miR-580-3p in melanoma cells. Figure S4. Cucurbitacin I-inhibited JAK/STAT3 pathway counteracted the influences of LHFPL3-AS1 upregulation or miR-580-3p inhibition on the behaviors of melanoma cells. Figure S5. LHFPL3-AS1 aggravated in vivo tumorigenesis in melanoma via targeting miR-580-3p/STAT3 signaling. Supplementary file 1. The promoter sequence for LHFPL3-AS1 was obtained after searching UCSC database.

Migration of keratinocytes plays a crucial role in the re-epithelialization phase during wound healing. Circular RNA (circRNA) protein kinase, DNA-activated, catalytic subunit (circ_PRKDC, hsa_circ_0084443) has been identified as a regulator of keratinocyte migration. However, the molecular basis governing it remains unclear. The levels of circ_PRKDC, microRNA (miR)-20a-3p, and RAS p21 protein activator 1 (RASA1) were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) or western blot. Subcellular localization, Actinomycin D, and Ribonuclease (RNase) R assays were performed to characterise circ_PRKDC. Cell migration was gauged by transwell and wound-healing assays. A direct relationship between miR-20a-3p and circ_PRKDC or RASA1 was verified by dual-luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. Circ_PRKDC expression was reduced in wound skin during wound healing. Circ_PRKDC modulated migration of HaCaT keratinocytes. Mechanistically, circ_PRKDC directly targeted miR-20a-3p. The regulation of circ_PRKDC on HaCaT keratinocyte migration was mediated by miR-20a-3p. RASA1 was identified as a direct and functional target of miR-20a-3p, and miR-20a-3p-mediated inhibition of RASA1 impacted HaCaT keratinocyte migration. Circ_PRKDC acted as a post-transcriptional modulator of RASA1 expression through miR-20a-3p. Moreover, circ_PRKDC modulated migration of HaCaT keratinocytes by RASA1. Our findings demonstrated a novel molecular basis, the miR-20a-3p/RASA1 axis, for the regulation of circ_PRKDC on HaCaT keratinocyte migration.

Aesthetic medicine has become a booming industry in the world. However, there are widespread social and health risks posed by aesthetic medicine, including illegal practice, and misleading information from aesthetic medicine institutes. Social media and advertisement play important roles in leading to appearance anxiety among young people nowadays. Regarding the chaotic situation in the aesthetic medical field, there is a fact that the practice of aesthetic medicine has been marginally regulated, even in some developed countries. China has the largest population in the world as well as the large number of aesthetic medical customers. Regarding the protection of people from harm, there is a great challenge for the Chinese government. So, China has enacted the toughest governance these years both on the supply and demand side. Some of the strategies may be useful for health authorities in certain countries.

Summary The International Society for Stem Cell Research has updated its Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation in order to address advances in stem cell science and other relevant fields, together with the associated ethical, social, and policy issues that have arisen since the last update in 2016. While growing to encompass the evolving science, clinical applications of stem cells, and the increasingly complex implications of stem cell research for society, the basic principles underlying the Guidelines remain unchanged, and they will continue to serve as the standard for the field and as a resource for scientists, regulators, funders, physicians, and members of the public, including patients. A summary of the key updates and issues is presented here., The updated Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation describe the ethical principles and best practices for basic, translational, and clinical research involving stem cells and human embryos. The updated Guidelines include new recommendations to address the recent scientific advances involving embryos, stem cell-based embryo models, chimeras, organoids, and genome editing.

Genetically modified food animals (GMFAs) are needed to address early the cumulative effects of livestock production on the environment, and to accommodate future food demands. In 2020 China and the USA, the world's two largest economies, embarked on regulatory reforms to boost the commercialization of such animals. However, gaining social acceptance of GMFAs for commercialization remains a global challenge. We propose a framework that focuses on social license for commercialization of GMFAs by defining four classes of improvement using precision genetics: (1) animals equivalent to natural variation to obtain the improved effect of cross-breeding (ENV); (2) animals with an inactivated gene that could occur via natural mutation (ENC−); (3) animals harboring a natural genetic sequence isolated from another species (ENC+); and (4) animals with synthetic sequences encoding novel genes (BNE). Our approach can guide regulators and the public to support orderly commercialization of GMFAs.

In this paper, the influence of the emulsifier structure, emulsifier solubility in oils, and oil polarity on the one-step formation of multiple emulsions was studied. The phase inversion process and the morphology of different types of multiple emulsions were investigated based on electrical conductivity measurements, microscopy, and pseudo-ternary phase diagrams. Emulsifiers with branched alkyl groups and polyethers, which were distributed on both sides of the main chain, or with amphiphilic diblock copolypeptides, can form multiple emulsions because of their strong hydrophilic properties. Hydrophobic emulsifiers with good solubility in oils were also conducive to the formation of one-step multiple emulsions. DC200 and Squalane worked well with the system, indicating that low-polarity oils were beneficial to the formation of one-step multiple emulsions. This study provides recommendations for future investigations and applications in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics, including drug delivery and the encapsulation of hydrophilic active.

