Objective To explore the effects of resveratrol-induced apoptosis and autophagy in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells and potential molecular mechanisms. Methods The anti-proliferation ...effect of resveratrol-induced, apoptosis and autophagy on T-ALL cells were detected by using MTI- test, immunofluorescence, electronic microscope, and flow cytometry, respectively. Western blotting was performed for detecting changes of apoptosis-associated proteins, cell cycle regulatory proteins and state of activation of Akt, mTOR, p70S6K, 4E-BP1, and p38-MAPK. Results Resveratrol inhibited the proliferation and dose and time-dependent manner. It also induced cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors p21 and induced apoptosis and autophagy in T-ALL cells in a cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase via up regulating p27 and down regulating cyclin A and cyclin D1. Western blotting revealed that resveratrol significantly decreased the expression of antiapoptotic proteins (Mcl-1 and Bcl-2) and increased the expression of proapoptotic proteins (Bax, Bim, and Bad), and induced cleaved-caspase-3 in a time-dependent manner. Significant increase in ratio of LC3-11/LC3-1 and Beclin 1 was also detected. Furthermore, resveratrol induced significant dephosphorylation of Akt, mTOR, p70S6K, and 4E-BP1, but enhanced specific phosphorylation of p38-MAPK which could be blocked by SB203580. When autophagy was suppressed by 3-MA, apoptosis in T-ALL cells induced by resveratrol was enhanced. Conclusion Our findings have suggested that resveratrol induces cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and autophagy in T-ALL cells through inhibiting Akt/mTOR/p7OS6K/4E-BP1 and activating p38-MAPK signaling pathways. Autophagy might play a role as a self-defense mechanism in T-ALL cells treated by resveratrol. Therefore, the reasonable inhibition of autophagy in T-ALL cells may serve as a promising strategy for resveratrol induced apoptosis and can be used as adjuvant chemotherapy for T-ALL.
Maternal exposure to di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) induces hypospadias, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we hypothesize that aberrant activation of autophagy and epithelial-mesenchymal ...transition (EMT) are the leading cause of DBP-related hypospadias. Pregnant rats received DBP orally at a dose of 750 mg/kg/day during gestational days 14–18. In DBP-induced hypospadiac male offspring, immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and Western blot showed increased expression of autophagy and EMT markers in genital tubercle (GT) tissue compared to the control. In addition, lower testosterone levels and androgen receptor (AR) expression in GT tissue were detected. In vitro studies revealed that impaired AR signaling was involved in DBP-induced autophagy and autophagy activation furthermore promoted EMT in urethral epithelial cells. DBP combined with chloroquine, an autophagy inhibitor, reduced the expression of EMT markers compared with DBP treatment alone, while DBP combined with the autophagy inducer rapamycin elevated the expression of EMT markers. The autophagy-lysosomal pathway inhibitor CQ but not proteasome inhibitor MG-132 rescued the decrease of E-cadherin after DBP treatment, which indicated autophagy-induced E-cadherin degradation contributes to DBP-related EMT. Taken together, our findings show that prenatal exposure to DBP induces abnormal autophagy and EMT that may play important roles in hypospadias development.
Increased prostatic smooth muscle tone and hyperplastic growth contribute to urethral obstruction and voiding symptoms in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). It has been suggested that different ...proliferative potential of stromal cells between transition zone (TZ) and adjoining regions of the prostate plays a significant role in the development of BPH. However, the molecular mechanisms of this hyperplastic process remain unclear. We found tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) highly expressed in TZ stromal cells compared to peripheral zone (PZ) stromal cells by gene array analyzes. Therefore, we aim to study the potential mechanisms of stromal TRAF6 in promoting BPH progression.
Stromal cells obtained from BPH-derived primary cultures. The TRAF6-siRNA vector were constructed and transfected into cultured human BPH primary TZ stromal cells, and TRAF6-overexpressing vector were constructed and transfected into cultured human BPH primary PZ stromal cells. Stromal cells were recombined with BPH-1 cells then subcutaneously inoculated into the kidney capsule of male nude mice. Cell proliferation was evaluated by CCK-8 assay. Multiple proteins in the Akt/mTOR pathway were assessed using western blot.
