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Researches demonstrated that gut microbiota are associated with breast cancer progression. This study aims to evaluate the anti-breast tumor effects of daucosterol linolenate (DLA), daucosterol linoleate (DL), and daucosterol palmitate (DP) from sweet potato in MCF-7 xenograft nude mice by determining the tumor growth, serum tumor markers, tumor-related proteins, and performing 16S rDNA sequencing. After treatment at 87.8 mg/kg/day for 29 days, DLA, DL and DP delayed tumor growth and decreased levels of tumor marker carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), cancer antigen 125 (CA125) and cancer antigen 153 (CA153) in vivo. All treatments activated caspase 3, 9, PARP1 cleavage, down-regulated Ki67, VEGF, BCL-2, BCL-XL, up-regulated BAX expression, and inhibited PI3K/AKT/NF-κB activation in tumor tissues. Their anti-breast tumor effects were associated with the regulation on gut microbiota. The three treatments increased Bacteroidetes whereas decreased Firmicutes richness. They also modulated the diversity of gut microbiota at family and genus levels. Furthermore, DL treatment promoted butyric acid secretion, DP promoted acetic acid and butyric acid secretion in the colorectal and feces. Our findings indicate that DLA, DL, and DP inhibit tumor growth in MCF-7 xenograft nude mice by regulating the homeostasis of gut microbiota, producing SCFAs, and then disturbing the expression of cancer-related proteins. The present study suggests three phytosterols as gut microbiota regulator for breast cancer prevention.

The antitumor property of steroids in sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) remains poorly understood. Herein, we investigated the anticancer effect on breast carcinoma of daucosterol linoleate (DL), a steroid isolated from sweet potato. DL inhibited the cell viability of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 breast cancer cells at an IC50 value of 53.27 ± 9.02 μg/mL, while the effect was modest in ER-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Flow cytometry indicated that the DL-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells is dose-dependent. However, DL inhibited tumor growth and tumor weight at 100 mg/kg in MCF-7 xenograft nude mice. DL diminished the expression of Bcl-xl, Bcl-2, and XIAP, while increasing Bax, Bad, and activated caspase-dependent apoptosis in tumor tissues. Furthermore, DL inactivated the upstream Pi3k/Akt/NF-κB pathway. In the 4T1 spontaneous metastasis model, DL blocked metastasis progression, decreased the number of visible metastasis foci and inhibited metastasis size distribution in lung tissue. Fu...

SPG-56 is a newly isolated glycoprotein from sweet potatoes (Zhongshu NO. 1), but its value for suppressing breast cancer progression remains unknown. This study was designed to investigate the potential anti-cancer effects of SPG-56, which consists of 2.9% sugar and 97.1% protein. The effects of SPG-56 on the proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells were determined using CCK-8 and Hoechst 33342 assays and flow cytometry, after staining with Annexin V and PI respectively. The activities of SPG-56 against breast cancer were examined using female BALB/c nude mice orthotopically implanted with human breast carcinoma cells of the types MCF-7 and 4T1-Luc. The cellular experiments showed that SPG-56 inhibited proliferation and promoted apoptosis of MCF-7 cells dose- and time-dependently. Oral administration of SPG-56 significantly suppressed the development of MCF-7 tumor cells (P

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and is associated with a poor survival rate in the Chinese Han population. Analysis of genetic variants could lead to improvements in prognosis following lung cancer treatment. Resistin (RETN) is an important mediator of metabolic diseases and tumor progression. In this study, we explored the effects of RETN single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the susceptibility and clinicopathological characteristics of patients with lung cancer. Four RETN SNPs (rs7408174, rs1862513, rs3745367, and rs3219175) were analyzed using TaqMan SNP genotyping in 371 patients with lung cancer and 451 cancer-free controls. The results showed that the RETN SNP rs3219175 with AG or at least 1 A allele was associated with a higher risk of lung cancer than wild-type (GG) carriers. Moreover, the RETN SNP rs3219175 with AG or AG + AA alleles was associated with a higher risk of distant metastasis than that in patients carrying GG alleles. We also used genotype-tissue expression datasets to compare the correlation of the RETN SNP rs3219175 in lung tissue and whole blood. In conclusion, our study demonstrated, for the first time, that RETN polymorphisms were correlated with lung cancer progression in the Chinese Han population.