The shocking announcement of genetically modified babies creates an opportunity to overhaul the nation’s science, argue Ruipeng Lei and colleagues. The shocking announcement of genetically modified babies creates an opportunity to overhaul the nation’s science, argue Ruipeng Lei and colleagues.

This is a discussion of the reaction to the recent research article publication in the journal Protein & Cell by a group of scientists at Sun Yat-sen University using the CRISPR/Cas9 technique on editing non-viable human zygotes. Many commentators condemned the Chinese scientists for overstepping ethical boundaries long accepted in Western countries and accused China of having lax regulations on genomic research in general. We argue that not only did this research follow strict ethical standards and fully comply with current regulations, but China also has a well-developed regulatory framework governing such research comparable to many developed countries. We see the reactions among Western commentators as a misunderstanding of the current situation and an expression of a lack of willingness to acknowledge China as an equal partner in the international debate about proper limits to the development of new biotechnologies.

Correction for ‘MiR-132 enhances proliferation and migration of HaCaT cells by targeting TIMP3’ by Lina Jiang et al., RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 21125–21133, DOI: 10.1039/C8RA10552A.

The application of genetic technologies in China, especially in the area of prenatal genetic testing, is rapidly increasing in China. In the wealthy regions of China, prenatal genetic testing is already very widely adopted. We argue that the government should actively promote prenatal genetic testing to the poor areas of the country. In fact, the government should prioritize resources first to make prenatal genetic testing a standard routine care with an opt-out model in these area. Healthcare professions would be required to inform pregnant women about the availability of genetic testing and provide free testing on a routine basis unless the parents choose not to do so. We argue that this proposal will allow parents to make a more informed decision about their reproductive choices. Secondarily, this proposal will attract more healthcare professionals and other healthcare resources to improve the healthcare infrastructures in the less-developed regions of the country. This will help to reduce the inequity of accessing healthcare services between in different regions of China. We further argue that this policy proposal is not practicing eugenics.

The application of genetic technologies in China, especially in the area of prenatal genetic testing, is rapidly increasing in China. In the wealthy regions of China, prenatal genetic testing is already very widely adopted. We argue that the government should actively promote prenatal genetic testing to the poor areas of the country. In fact, the government should prioritize resources first to make prenatal genetic testing a standard routine care with an opt-out model in these area. Healthcare professions would be required to inform pregnant women about the availability of genetic testing and provide free testing on a routine basis unless the parents choose not to do so. We argue that this proposal will allow parents to make a more informed decision about their reproductive choices. Secondarily, this proposal will attract more healthcare professionals and other healthcare resources to improve the healthcare infrastructures in the less-developed regions of the country. This will help to reduce the inequity of accessing healthcare services between in different regions of China. We further argue that this policy proposal is not practicing eugenics.

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.作為一種法律學說，知情同意在西方社會已經存在多年，並且得到長足的發展。這一學說來源於《紐倫堡法典》。知情同意不僅僅是“法律文件”，也不是醫患“共同決策"，它是具有豐當倫理內涵的一個概念，是一個人實際理解並且真正在沒有他人控制下有意地批准和同意專業人員做某事。中國具有其獨特的文化傳統背景和經濟發展水平，西方國家基於自主的和權利的理論、信念以及方法在中國基於義務的和強調集體的傳統文化中尚缺乏一定的根基。中國文化傳統上的倫理決策是基於義務而不是基於權�的。這種根深蒂岡的傳統所肯定的是社會或者整體的利益，容易忽視的是個人應享有的權利。在中國文化傳統中，家庭和社區具有很強的凝聚力，家庭或社區協助和支持下的知情同意往往建立在更加充分的理解、思考基礎之上。這種知情同意獲得的方式很有價值：更加精緻，更加體現了尊重人的倫理學原則。但是需要注意的是，這種協助不能完全超越自我決定性。另外，社區的“允許”並不等同於個人的“同意”，而且社區的允許也不應該取代個人的同意。另外，目前在中國，臨床藥理試驗，倫理審查委員會（IRBs）制度化，合理的補償與不正當的引誘的區別，基因研究中的知情同意問題以及利益衝突等很多現實問題都需要引起倫理學的關注，並進行大量的研究工作。In Western societies, the idea of informed consent as a legal account has long been there and developed significantly. This idea originated from the "uremberg Code". In fact, informed consent is neither a mere "legal document" nor a "common decision" made by the physician and the patient. It is a concept rich in moral content. It is about how an individual perceives and intentionally (without being controlled by others) agrees and allows professionals to carry out certain actions on him/her.China has a unique traditional cultural background and economic development level. Due to the emphasis on responsibility and collectiveness in Chinese cultural traditions, introducing the Western theory, beliefs, and practice based upon individual autonomy and rights to Chinese society does not have solid foundation. According to Chinese cultural traditions, people consider responsibility instead of rights during making ethical decisions. These deeply-rooted traditions assure the interests of the whole and tend to neglect the rights of the individual. Chinese families and communities have a very strong sense of cohesiveness. With the assistance and support of the family or community, the thinking and understanding of informed consent can be established on a more adequate and solid foundation. This kind of way to get informed consent is very valuable: it is more accurate and can also fulfills the ethical principle of respect. However, the assistance of the family or community should not override individual's autonomy in making decisions. Moreover, community "permission" is not equal to individual "consent". Indeed, it should not replace individual "consent".Contemporary China faces many practical problems, such as clinical medicine testing, establishing Institutional Review Broads (IRBs), differences between reasonable compensation and improper reward, conflict of interests in genetic research as well as the practice of informed consent. They demand ethical attention and a large amount of careful research.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 13 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