TRAF6 levels were increased in TZ stroma compared with PZ stroma of BPH. The in vitro cell culture and in vivo cell recombination revealed that selective downregulation of TRAF6 in TZ stromal cells led to suppression of the proliferation, while upregulation of TRAF6 in PZ stromal cells enhanced the proliferation. We found that the Phosphorylation and Ubiquitination of Akt as well as the Phosphorylation of mTOR, P70
were decreased when TRAF6 was downregulated in primary cultured TZ stromal cells of BPH.
TRAF6 can promote the proliferation of stromal cells of BPH via Akt/mTOR signaling. Our results may make stromal TRAF6 responsible for zonal characteristic of BPH and as a promising therapeutic strategy for BPH treatment.
Pelvic lymphadenectomy (PLND) is an integral part of curative surgery for high-risk non-muscle invasive and muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The therapeutic value of extended PLND is controversial.
We ...conducted a comprehensive online search in PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases for relevant literature directly comparing extended PLND (e-PLND) with non-extended PLND (ne-PLND) from database inception to June 2019. We performed the meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of PLND templates on recurrence-free survival (RFS), disease-specific survival (DSS), overall survival (OS), rates of postoperative major complications, and mortality within 90 days of surgery.
A total of 10 studies involving 3979 patients undergoing either e-PLND or ne-PLND were included. The results showed that e-PLND was significantly associated with better RFS (HR 0.74, 95% CI 0.62-0.90, p = 0.002) and DSS (HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.55-0.79, p < 0.001). However, no correlation was found between e-PLND template and a better OS (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.55-1.58, p = 0.79). Postoperative major complications were similar between e-PLND group and ne-PLND group, as was mortality within 90 days of surgery.
e-PLND template is correlated with favorable RFS and DSS outcomes for patients with bladder cancer. e-PLND did not have more postoperative major complications than did ne-PLND.
Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) is a powerful technique to characterize ferroelectric thin films by measuring the dynamic electromechanical response. The ferroelectricity is commonly ...demonstrated by the PFM hysteresis loops and a 180o phase difference of PFM images before and after poling. Such ferroelectric-like behaviors, however, recently are also found in many non-ferroelectrics. Consequently, it is still a challenge to identify intrinsic ferroelectricity in various kinds of thin films. Here, using PFM, we systematically studied the electromechanical responses in ferroelectric thin films with fast (BaTiO3) and slow (PVDF) switch dynamics, and also in the non-ferroelectric (Al2O3) thin films. It is found that both of the ac voltage (
V
a
c
) and pulsed dc voltage (
V
d
c
) play an important role in the PFM measurement. When the
V
a
c
amplitude is higher than a explicit threshold voltage (
V
c
), collapse of the PFM hysteresis loops is observed for the films with fast switch dynamics. By measuring PFM hysteresis loops at various
V
d
c
frequencies, an explicit
V
c
could be found in ferroelectric rather than in non-ferroelectric. The existence of an explicit
V
c
as well as nonvolatile behavior is proposed as an important approach to unambiguously identify intrinsic ferroelectricity in materials regardless of switch dynamics.
•Prenatal exposure to DBP can lead to combined anorectal and urogenital malformations as well as testes dysplasia.
Anorectal malformations in combination with hypospadias (ARMs & hypospadias) are a ...type of complex congenital malformations. The underlying mechanisms of this deformity are largely unknown. In this study, we comprehensively characterized the dysplasia, histological malformations, and genetic changes of ARMs & hypospadias in male rats after maternal exposure to di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) by gastric intubation at doses of 850mg/kg bw/day during GD11-15. On postnatal day 1, anatomical and histopathological analysis confirmed combined malformations of the genital tubercle (GT), terminal rectum (TR) and testes. DBP-induced dysplasia was also seen in the kidney, lung, spleen, heart and liver of ARMs & hypospadias male rats. Moreover, decreased levels of serum testosterone, as well as reduced expression of genes related to the androgen signaling pathway (Cyp11a1, Hsd3b, Scarb1, Star, AR, Srd5a2) were found in the testes of ARMs & hypospadias male rats after DBP exposure as compared to untreated controls. Further, decreased mRNA levels of Shh, Fgf10, Gli2, Gli3, Bmp4, Wnt5a, Hoxa13, Hoxd13, Fgfr2 and AR were observed in TR and GT in the ARMs & hypospadias group. These results provide evidence that prenatal exposure to DBP can lead to combined anorectal and urogenital malformations as well as dysplasia of the testes.
