Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research
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BACKGROUND Bilirubin encephalopathy is a serious complication in neonatal jaundice and is associated with high mortality and disability in newborns. The present study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) on bilirubin encephalopathy in vitro and in vivo. MATERIAL AND METHODS The cytotoxicity of unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) to neurons and neuroprotection of ω-3 PUFA were investigated using MTT assays and apoptosis evaluations. ⋯ RESULTS Omega-3 PUFA reduced the rate of apoptosis induced by UCB and increased SOD and CAT enzyme activity for anti-oxidation. DHA did not reduce the bilirubin in the serum of neonatal rats with bilirubin encephalopathy, but did reduce the damage caused by bilirubin with decreased NSE and apoptosis rate as well as improved neuron morphology. CONCLUSIONS Omega-3 PUFA, particularly DHA, can reduce neurological damage in neonatal rats with bilirubin encephalopathy by increasing anti-apoptosis and anti-oxidation effects against UCB, providing a theoretical basis for the clinical treatment of bilirubin encephalopathy in newborns.
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BACKGROUND To explore the expression level of retinoic acid induced 14 (RAI14) in gastric cancer (GC) patients and its potentially clinical prognostic value. MATERIAL AND METHODS Initially, The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Oncomine databases were mined to examine the differential expression levels and clinical prognostic significance of RAI14 mRNA in GC patients. Subsequently, 68 cases of GC and paired adjacent normal tissues were collected retrospectively, and the expression level of RAI14 protein was detected by immunohistochemical staining. ⋯ Moreover, TCGA database and Kaplan-Meier Plotter mining results showed that compared to those with RAI14 low mRNA expression levels, GC patients with RAI14 high mRNA expression levels had remarkably lower time of both overall survival and disease-free survival (All P<0.05). Additionally, based on the immunohistochemical results, Kaplan-Meier univariate and Cox multivariate survival analyses indicated that high expression of RAI14 was the only independent predictor of unfavorable prognosis in patients with gastric cancer (P=0.000). CONCLUSIONS RAI14 was highly expressed in GC, and the high expression of RAI14 could be an independent predictor of poor prognosis in GC patients.
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BACKGROUND Vertebral compression fracture is common in osteoporosis, but can also occur due to bone metastases, for which current treatment options are limited and include bone-strengthening with cement and supportive care. Kyphoplasty is a surgical method of bone augmentation that can reduce pain, stabilize vertebral bone, and restore some or all of the vertebral body height. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical results of balloon kyphoplasty in the correction of vertebral deformity due to metastatic vertebral compression fracture. ⋯ RESULTS Following balloon kyphoplasty, the KA, VHR, VAS, and ODI scores significantly improved at the final 12-month follow-up compared with preoperative levels (p<0.05, and p<0.001). There was cement leakage in 6 procedures (8.3%) and adjacent segment fracture in 11 procedures (15.2%). CONCLUSIONS Balloon kyphoplasty was an effective method to reduce pain, reduce disability, and improve quality of life by eliminating kyphotic deformity in pathological vertebral compression fractures due to vertebral metastases.
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BACKGROUND Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) has a more aggressive recurrence. Previous reports have demonstrated that sphingosine kinase 1 (SphK1) is a crucial regulator of breast cancer progression. However, the correlation of SphK1 with clinical prognosis has been poorly investigated. ⋯ Furthermore, silencing of SphK1 by Ad-SPHK1-siRNA or SphK1 inhibitor PF543 sensitized TNBCs to 5-FU and doxorubicin. Our results also indicated that SphK1 inhibition could effectively counteracts tumors metastasis via Notch signaling pathways, indicating a potentially anti-tumor strategy in TNBC. CONCLUSIONS We found that elevated levels of pSphK1 were positive correlation with high expression of S1P, which in turn promoted metastasis of TNBC through S1P/S1PR3/Notch signaling pathway.