Epigenetic Regulation of Elf5 Is Associated with Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in Urothelial Cancer

E74-like factor 5 (Elf5) has been associated with tumor suppression in breast cancer. However, its role in urothelial cancer (UC) is completely unknown. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) and methylation specific PCR (MSP) were done to detect Elf5 expression level and its promoter methylation. Results revealed that low expression of Elf5 on protein and mRNA levels were associated with tumor progression, early relapse and poor survival. In vitro, down-regulation of Elf5 can increase epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Aberrant Elf5 methylation was identified as major mechanism for Elf5 gene silence. Accordingly, restoration of Elf5 by infection or demethylating treatment effectively reversed EMT processes. In conclusion, we identified Elf5 as a novel biomarker of UC on several biological levels and established a causative link between Elf5 and EMT in UC.     

The Association between Near Work Activities and Myopia in Children—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Myopia has a multifactorial etiology, although environmental factors are predominant in determining its current patterns. Currently, associations between near work activities and myopia have not been consistently observed. Therefore, we performed a systematic review to quantify the effect of near work activities on myopia in children. Relevant articles published between 1989 and 2014 were identified in MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Library, and the citation lists were reviewed. Twelve cohort studies and 15 cross-sectional studies were included (25,025 children aged between 6 and 18 years). The I ² statistic was used to assess heterogeneity. Study-level data were pooled using a random-effects model or a fixed-effects model (when less than 5 studies were included). We found that more time spent on near work activities was associated with higher odds of myopia (odds ratio [OR] = 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08–1.20) and that the odds of myopia increased by 2% (OR:1.02; 95% CI = 1.01–1.03) for every one diopter-hour (hr) more of near work per week. Therefore, the development of a strategy to reduce the impact of near work on myopia would be important for preventing myopia in children.     

MicroRNAs transcriptionally regulate promoter activity in Arabidopsis thaliana

Micro RNAs(mi RNAs) are vital regulators that repress gene expression in the cytoplasm in two main ways: m RNA degradation and translational inhibition. Several animal studies have shown that mi RNAs also target promoters, thereby activating expression.Whether this mi RNA action also occurs in plants is unknown. In this study, we demonstrated that several mi RNAs regulate target promoters in Arabidopsis thaliana. For example, mi R5658 was predominantly present in the nucleus and activated the expression of AT3 G25290 directly by binding to its promoter. Our observations suggest that this mode of action may be a general feature of plant mi RNAs, and thus provide insight into the vital roles of plant mi RNAs in the nucleus.     

Indication of dynamic neurovascular coupling from inconsistency between EEG and fMRI indices across sleep–wake states

Sleep and Biological Rhythms - Neurovascular coupling (NVC), the transient regional hyperemia following the evoked neuronal responses, is the basis of blood oxygenation level-dependent techniques...     

Cranial Suture Regeneration Mitigates Skull and Neurocognitive Defects in Craniosynostosis

1. Download : Download high-res image (195KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Single-cell landscape of the ecosystem in early-relapse hepatocellular carcinoma

1. Download : Download high-res image (233KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

FBXO44 promotes DNA replication-coupled repetitive element silencing in cancer cells

1. Download : Download high-res image (153KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image