Oncogenic MicroRNAs Characterization in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

A key challenge for the improvement of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) management could derive from a deeper characterization of the biology of these neoplasms that could greatly improve the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment choice. The aim of this study was to identify specific miRNAs that are deregulated in tumor vs. normal kidney tissues and that could impact on the biology of ccRCC. To this end we selected four miRNAs (miR-21-5p, miR-210-3p, miR-185-5p and miR-221-3p) and their expression has been evaluated in a retrospective cohort of formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from 20 ccRCC patients who underwent surgical nephrectomy resection. miR-21-5p and miR-210-3p resulted the most significantly up-regulated miRNAs in this patient cohort, highlighting these onco-miRNAs as possible relevant players involved in ccRCC tumorigenesis. Thus, this study reports the identification of specific oncogenic miRNAs that are altered in ccRCC tissues and suggests that they might be useful biomarkers in ccRCC management.     

细胞微包囊的研究进展

利用异体细胞是代谢类组织工程的研究热点，但异体细胞引起的免疫排斥反应是一个重要的限制因素。通过细胞微包裹，可以消除这种不期望的反应发生。本文介绍了机械，静电制备微包囊的方法以及细胞微包囊法在镇痛，人工胰岛，肝，肾等方面的应用，同时展望了细胞微包囊在生命科学领域中的应用前景。     

MiR-122 Induces Radiosensitization in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cell Line

MiR-122 is a novel tumor suppresser and its expression induces cell cycle arrest, or apoptosis, and inhibits cell proliferation in multiple cancer cells, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. Radioresistance of cancer cell leads to the major drawback of radiotherapy for NSCLC and the induction of radiosensitization could be a useful strategy to fix this problem. The present work investigates the function of miR-122 in inducing radiosensitization in A549 cell, a type of NSCLC cells. MiR-122 induces the radiosensitization of A549 cells. MiR-122 also boosts the inhibitory activity of ionizing radiation (IR) on cancer cell anchor-independent growth and invasion. Moreover, miR-122 reduced the expression of its targeted genes related to tumor-survival or cellular stress response. These results indicate that miR-122 would be a novel strategy for NSCLC radiation-therapy.     

H2S燃料电池用质子传导膜及电池性能

研究了H2S燃料电池用的质子传导膜的制备及性能,考察了不同的Li2SO4与填充物Al2O3的匹配、微量元素B(H2BO3)的掺杂对膜及电池性能影响.研究了由H2S、(MoS2+NiS)/Li2SO4-Al2O3/pt、air构成的燃料电池在101.13kPa和600～700℃C时的电化学特性.在实验温度范围内,质子传导膜Li2SO4-Al2O3及整个电池系统在H2S气流下具有较好的化学稳定性.温度提高,质子传导膜的内阻减小,膜及电池性能变好.微量元素B的掺杂提高了膜的机械强度及膜的致密性,从而改善了电池的性能.在实验条件下,较适宜的B的掺杂量为2%～5%(质量百分数),较适宜的Li2SO4Al2O3(质量比)为(3～5)1,电池最大输出电流密度和功率密度在700℃时分别达到200mA.cm-2和55mW.cm-2.     

应用流式细胞仪进行CHO细胞计数及存活率计算

以CHO生物工程细胞为对象,探索了流式细胞仪在细胞计数和细胞存活率计算方面的应用。通过设定侧向角散射SS、电子体积EV及荧光强度FL3等3个参数,编制CHO细胞计数程序,再应用流式细胞仪进行细胞计数和存活率计算,其结果与血球计数板法基本一致,但操作更迅速、SD值更低,说明流式细胞仪法较血球计数板法更高效稳定。流式细胞仪法提高了生物工程的生产效率和毒理学评价的准确性,可应用于大规模细胞实验中。     

