Cystosarcoma phyllodes. Diagnosis by fine needle aspiration cytology.

The cytologic features of 10 benign, 2 borderline and 5 malignant phyllodes tumors were studied, and an attempt was made to correlate the cytologic findings with corresponding histologic categories. Seventy-five percent of the benign and borderline tumors were interpreted as benign cystosarcoma phyllodes on fine needle aspiration cytology. Eighty percent of the malignant phyllodes tumors were identified as malignant lesions cytologically. The cytologic features assessed were the epithelial:stromal ratio and morphology of the stromal component, including the degree of atypia, mitotic activity, capillary vessels traversing the stromal fragments, presence of foamy macrophages, histiocytic giant cells and bipolar naked nuclei. A diagnosis of phyllodes tumor was suggested cytologically by the presence of both epithelial and stromal elements; the stroma was present as cellular "phyllodes fragments" and isolated mesenchymal cells. The parameters suggesting malignancy were extreme paucity or absence of epithelial elements and stromal cells in diffuse sheets and clusters less cohesive than normal, with marked stromal atypia and mitotic activity.     

Effects of Nerve Growth Factor on Glutathione Peroxidase and Catalase in PC 12 Cells

Abstract: Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a member of the neuro- trophin family and is required for the survival and maintenance of peripheral sympathetic and sensory ganglia. In the CNS, NGF regulates cholinergic expression by basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. NGF also stimulates cellular resistance to oxidative stress in the PC12 cell line and protects PC12 cells from the toxic effects of reactive oxygen species. The hypothesis that NGF protection involves changes in antioxidant enzyme expression was tested by measuring its effects on catalase and glutathione per- oxidase (GSH Px) mRNA expression in PC12 cells. NGF increased catalase and GSH Px mRNA levels in PC 12 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. There was also a corresponding increase in the enzyme activities of catalase and GSH Px. Thus, NGF can provide cytoprotection to PC12 cells by inducing the free radical scavenging enzymes catalase and GSH Px.     

A Rapid Method for Microbial Sample Preparation for the Scanning Electron Microscope

A synthetic aromatic polymer has been used for preparing replicas of different microorganisms. This method of preparing highly concentrated (9.6 k) microbiological samples for scanning electron microscopy was compared with a standard method. The micrographs of the replicated samples are satisfactory. This method is rapid, cost effective and produces good results, especially in the case of spore-forming mycelial microorganisms.     

生菜种子低温处理后耐冻性和脂肪酸合成代谢的关系研究

以生菜(Lactuca sativa)种子为研究对象,通过不同时间的吸水处理分析其含水量变化,再通过程序降温处理,分析不同含水量种子发芽率的差异,以及脂肪酸合成有关基因(FAD2、FAD3、PPT、ELOVL)和冷调节基因ICE1的表达。结果表明,种子含水量随吸水时间增加而升高。程序降温至同样的低温冷冻条件下(-20℃、-22℃),吸水时间小于6 h的种子发芽率较高,而吸水8 h以上的种子发芽率显著降低。种子吸水8 h含水量处于饱和状态,在此状态下种子对低温较为敏感,说明含水量对种子耐冻性有影响。冷冻处理后生菜种子基因表达检测结果表明,脂肪酸去饱和酶基因(FAD2、FAD3)、蛋白质棕榈酰基硫脂酶相关基因(PPT）、长链脂肪酸延伸酶相关基因(ELOVL)的表达水平均随着种子含水量增加呈上升趋势,吸胀10 h的种子表达量最高,此时种子由于高含水量所受冷冻伤害最大。基因ICE1在冷冻处理种子中的表达也随着吸水时间增加而升高,在吸水10 h时种子中表达量到最高水平。综上,种子含水量越高,所受冷冻伤害越大。但种子在低温条件下具有一定的抗冷反应,可通过相关基因的过表达调控合成更多不饱和脂肪酸、抗冻蛋白等提高含水种子耐冻性。     

Chiral Imidazolidin-4-one with catalytic amount of Dicationic ionic liquid act as a recoverable and reusable Organocatalyst for asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction

Imidazolidin-4-one is used as a recoverable organocatalyst for the asymmetric Diels-Alder reaction in the presence of catalytic amount of dicationic ionic liquid and trifluoroacetic acid as a co-catalyst. The Diels-Alder reaction between model substrate cyclopentadiene and crotonaldehyde gave the product in 95% conversion and 87% ee of the endo-product. The catalyst was shown better reusability when the 20 mol% of dicationic ionic liquid was used and catalyst was reused upto 5 cycles, conversion remains upto 3 recycles but ee of endo- 9 was slightly droped.     

