OBJECTIVE: To explore expressions and biological functions of CENP-T in breast cancer,and to analyze the mutation and methylation status in gene promoter sequences.METHODS: Expressions of the CENP-T protein in 26 pairs of breast cancer tissues and adjacent normal breast tissues were detected by immunohistochemical method.Tissue genomic DNA was extracted and sequenced to analyze mutation of CENP-T in the promoter region and methylation levels of CpG islands in the promoter region after bisulfite modification.Western blot was used to detect CENP-T protein expression in three cell lines:MCF10A,MCF7 and MDA-MB-231.The MCF7 cell line was constructed by CENP-T siRNA transient transfection,and effects of the interference were evaluated using Western blot.After the knockdown,expressions of CENP-T,and proliferation ability were examined using the MTT and the plate colony formation assays.Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were testified by flow cytometry.RESULTS: CENP-T protein expressions in the breast cancer group was significantly lower than that in the adjacent normal breast group (P<0.01).Three mutations of C1417T,C1545T and C1628G were detected in the CENT-P promoter region of breast cancer tissues,and the methylation levels were increased by 49.5%.After CENP-T knockdown,proliferation activities of the MCF7 cells were enhanced (P<0.05),colony formation abilities were enhanced (P<0.01),proportions of cells in the G2/M phase were significantly increased (P<0.01),and apoptosis rates were decreased (P<0.01).CONCLUSION: The down-regulation of CENP-T protein levels promoted proliferations of breast cancer cells which were associated with promoter region mutations and increased methylations.These results indicate that the downregulation of CENP-T expression was related to breast cancer risk.

OBJECTIVE: To explore mechanisms of Zhenqi Fuzheng granules in the treatment of colorectal cancer-related fatigue.METHODS: The main chemical components of Astragalus membranaceus and Ligustrum lucidum were obtained from the traditional Chinese medicine system pharmacology database and analysis platform (TCMSP),and the active components of Chinese medicine were screened according to ADME.The main targets of colorectal cancer-related fatigue were obtained through databases such as GeneCards and OMIM.The protein interaction analysis was carried out by using String platform,and the protein-protein interaction network (PPI) was constructed.The MCODE plug-in in CytoScape 3.7.2 was used to mine the potential protein function modules in the network.Metascape platform was used to analyze"drugs-componentstargets "and their biological processes and pathways involved,and then Cytoscape 3.7.2 software was used to construct a network of" Zhenqi Fuzheng Granules-colorectal cancer-related fatigue targets-pathways".Finally,the molecular docking was verified by AutoDock Vina1.1.2.RESULTS: The core active components of Zhenqi Fuzheng granules in the treatment of colorectal cancer-related fatigue were quercetin,luteolin,kaempferol,β-sitosterol and stamen isoflavones,and the core targets were AKT1,JUN,MMP9,VEGFA and so on.The results of molecular docking also proved that the above core components had good binding activity to the core targets.The biological pathway of Zhenqi Fuzheng granules in the treatment of colorectal cancer-related fatigue mainly acts on pathways in cancer,PI3K-AKT signaling pathway and so on.CONCLUSION: This study indicated the multi-component,multi-target and multi-pathway characteristics of Zhenqi Fuzheng granules in the treatment of colorectal cancer-related fatigue,and provided a basis for further research on the mechanism and clinical application of Zhenqi Fuzheng granules in the treatment of colorectal cancer-related fatigue.

OBJECTIVE: To use meta-analysis for assessing the occurrence of TMPRSS2::ERG fusion gene in Chinese patients with prostate cancer.METHODS: A systematic search was conducted through PubMed,Web of Science,Google Scholar,China knowledge Resource Database (CNKI),Wanfang Medical online Database and VIP Database.The risk of bias was assessed using QUADAS-2 and a meta-analysis was performed using Stata12.0 and Review Manager 5.3 to evaluate the occurrence of TMPRSS2::ERG fusion gene in Chinese prostate cancer patients.RESULTS: A total of 16 articles were included.The incidence rate of TMPRSS2::ERG fusion gene in prostate cancer was 16.7%[95% CI (14.5%,18.8%)].Regarding the type of samples,biopsy specimens showed the incidence rate of fusion gene was 17.9%[95% CI (15.8%,20.1%)].When using immunohistochemistry (IHC) detection technology,the incidence rate of fusion gene was 16.6%[95% CI (13.0%,20.2%)].CONCLUSION: The occurrence of TMPRSS2::ERG fusion gene was low in Chinese prostate cancer patients,therefore,the TMPRSS2::ERG fusion gene cannot be used as a diagnostic marker for Chinese prostate cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression level of P2RX1 in non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and to investigate relationships among P2RX1 expression,prognosis and tumor immune infiltration level of LUAD patients.METHODS: Different bioinformatic tools were used to explore correlations between P2RX1 expressions and DNA methylation levels in LUAD.The correlations between P2RX1 expression and prognosis of LUAD patients was also explored by different tools.The P2RX1 co-expressed genes were screened to explore the functional classifications and to select hub genes in LUAD.TIMER 2.0 database,R software and other bioinformatic tools were used to investigate correlations among P2RX1 expression,immune infiltration and immune checkpoints in LUAD.RESULTS: P2RX1 expressions were significantly downregulated in LUAD (P<0.05).Low P2RX1 expression levels tended to present worse prognosis in LUAD patients.In LUAD,P2RX1 expression was correlated with many clinicopathological factors such as tumor purity,stage and so on (P<0.05).No significant relationship was found between P2RX1 expression and prognosis of cancer.The methylation level of Cg06475633 was significantly associated with prognosis in LUAD patients.The P2RX1 coexpressed genes were mainly involved in immune cells activation,differentiation and other molecular biological process and signaling pathways.The selected hub genes contained BTK,IKZF1 and others.Most Hub genes were correlated with better prognosis in LUAD.The expression of P2RX1 was significantly correlated with immune cells infiltration especially with B cells infiltration in LUAD.P2RX1 expression was also positively correlated with immune stromal score,PD-1,CTLA-4 and many other immune checkpoints in LUAD (P< 0.05).CONCLUSION: P2RX1 might be useful as a biomarker for detection and as a therapeutic target for LUAD.