UV-Induced Cell Death in Plants

Plants are photosynthetic organisms that depend on sunlight for energy. Plants respond to light through different photoreceptors and show photomorphogenic development. Apart from Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR; 400–700 nm), plants are exposed to UV light, which is comprised of UV-C (below 280 nm), UV-B (280–320 nm) and UV-A (320–390 nm). The atmospheric ozone layer protects UV-C radiation from reaching earth while the UVR8 protein acts as a receptor for UV-B radiation. Low levels of UV-B exposure initiate signaling through UVR8 and induce secondary metabolite genes involved in protection against UV while higher dosages are very detrimental to plants. It has also been reported that genes involved in MAPK cascade help the plant in providing tolerance against UV radiation. The important targets of UV radiation in plant cells are DNA, lipids and proteins and also vital processes such as photosynthesis. Recent studies showed that, in response to UV radiation, mitochondria and chloroplasts produce a reactive oxygen species (ROS). Arabidopsis metacaspase-8 (AtMC8) is induced in response to oxidative stress caused by ROS, which acts downstream of the radical induced cell death (AtRCD1) gene making plants vulnerable to cell death. The studies on salicylic and jasmonic acid signaling mutants revealed that SA and JA regulate the ROS level and antagonize ROS mediated cell death. Recently, molecular studies have revealed genes involved in response to UV exposure, with respect to programmed cell death (PCD).     

单细胞测序技术研究进展

单细胞测序技术是能够在单个细胞的水平上,对基因组进行高通量测序分析的一项新技术。与传统高通量测序相比,单细胞测序不仅能够分析相同表型细胞的遗传异质性,还能获取难以培养微生物的遗传信息,具有广阔的应用前景。单细胞测序技术的流程主要包括单细胞分离、细胞溶解与基因组DNA获取、全基因组扩增、测序与数据分析4个方面,以该技术流程为主线,分析了现有技术的优缺点,并对最新的改进办法进行了综述。     

Design of Polymeric Immunomicrospheres for Cell Labelling and Cell Separation

Immunomicrospheres consist of hydrophilic cross-linked particles with antibodies bound to their surface. These particles find specific receptors on living or fixed cells and there fore can label cell sub-populations and the labelled cells can be observed by means of a scanning, electron or light-microscope. To label cells with polymeric particles, biocompatible microspheres are needed preferably with a narrow distribution of sizes in the range 10 to 10,000 Å. Particles having a gel-like nature and high porosity seem to meet the biocompatibility requirement and they do not stick non-specifically to cell membranes. Use of cross-linking agents renders the microspheres insoluble in common solvents. Therefore, subsequent reactions with molecules of biochemical interest are possible in various media. Five classes of hydrophilic cross-linked microspheres with functional groups e.g. carboxyl, hydroxyl, amide and/or pyridine groups were synthesised. These functional groups were used to bind covalently antibodies and other proteins to the surface of the microspheres. To optimise the derivatisation technique, polyglutaraldehyde immunomicrospheres have been prepared and utilised. Specific populations of human and murine lymphocytes were labelled with microspheres synthesised either by the emulsion or the ionising radiation technique. The labelling of the cells by means of microspheres containing an iron core led to a successful separation of B from T lymphocytes by means of a magnetic field.     

电子烟烟气捕集液对CHO细胞相对增殖率的影响

参照加拿大Labstat的电子烟抽吸模式,抽吸100口电子烟,用细胞培养基捕集电子烟烟气,通过MTT法研究电子烟烟气对CHO细胞相对增殖率的影响。结果表明:在该抽吸模式下,抽吸100口电子烟产生的烟气捕集液与CHO细胞相对增殖率之间存在浓度梯度效应;抽吸一支3R4F产生的烟气捕集液对CHO细胞相对增殖率的影响明显高于抽吸100口电子烟所产生烟气的影响,在100%烟气浓度下,电子烟烟气捕集液对CHO细胞的相对增殖率是3R4F的10倍以上。     