Background Ketamine is a commonly used clinical anesthetic and a popular recreational drug. However, with the exception of studies about the nervous system, studies about the effect of early ketamine exposure on embryos are rare. Xenopus laevis is a commonly used vertebrate model for assessing teratogenicity. Therefore, we treated Xenopus embryos with ketamine to evaluate its teratogenicity on embryos. Methods Xenopus embryos were treated with ketamine from stages 8 to 21. Embryonic and cardiac morphology were analyzed using living embryo imaging and whole-mount RNA in situ hybridization (WMISH). Heart function was measured by heart rate and ventricular shortening fraction (VSF). The mRNA expression levels of several heart development-related genes were determined by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The protein expression levels of XMLC2, phospho-histone H3 (pH3) and histone H3 were determined by western blot. Results Ketamine caused concentration-dependent increases in mortality and shortening of body length. At a dose of 0.5 mg/ml, ketamine exposure resulted in cardiac enlargement as the primary manifestation of several malformations: gut defects, a curved axis and shortened body length. Cardiac cells underwent increased proliferation. Moreover, the heart rate and ventricular shortening fraction were decreased, findings indicative of heart dysfunction. XMLC2 expression levels were down-regulated at stages 28, 32/33, 35/36 and 46. Conclusions Ketamine exposure during early development has teratogenic effects on Xenopus embryos. The heart enlargement and decreased VSF may result from the down-regulation of XMLC2 mRNA and protein levels. These findings provide new insight into the potential fetal defects induced by ketamine exposure during early pregnancy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12871-016-0188-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is a common plasticizer used in industrial and diverse consumer products. Animal studies indicate DEHP caused developmental, reproductive, and hepatic toxicities. However, human studies of the potential effects of DEHP are limited.The exposed site with a history of over 20 years of waste plastic recycling was located in Hunan Province, China. The reference site without known DEHP pollution source was about 50 km far away from the exposed site. In this study, 181 workers working in plastic waste recycling and 160 gender-age matched farmers were recruited. DEHP concentrations in water and cultivated soil samples, serum thyroid-stimulating hormone, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), urinary 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and micronuclei frequency in human capillary blood lymphocytes were analyzed.Mean levels of DEHP were greater in environment at the recycling site than at reference site (industry wastewater for the exposed: 42.43 μg/l; well water: 14.20 vs. 0.79 μg/l, pond water: 135.68 vs. 0.37 μg/l, cultivated soil: 13.07 vs. 0.81 mg/kg, p 0.05 for all). The workers had higher median levels of MDA (3.80 vs. 3.14 nmol/ml) and urinary 8-OHdG (340.37 vs. 268.18 μmol/mol creatinine) and decreased SOD activities (112.15 vs. 123.82 U/ml) than the reference group (p 0.01 for all). Multivariate analysis revealed that the history of working in waste plastic recycling was an independent risk factor for the increased urinary 8-OHdG levels in the male workers (p 0.01).The occupational DEHP exposure might contribute to oxidative deoxyribonucleic acid damage in the male workers.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a common malignant tumor, characterized by unlimited proliferation of abnormal plasmocytes in bone marrow. Considering the biological function of B-Lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and its receptors in B cell, we examined BLyS and its receptors expression in MM cells. Our studies confirmed that BLyS and its receptors are expressed in MM cells, including KM3, CZ-1, and primary MM cells, playing an important role in the survival and proliferation of MM cells. Additionally, we provide evidence that BLyS protein is located in the MM cell plasma membrane. We also found that IFN-gamma and IL-6 can induce BLyS expression on MM cells, while after the treatment of BAY11-7082, an IkB-alpha phosphorylation inhibitor, IFN-gamma induced up regulation of BLyS was completely inhibited, suggesting that nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) might be involved in the mechanism of the regulation of BLyS levels in response to cytokines. Finally, linear correlation analysis of the Lactate Dehydrogenase concentration and beta 2-microglobulin level with BLyS, and expressions of BLyS mRNA in MM patients revealed a significant correlation between them (P < 0.01 in all case), showing that BLyS could be a biomarker for the diagnosis and treatment of MM.

In this study, we recruited 49 subjects from one village close to an electronic waste (e-waste) site (exposed group) and another located 50 km away from the e-waste site (control group). We found that serum levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (median PBDEs, 382 ng/g lipid weight; range, 77-8452 ng/g lipid weight) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (median TSH, 1.79 microIU/mL; range, 0.38-9.03 microIU/mL) and frequencies of micro-nucleated binucleated cells (MNed BNC; median, 5% per hundred; range, 0-96% per hundred) were significantly higher in the exposed group than in the control group (158 ng/g, range of 18-436 ng/g, and p0.05; 1.15 microIU/mL, range of 0.48-2.09, and p0.01; and 0% per hundred, range of 0-5% per hundred, and p0.01, respectively). A history of working with e-waste was significantly associated with increased MNed BNC frequencies (odds ratio (OR), 38.85; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1-1358.71, p = 0.044), independent of years of local residence, a perceived risk factor. However, there was no association between PBDEs exposure and oxidative DNA damage. Therefore, the exposure to PBDEs at the e-waste site may have an effect on the levels of TSH and genetoxic damage among these workers, but this needs to be validated in large studies.