Melanoma has the highest mortality among all superficial malignant tumors. The poor prognosis is due to its high metastasis rate and the lack of therapeutic targets. As a molecular switch that controls tumor metastasis, Ras homology C (RhoC) has been correlated with tumor progression, especially tumor invasion and metastasis. However, little research has been done about the effects of RNA interference (RNAi) targeting RhoC on the invasion and metastasis of melanoma. In this study, we constructed an RNAi lentivirus vector targeting the RhoC gene of melanoma cells and identified its silencing effects on the RhoC gene.Based on the RhoC gene encoding information, three pGPU6/GFP/Neo-short hairpin (shRNA) plasmids were constructed. After detecting their silencing effects on the RhoC gene of A375 cells, the most effective pGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA plasmid was packed with lentivirus to construct the recombinant pLenti6.3-EGFP-453 targeting RhoC. The lentivirus vector was used to infect A375 cells, and then the expression of RhoC mRNA and protein were determined with real-time PCR and Western blotting.The plasmids pGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA 336, pGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA 453, and pGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA 680 were constructed. After they were transfected into A375 cells, the expressions of RhoC mRNA and protein were 1.47 ± 0.26, 1.13 ± 0.16, 1.39 ± 0.11 and 70.98 ± 9.21, 50.67 ± 6.06, 65.77 ± 4.06, respectively. pGPU6/GFP/Neo-shRNA 453 was the most effective sequence, and was used to successfully construct the pLenti6.3-EGFP-453 lentiviral vector targeting RhoC. pLenti6.3-EGFP-453 was used to infect A375 cells. The expression of RhoC mRNA and protein were 1.05 ± 0.05 and 62.04 ± 15.86 in the lentivirus group, 4.21 ± 0.24 and 220.86 ± 24.07 in the negative lentivirus control group, and 4.63 ± 0.32 and 257.39 ± 12.30 in the normal control group respectively with the difference between the lentivirus group and the control groups being statistically significant (P0.05).The successfully constructed pLenti6.3-EGFP-453 vector targeting the RhoC can effectively infect human melanoma A375 cells in vitro, and significantly inhibit the RhoC mRNA and protein expression.

There are two parts in this article. In the first part the authors describe the regulatory and ethical challenges caused by stem cell research and its clinical application, especially by the widespread use of unproven and unregulated “stem cell therapy” and the guidelines and regulations for attempting to deal with challenges in China. At the end of this part ethical guidelines for human adult (including mesenchymal) stem cell clinical trials and application is appended. In the second part the authors try to provide an overview of regulations or ethical guidelines on human adult/mesenchymal stem cell clinical translation in USA, UK, the European countries and India. The article concludes with the harmonization of regulating human adult/mesenchymal stem cell clinical translation in the world and the Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells drafted by the International Society for Stem Cell Research provide a basis for the harmonization.

As professionals, doctors have a contractual relationship with society that trains them and confers on them exclusive power to practice medical care. In the contract, power and responsibility should be balanced. When the power is conferred by society to a profession, the profession should take responsibility for society, including the provision of high quality services, and maintain high standard principled conduct and integrity.

This article documents the results of a study on the perceptions of long-term elder care in Beijing in the People's Republic of China by those most intimately involved. The study asked a sample of elderly, family members, and health care professionals, all of whom are involved in care at a variety of long-term care facilities in Beijing, about their perceptions of the care given at these facilities from their particular standpoints as regards issues such as the quality and ideal location of care, decision-making regarding the care receiving, who should be responsible for the financing of care, and the meaning of dignity for the elderly in these facilities. The results showed adherence to traditional family values at least on one level regarding the ideal location of care being with the family and in the home, but also the desire to pass on financing of long-term care facilities and the health care they provide the elderly on to the government. These results are not altogether surprising, but they also clearly demonstrate the larger conflict between traditional views about morality and economic considerations regarding health care financing in the China.

La medecine : business ou profession ?En tant que professionnels, les medecins ont passe un « contrat » avec la societe qui les a formes et leur a confere le pouvoir exclusif de pratiquer la medecine. Dans le cadre de ce contrat, les pouvoirs et responsabilites doivent s’equilibrer. Quand le pouvoir est donne par la societe, le professionnel doit prendre la responsabilite devant la societe d’apporter des services de haute qualite et de maintenir au meme niveau une conduite integre et respectueuse des principes.