Evaluation of MC3T3-E1 Cell Osteogenesis in Different Cell Culture Media

Many biomaterials have been evaluated using cultured cells. In particular, osteoblast-like cells are often used to evaluate the osteocompatibility, hard-tissue-regeneration, osteoconductive, and osteoinductive characteristics of biomaterials. However, the evaluation of biomaterial osteogenesis-inducing capacity using osteoblast-like cells is not standardized; instead, it is performed under laboratory-specific culture conditions with different culture media. However, the effect of different media conditions on bone formation has not been investigated. Here, we aimed to evaluate the osteogenesis of MC3T3-E1 cells, one of the most commonly used osteoblast-like cell lines for osteogenesis evaluation, and assayed cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, expression of osteoblast markers, and calcification under varying culture media conditions. Furthermore, the various media conditions were tested in uncoated plates and plates coated with collagen type I and poly-L-lysine, highly biocompatible molecules commonly used as pseudobiomaterials. We found that the type of base medium, the presence or absence of vitamin C, and the freshness of the medium may affect biomaterial regeneration. We posit that an in vitro model that recapitulates in vivo bone formation should be established before evaluating biomaterials.     

燃料电池在"燃烧学"教学中的应用

"燃烧学"作为能源动力类专业的核心专业学科,相较于其他课程而言,公式、模型较多,概念内容更加抽象难懂,单纯的理论教学方法无法达到预期的教学效果,实践教学具有不可替代的作用。分析了传统的课程教学存在的不足,以"燃烧学"在燃料电池上的应用为例,将燃料电池的制作引入到课程教学中,探讨了"燃烧学"教学改革的内容及方法,从而弥补了燃烧学课程的不足,提高学生的学习积极性。     

微生物燃料电池中的微生物分析

考察了一个长期以葡萄糖为营养液的微生物燃料电池(MFC)对不同基质的适应性,通过形态学、生理生化特性和16SrDNA分析等手段对电池两极的优势微生物进行了分离、鉴定,并通过MFC方法确定了各微生物的电化学活性.结果显示:1)长期以葡萄糖为基质的MFC可以快速适应以其它单糖、二糖或糖类代谢产物为基质的环境,2)以代谢产物为基质时,电池输出最大电压、库仑效率均明显高于糖类物质:3)从电池阳极分离出三种微生物,经DNA分析可确定三种微生物分别为绿脓杆菌、地衣芽孢杆菌和肺炎克雷伯氏菌,并进一步经MFC分析可确定三种微生物均为电化学活性微生物.     

Role of Dendritic Cell in Diabetic Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most significant microvascular complications in diabetic patients. DN is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease, accounting for approximately 50% of incident cases. The current treatment options, such as optimal control of hyperglycemia and elevated blood pressure, are insufficient to prevent its progression. DN has been considered as a nonimmune, metabolic, or hemodynamic glomerular disease initiated by hyperglycemia. However, recent studies suggest that DN is an inflammatory disease, and immune cells related with innate and adaptive immunity, such as macrophage and T cells, might be involved in its development and progression. Although it has been revealed that kidney dendritic cells (DCs) accumulation in the renal tissue of human and animal models of DN require activated T cells in the kidney disease, little is known about the function of DCs in DN. In this review, we describe kidney DCs and their subsets, and the role in the pathogenesis of DN. We also suggest how to improve the kidney outcomes by modulating kidney DCs optimally in the patients with DN.     

Tangential Flow Cell Separation from Mammalian Cell Culture

Abstract

Tangential flow cell separation from fermenter-derived mammalian cell culture has been studied. The process is governed by transmembrane pressure and interactions of carry-over cells with the membrane. Membrane regeneration and comparison with other cell separation systems were discussed. Higher throughput per unit area over conventional dead end filter was demonstrated.     

Cell Death Mechanisms Induced by CLytA-DAAO Chimeric Enzyme in Human Tumor Cell Lines

The combination of the choline binding domain of the amidase N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine (CLytA)-D-amino acid oxidase (DAAO) (CLytA-DAAO) and D-Alanine induces cell death in several pancreatic and colorectal carcinoma and glioblastoma cell lines. In glioblastoma cell lines, CLytA-DAAO-induced cell death was inhibited by a pan-caspase inhibitor, suggesting a classical apoptotic cell death. Meanwhile, the cell death induced in pancreatic and colon carcinoma cell lines is some type of programmed necrosis. In this article, we studied the mechanisms that trigger CLytA-DAAO-induced cell death in pancreatic and colorectal carcinoma and glioblastoma cell lines and we acquire a further insight into the necrotic cell death induced in pancreatic and colorectal carcinoma cell lines. We have analyzed the intracellular calcium mobilization, mitochondrial membrane potential, PARP-1 participation and AIF translocation. Although the mitochondrial membrane depolarization plays a crucial role, our results suggest that CLytA-DAAO-induced cell death is context dependent. We have previously detected pancreatic and colorectal carcinoma cell lines (Hs766T and HT-29, respectively) that were resistant to CLytA-DAAO-induced cell death. In this study, we have examined the putative mechanism underlying the resistance in these cell lines, evaluating both detoxification mechanisms and the inflammatory and survival responses. Overall, our results provide a better understanding on the cell death mechanism induced by CLytA-DAAO, a promising therapy against cancer.     