This study was to compare the alterations of androgen cascades in di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP)-exposed male offspring without hypospadias (undeformed) versus those with hypospadias. To induce ...hypospadias in male offspring, pregnant rats received DBP via oral gavage at a dose of 750mg/kg BW/day during gestational days 14–18. The mRNA expression levels of genes downstream of the androgen signaling pathway, such as androgen receptor (AR) and Srd5a2, in testes of undeformed rat pups were similar to those in controls; in hypospadiac rat pups these levels were significantly lower than those of control pups. In contrast, both undeformed and hypospadiac rats had decreased serum testosterone levels, reduced mRNA expression of key enzymes in the androgen synthetic pathway in the testes, and ablated genes of developmental pathways, such as Shh, Bmp4, Fgf8, Fgf10 and Fgfr2, in the genital tubercle (GT) as compared to those in DBP-unexposed controls, albeit hypospadiac rats had a more severe decrement than those of undeformed rats. Although other possibilities cannot be excluded, our findings suggest that the relatively normal levels of testosterone-AR-Srd5a2 may contribute to the resistance to DBP toxicity in undeformed rats. In conclusion, our results showed a potential correlation between decreased testosterone levels, reduced mRNA expression of AR and Srd5a2 and the occurrence of hypospadias in male rat offspring prenatally exposed to DBP.
Some laterally advanced cholangiocarcinomas behave as ductal spread or local invasion,and hepatopancreatoduodenectomy(HPD)may be performed for R0 resection.To date,there have been no reports of ...laparoscopic HPD(LHPD)in the English literature.We report the first case of LHPD for the resection of a BismuthⅢa cholangiocarcinoma invading the duodenum.The patient underwent laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy and right hemihepatectomy.Child’s approach was used for the reconstruction.The patient recovered well with bile leakage from the 2nd postoperative day and was discharged on the 16th postoperative day with a drainage tube in place which was removed 2 wk after discharge.Postoperative pathology revealed a well-differentiated cholangiocarcinoma andthe margin of liver parenchyma,pancreas and stomach was negative for metastases.The results suggest that LHPD is a feasible and safe procedure when performed in highly specialized centers and in suitable patients with cholangiocarcinoma.
This study aimed to assess the prognostic value of various diagnostic immunohistochemical (IHC) markers and develop an IHC-based classifier to predict the disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with ...bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy.
IHC was performed on tumor specimens from 366 patients with transitional cell bladder cancer. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression model was used to develop a multi-marker classifier for predicting DFS of patients with bladder cancer. The Kaplan-Meier estimate was performed to assess DFS, and unadjusted and adjusted Cox regression models were used to identify independent risk factors to predict DFS of patients with bladder cancer.
Based on the LASSO Cox regression model, nine prognostic markers were identified in the training cohort. Patients were stratified into low- and high-risk groups using the IHC-based classifier. In the training cohort, the 10-year DFS was significantly better in low-risk patients (71%) compared with high-risk patients (18%) (p < 0.001); in the validation cohort, the 10-year DFS was 86% for the low-risk group and 20% for the high-risk group (p < 0.001). Multivariable Cox regression analyses showed that the high-risk group based on the classifier was associated with poorer DFS adjusted by clinicopathological characteristics. Finally, a nomogram comprising the classifier and clinicopathological factors was developed for clinical application.
The nine-IHC-based classifier is a reliable prognostic tool, which can eventually guide clinical decision making regarding treatment strategy and follow-up scheduling of bladder cancer.