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Dysregulation of the neddylation pathway is related to various cancers. However, the specific role of the neddylation pathway in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains largely unclear. In this study, the neddylation pathway in HCC and adjacent noncancerous liver (ANL) tissues was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western blotting, and qRT‐PCR (quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction). The results showed that the entire neddylation pathway, including NEDD8 (the IHC staining of NEDD8 represents the global‐protein neddylation), E1 NEDD8‐activating enzymes (NAE1 and UBA3), E2 NEDD8‐conjugating enzymes (UBE2F and UBE2M), E3 NEDD8‐ligases (MDM2, RBX1 and RNF7), and deneddylation enzymes (COPS5, UCHL1 and USP21), was overactivated in HCC. Furthermore, the upregulation of NEDD8 in HCC was correlated with aggressive characteristics and was an independent risk factor for overall survival (OS) and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) in patients with HCC after hepatectomy. The upregulation of NAE1, UBE2M, and UCHL1 in HCC was associated with aggressive characteristics and poor OS and RFS in patients with HCC after hepatectomy. In conclusion, our research reveals that the entire neddylation pathway is overactivated in HCC and associated with clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with HCC.

The immune system, particularly T lymphocytes and cytokines, has been implicated in the progression of brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Although studies have shown that transplanted neural stem cells (NSCs) protect the central nervous system (CNS) from inflammatory damage, their effects on subpopulations of T lymphocytes and their corresponding cytokines are largely unexplored. Here, rats were subjected to ICH and NSCs were intracerebrally injected at 3 h after ICH. The profiles of subpopulations of T cells in the brain and peripheral blood were analyzed by flow cytometry. We found that regulatory T (Treg) cells in the brain and peripheral blood were increased, but γδT cells (gamma delta T cells) were decreased, along with increased anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-β) and decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, and IFN-γ), compared to the vehicle-treated control. Our data suggest that transplanted NSCs protect brain injury after ICH via modulation of Treg and γδT cell infiltration and anti- and pro-inflammatory cytokine release.

EVA was added into PC/PLA blends as a modifier for improving the impact strength of blends, and meanwhile the thermal properties and rheological properties of blends should also be influenced. PC/PLA/EVA blends were prepared by melt blending and the catalyst DBTO was added into the blends in blending process to catalyze the transesterification of PC and EVA for improving the compatibility of blends. The effects of blend composition and transesterification on the thermal and rheological properties of blends were investigated. The results showed that the addition of EVA could improve the crystallinity of PLA in PC/PLA/EVA blends but had little influence on the thermal stability of blends,and the transesterification was beneficial to both the crystallization of PLA and thermal stability of blends. The addition of EVA and the transesterification of PC and EVA increased the apparent viscosity of blends, while the apparent viscosity of blends decreased drastically and the pseudo-plasticity characteristic of blend melts was weakened obviously with increasing PLA content and rising temperature.

Background Downregulation of Aldolase B (ALDOB) has been reported in hepatocellular carcinoma. However, its clinical significance and its role in pathogenesis of HCC remain largely unknown. Methods We analyzed the expression of ALDOB and its clinical features in a large cohort of 313 HCC patients using tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry. Moreover, the function of stably overexpressed ALDOB in HCC cells was explored in vitro and in vivo. Gene expression microarray analysis was performed on ALDOB-overexpressing SMMC7721 cells to elucidate its mechanism of action. Results ALDOB downregulation in HCC was significantly correlated with aggressive characteristics including absence of encapsulation, increased tumor size (>5 cm) and early recurrence. ALDOB downregulation was indicative of a shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) for all HCC patients and early-stage HCC patients (BCLC 0-A and TNM I stage patients). Multiple analyses revealed that ALDOB downregulation was an independent risk factor of RFS and OS. Stable expression of ALDOB in HCC cell lines reduced cell migration in vitro and inhibited lung metastasis, intrahepatic metastasis, and reduced circulating tumor cells in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that cells stably expressing ALDOB show elevated Ten–Eleven Translocation 1 (TET1) expression. Moreover, ALDOB expressing cells have higher levels of methylglyoxal than do control cells, which can upregulate TET1 expression. Conclusion The downregulation of ALDOB could indicate a poor prognosis for HCC patients, and therefore, ALDOB might be considered a prognostic biomarker for HCC, especially at the early stage. In addition, ALDOB inhibits the invasive features of cell lines partly through TET1 expression. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12943-015-0437-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Graciliblatta bella Liang, Huang et Ren, gen. et sp. n. is described from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation of Daohugou in Eastern Inner Mongolia, China. Vein Sc of the new taxon has up to eight distinct branches, a remarkable diagnostic feature that distinguishes it from the other five known genera of the Raphidiomimidiae. The species was either extraordinary rare or lived remotely from the source area. It significantly expands the knowledge on diversity of carnivorous cockraoches - the least known cockroaches.