燃料电池

<正> 地球上能源主要来自煤、石油及天然气等燃料。这些物质在地下的贮存量是有限的,它们迟早会被用完。因此检查这些物质是否已经物尽其用,显然是极其重要并有深远意义的。利用烃类燃料能量的方法,不外是把它在空气中燃烧产生的热,用来产生高压蒸汽,推动涡轮机作功,或者把它在内燃机中燃烧,直接推动机器作功或发电。这种利用都会产生大量的烟雾、臭氧、二氧化氮等污染空气,并可提高空气中二氧化碳的浓度。另外,蒸汽机、内燃机等热机的能量利用效率要受卡诺效率的限制,燃料直接燃烧的热能有60%以上没有利用,若是使燃烧反应在燃料电池中来实现,则反应的热效应可部分或全部转变为电功,而且电池中能量转换的效率几乎都超过热机效率的一倍以上。从节约能源观点来     

Myricanol Induces Apoptotic Cell Death and Anti-Tumor Activity in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma in Vivo

This study explored the inhibiting effect and mechanism of myricanol on lung adenocarcinoma A549 xenografts in nude mice. Forty nude mice with subcutaneous A549 xenografts were randomly divided into five groups: high-dose myricanol (40 mg/kg body weight) group; middle-dose myricanol (20 mg/kg body weight) group; low-dose myricanol (10 mg/kg body weight) group; polyethylene glycol 400 vehicle group (1 mL/kg); and tumor model group. Nude mice were sacrificed after 14 days of treatment and the tumor inhibition rate (TIR, %) was then calculated. The relative mRNA expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin in the tumor tissues were determined by real-time PCR. TUNEL assay was applied to determine cellular apoptosis, while IHC test was performed to detect the protein expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin. The TIR of the three myricanol-treated groups ranged from 14.9% to 38.5%. The IHC results showed that the protein expression of Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin were consistently downregulated, whereas that of Bax was upregulated after myricanol treatment. Myricanol also significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of Bax and downregulated that of Bcl-2, VEGF, HIF-1α, and survivin in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05 to 0.001). These results are consistent with those of IHC. The TUNEL assay results indicated that apoptotic-positive cells significantly increased in the myricanol-treated tumor tissues compared with the cells of the vehicle control group (p < 0.01 to 0.001). These data suggest that myricanol could significantly decelerate tumor growth in vivo by inducing apoptosis.     

YueF Overexpression Inhibits Cell Proliferation Partly through p21 Upregulation in Renal Cell Carcinoma

YueF is a novel putative tumor suppressor gene that can inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in hepatoma cells, but its role in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) remains unclear. Here, we examined the expression of the YueF gene in RCC tissues and the effect of YueF on cell proliferation in RCC 786-0 cells. The results showed that YueF was expressed at high levels in normal kidney tissues and cell lines but was reduced or absent in RCC tissues and 786-0 cells. Lentivirus-mediated YueF overexpression in RCC 786-0 cells caused cell-cycle arrest in the G1 phase and dramatically reduced proliferation in culture. YueF overexpression resulted in increased protein levels of p53 and p21(WAF1/Cip1), whereas the protein levels of cyclin D1 and pRb were decreased. The proliferation defects caused by YueF overexpression could be partially rescued by the expression of p21 siRNA. These findings suggest a critical role for p21 in the YueF-induced growth inhibition of 786-0 cells and provide novel insights into the mechanism underlying the tumor-suppressive action of YueF.