To investigate the expressions of thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), the type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECII)-specific marker, and vimentin, the fibroblast-specific marker, in the lungs of neonatal mice with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and explore the pathogenesis of BPD.Neonatal mice were exposed to hyperoxia to induce BPD, and pathological changes in the lung tissues were examined. At 3, 7, 14 and 21 days after the exposure, the protein and mRNA expressions of TTF-1 and vimentin were detected by double-labeled immunofluorescence assay and real-time PCR, respectively.Compared with the neonatal mice exposed in normal air, those with hyperoxic exposure showed developmental disorders and collagen deposition in the lung tissues. The protein expression of TTF-1 decreased while vimentin expression increased in the lung tissues, where their co-expression was observed at 14 and 21 days after the exposure. TTF-1 mRNA expression decreased markedly (P0.05) and vimentin mRNA increased significantly in the lung tissues at 21 days after hyperoxic exposure of the mice (P0.05).Hyperoxia-induced transition of AECII to fibroblasts may play an important role in pulmonary fibrosis in neonatal mice with BPD.

To evaluate the efficacy of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) in the prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in medical critically ill patients.A prospective, randomized, controlled study was conducted. One hundred and sixty-two medical critically ill patients were randomly assigned to IPC group and control group by random number table after admitted to intensive care unit (ICU) from June 2008 to June 2010. Patients under anticoagulation medicine therapy were excluded. Patients in the IPC group were treated with IPC to prevent VTE after ICU admission. No measures were taken to prevent VTE in the control group. The rate of VTE [deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE)], duration of mechanical ventilation(MV), the length of stay in ICU, rate of non-sudden cardiac death and ICU mortality rate and related side-effects of IPC were compared during the subsequent 28 days between two groups.Compared with control group, IPC group was shown to have a significantly lower rate of DVT [3.80%(3/79) vs. 19.28%(16/83), P0.01], lower rate of PE [0 (0/79) vs. 9.64%(8/83), P0.01] and lower rate of non-sudden cardiac death [1.26%(1/79) vs. 7.23%(6/83), P0.01]. Compared with control group, duration of MV (days: 8±6 vs. 9±8) and length of stay in ICU (days: 9±7 vs. 10±7) were shorter, and the ICU mortality rate of 28 days (24.05% vs. 31.32%) was lower in the IPC group, but they were not statistically significant (all P0.05). No related side-effects were found in the IPC group.IPC can prevent VTE, and lower the rate of non-sudden cardiac death, and it is safe in medical critically ill patients.

In recent years, adverse health effects of chemicals from electronic waste (e-waste) have been reported. However, little is known about the genotoxic effects of chemicals in e-waste. In the present study, air concentrations of the toxic metals at e-waste and control sites were analyzed using inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Levels of toxic metals (lead, copper and cadmium) in blood and urine were detected using atomic absorption spectrophotometry in 48 exposed individuals and 56 age- and sex-matched controls. The frequencies of lymphocytic micronucleated binucleated cells (MNBNCs) were determined using a cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay. Results indicated that blood lead levels were significantly higher in the exposed group (median: 11.449 μg/dL, 1st/3rd quartiles: 9.351-14.410 μg/dL) than in the control group (median: 9.104 μg/dL, 1st/3rd quartiles: 7.275-11.389 μg/dL). The exposed group had higher MNBNCs frequencies (median: 4.0 per thousand, 1st/3rd quartiles: 2.0-7.0 per thousand) compared with the controls (median: 1.0 per thousand, 1st/3rd quartiles: 0.0-2.0 per thousand). Additionally, MNBNCs frequencies and blood lead levels were positively correlated (r = 0.254, p