Identification of novel dysregulated circular RNAs in early-stage breast cancer

Breast cancer is a major cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide. Non-coding RNAs are a potential resource to be used as an early diagnostic biomarker for breast cancer. Circular RNAs are a recently identified group of non-coding RNA with a significant role in disease development with potential utility in diagnosis/prognosis in cancer. In this study, we identified 26 differentially expressed circular RNAs associated with early-stage breast cancer. RNA sequencing and two circRNA detection tools (find_circ and DCC) were used to understand the circRNA expression signature in breast cancer. We identified hsa_circ_0006743 (circJMJD1C) and hsa_circ_0002496 (circAPPBP1) to be significantly up-regulated in early-stage breast cancer tissues. Co-expression analysis identified four pairs of circRNA-miRNA (hsa_circ_0023990 : hsa-miR-548b-3p, hsa_circ_0016601 : hsa_miR-1246, hsa_circ_0001946 : hsa-miR-1299 and hsa_circ_0000117:hsa-miR-502-5p) having potential interaction. The miRNA target prediction and network analysis revealed mRNA possibly regulated by circRNAs. We have thus identified circRNAs of diagnostic implications in breast cancer and also observed circRNA-miRNA interaction which could be involved in breast cancer development.     

Skeletal Cell Differentiation Is Enhanced by Atmospheric Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Treatment

Enhancing chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation is of paramount importance in providing effective regenerative therapies and improving the rate of fracture healing. This study investigated the potential of non-thermal atmospheric dielectric barrier discharge plasma (NT-plasma) to enhance chondrocyte and osteoblast proliferation and differentiation. Although the exact mechanism by which NT-plasma interacts with cells is undefined, it is known that during treatment the atmosphere is ionized generating extracellular reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) and an electric field. Appropriate NT-plasma conditions were determined using lactate-dehydrogenase release, flow cytometric live/dead assay, flow cytometric cell cycle analysis, and Western blots to evaluate DNA damage and mitochondrial integrity. We observed that specific NT-plasma conditions were required to prevent cell death, and that loss of pre-osteoblastic cell viability was dependent on intracellular ROS and RNS production. To further investigate the involvement of intracellular ROS, fluorescent intracellular dyes Mitosox (superoxide) and dihydrorhodamine (peroxide) were used to assess onset and duration after NT-plasma treatment. Both intracellular superoxide and peroxide were found to increase immediately post NT-plasma treatment. These increases were sustained for one hour but returned to control levels by 24 hr. Using the same treatment conditions, osteogenic differentiation by NT-plasma was assessed and compared to peroxide or osteogenic media containing β-glycerolphosphate. Although both NT-plasma and peroxide induced differentiation-specific gene expression, neither was as effective as the osteogenic media. However, treatment of cells with NT-plasma after 24 hr in osteogenic or chondrogenic media significantly enhanced differentiation as compared to differentiation media alone. The results of this study show that NT-plasma can selectively initiate and amplify ROS signaling to enhance differentiation, and suggest this technology could be used to enhance bone fusion and improve healing after skeletal injury.     

Japanese Encephalitis Virus Disrupts Cell-Cell Junctions and Affects the Epithelial Permeability Barrier Functions

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a neurotropic flavivirus, which causes viral encephalitis leading to death in about 20–30% of severely-infected people. Although JEV is known to be a neurotropic virus its replication in non-neuronal cells in peripheral tissues is likely to play a key role in viral dissemination and pathogenesis. We have investigated the effect of JEV infection on cellular junctions in a number of non-neuronal cells. We show that JEV affects the permeability barrier functions in polarized epithelial cells at later stages of infection. The levels of some of the tight and adherens junction proteins were reduced in epithelial and endothelial cells and also in hepatocytes. Despite the induction of antiviral response, barrier disruption was not mediated by secreted factors from the infected cells. Localization of tight junction protein claudin-1 was severely perturbed in JEV-infected cells and claudin-1 partially colocalized with JEV in intracellular compartments and targeted for lysosomal degradation. Expression of JEV-capsid alone significantly affected the permeability barrier functions in these cells. Our results suggest that JEV infection modulates cellular junctions in non-neuronal cells and compromises the permeability barrier of epithelial and endothelial cells which may play a role in viral dissemination in peripheral tissues.