To evaluate the effects of mechanical ventilation on pulmonary function during short duration of general anesthesia with tracheal intubation, and assess the safety of controlled spontaneous respiration during general anesthesia.Fifty-three adult patients (aged 18-55 years, ASA physical status I-II) scheduled for elective unilateral tympanoplasty were randomly assigned into mechanical ventilation group (group M, n=28) and spontaneous respiration group (group S, n=25). Anesthesia induction was performed in group M with intravenous propofol (2 mg/kg), fentanyl (3 microgkg) and vecuronium (0.1 mgkg), while with propofol (2 mg/kg), fentanyl (3 microg/kg) and sufficient superficial anesthesia on upper airway mucous membrane in group S. After tracheal intubation, mechanical ventilation began with VT 8 mlkg and RR 10-12 bpm in group M, and spontaneous respiration was maintained in group S. Anesthesia was maintained by 0.7%-0.8% isoflurane and 60%-70% N(2)O at the end respiratory concentration to control MAC between 1.2-1.3. During the surgery, BIS values were controlled between 40-60, and propofol was administered when necessary. Vecuronium (1-2 mg) was given intermittently to maintain muscle relaxation and neostigmine (1 mg) with atropine 0.5 mg was administered intravenously before extubation in group M. No relaxant was used in group S. The parameters including heart rate (HR), mean blood pressure (MAP), pulse oxygen saturation (SpO(2)), and thoracic fluid content (TFC) were recorded before the induction and at 1, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 90, 120, and 150 min after intubation. Arterial blood was drawn immediately and 150 min after intubation for blood gases analysis and Alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient (P(A-a)DO(2)), and the respiratory index (RI) and dead volume/tidal volume (VD/VT) were calculated. The incidences of moving, bucking, swallowing, and status of awareness during surgery procedures were also recorded.A total of 43 patients (group M, n=23; group S, n=20) were included in the study with 10 dropouts due to failed attempt to obtain arterial blood samples (8 patients) or severe bucking during intubation (2 patients). No significant differences were found in HR and MAP between the two groups (P0.05). The pH and SpO(2) [ (97.9-/+1.00)% at the lowest] and PaO(2) in group S were significantly lower and the PaCO(2) was higher than those in group M (P0.05). In group S, the pH values were 7.274-/+0.025 and 7.331-/+0.039, PaCO(2) values were 60-/+6 and 53-/+5 mmHg, and PETCO(2) values were 53-/+ 6 and 48-/+7 mmHg, and the PaO(2) values were 143-/+37 and 165-/+49 mmHg immediately and 150 min after the intubation, respectively. These values were considered safe under the concept of permissive hypercapnia. No significant differences were found in the P(A-a)DO(2), RI, VD/VT and TFC between or within the two groups (P0.05), nor were moving, bucking, swallowing and awareness recorded during the surgical procedures.In essentially normal lungs, short-term mechanical ventilation during general anesthesia with tracheal intubation does not damage the lung functions, and spontaneous respiration can offer sufficient oxygen supply without causing harmful carbon dioxide retention.

Objectives To measure the expression levels of B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and its receptors in multiple myeloma (MM), and to investigate the relationship between them. Design and methods BLyS and its receptors mRNA levels from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 31 MM patients and 30 healthy controls were determined by real-time PCR. The results were presented as the ratios of target genes, to β2-microglobulin (β2M), mRNA. BLyS serum level was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results The circulating levels of BLyS in 31 MM patients were significantly elevated and correlated with the levels of Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). More importantly, 93.55% (29/31) and 90.32% (28/31) of these MM patients had significantly higher expression levels of BLyS and BCMA mRNA respectively, which are correlated with the levels of LDH, while 64.52% (20/31) of these MM patients had significantly lower expression levels of TACI mRNA. Conclusion BLyS protein concentration and BLyS, TACI and BAFF-R mRNA expression levels were significantly elevated in patients with MM, suggesting that BLyS, TACI and BAFF-R may be involved in the pathogenesis of MM, and that expression levels could serve as a biomarker of prognosis.

Dysphagia is the main clinical symptom of the patients with esophageal carcinoma. The stent placement in esophagus is an effective method to resolve dysphagia.There are many types of stents. Through comparing observation of the stents made in China, which is the stainless steel "Z" stent, the Ni-Ti wire mesh-like stent, and the covered or uncovered-stent, the authors analyzed the clinical application of various types of esophageal stents in the treatment of malignant esophageal stricture.The various types of esophageal stents were implanted into 40 patients with esophageal carcinoma. 13 cases for stainless steel "Z" stents, 27 cases for Ni-Ti wire mesh-like stents(24 cases were the covered stents and 16 cases were uncovered). All the patients were not operated with the dilation of balloon before stent placement.The esophageal stents were successfully implanted into 40 patients without complication of operation. Stainless steel "Z" stent were all dilated immediately at the time of operation, and all the 13 patients had obvious intra-breastbone pain after operation, which lasted 10-20 days. Although Ni-Ti wire mesh-like stents could not dilate completely in operation, all these can be dilated completely after 1 to 3 days; nine cases of them had obvious intra-breastbone pain, which lasted 3-5 days. In all these, 7 cases were the covered-stents and 2 cases uncovered. In 9 cases, tracheoesophageal fistulas were blocked completely. There was barium sulphate retention between the covered-stent implanted to the patients without tracheoesophageal fistula and the dilated esophagus.The clinical adaptability of the Ni-Ti wire mesh-like stent is better than that of the stainless steel "Z" stent. For the patients with tracheoesophageal fistula, the first choice is covered-stent, while for the patients without tracheoesophageal fistula, uncovered-stent is better. The dilation of balloon is not necessary before the stent placement.