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the application effects of artificial intelligence (AI) in cytological diagnosis of cervical lesions.METHODS: 2 719 cervical TCT specimens were collected.AI-assisted and manual diagnoses were performed on all specimens to compare their consistency.Histopathological results were used as the gold standard.The accuracy,sensitivity,specificity and area under ROC curve of AI-assisted diagnosis and manual diagnosis were compared.RESULTS: The results of AI-assisted cytological grading diagnosis were basically consistent with results of manual diagnosis.AI-assisted diagnosis of low-grade lesions and inflammation was more accurate than manual radiography (P<0.01).In the diagnosis of high-grade lesions and cancer,the sensitivity of AI diagnosis was 82.1%,higher than 48.3% of manual diagnosis.The specificity of AI diagnosis was 94.3%,slightly lower than 95.0% of manual diagnosis.The area under ROC curve of AIassisted diagnosis (AUC=0.882) was larger than that of manual diagnosis (AUC=0.717),and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01).CONCLUSION: AI-assisted diagnosis showed high accuracy in the diagnosis of cervical cancer,which should improve the coverage rate and the quality of cervical cancer screening in the general population.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects from Zaoci decotion in combinations with cisplatin and gemcitadine on growth inhibition of non-small cell lung cancers.METHODS: Fifty SPF-grade BALB/c nude mice were inoculated with A549 cell suspension in the axilla of the right forelimb against the back and used as a non-small cell lung cancer model.After successful modeling,inoculated mice were randomly divided into several groups:model,Zaoci decotion,gemcitabine combined with cisplatin (GP),cisplatin,and Zaoci decotion combined with GP.The model group was gavaged with saline (0.01 mL/g) per day;Zaoci decotion group gavaged with daily saponin soup (1 mL/mouse);GP group intraperitoneal injection with cisplatin (2 mg/kg) and gemcitabine (50 mg/kg) once every 3 days;cisplatin group intraperitoneal injection with cisplatin (2 mg/kg) for 1 time every 3 days;Zaoci decotion combined with GP regimen group daily gavage with Zaoci decotion (1 mL/mouse) and intraperitoneal injection with cisplatin (2 mg/kg) and gemcitabine (50 mg/kg) every 3 days.A total of 21 d of treatment was administered to each group.Tumor diameters were measured by vernier calipers at 3 d,7 d,14 d and 21 d of administrations;their weights were recorded after execution of the mice;tumor cell apoptoses were observed by TUNEL staining;tumor tissue Ki67,CD31,α-SMA and VEGF expressions were detected by immunohistochemistry;serum IL-4,IL-6 and TNF-α concentrations were detected by ELISA;tumor tissue Bax,Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 protein expressions were detected by Western blot.RESULTS: On the 21st day of administration,compared with the model group,tumor volumes and tumor weights in the Zaoci decotion,GP,cisplatin,and Zaoci decotion combined with GP groups were reduced significantly.The tumor volumes and tumor weights of the Zaoci decotion combined with GP group were the smallest (P<0.05).The apoptosis rates,Bax and Caspase-3 protein expressions were significantly higher,and Ki67 and Bcl-2 protein expressions were significantly lower in the Zaoci decotion combined with GP compared with the model group,the Zaoci decotion,the GP,and the cisplatin groups (P<0.05).Compared with the model group,the Zaoci decotion and the GP groups showed significantly lower IL-6 and TNF-α contents,and expressions of CD31,α-SMA and VEGF proteins (P<0.05).The contents of IL-4 were significantly higher in the Zaoci decotion combined with GP group (P<0.05).CONCLUSION: Zaoci decotion showed significant enhancing effects on the growth inhibition of non-small cell lung cancer by cisplatin combined with gemcitabine.The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of angiogenesis and induction of apoptosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate expression of SLC50A1 and its significance in breast cancers (BC).METHODS: Plasma samples from 39 BC patients who met the inclusion criteria of this study were investigated using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The Mann-Whitney U-test and Kendall's Tau-b were used to analyze differences and correlations between SLC50A1 protein levels and their clinical data.The multivariate Cox regression was used to investigate prognostic significance of SLC50A1 according to the results of the log-rank test.Furthermore,the TCGA database was downloaded to compared different expressions of SLC50A1 from 1 109 BC and 113 adjacent normal tissues.RESULTS: Clinical data from the BC patients indicated that SLC50A1 protein expression was associated with metastasis,hormone receptor and Ki67(P< 0.05).Correlation analyses of plasma SLC50A1 levels indicated a positive correlation between plasma SLC50A1 level and CA153,Kendall's Tau-b=0.257(P=0.004).Multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that SLC50A1 was an independent prognostic factor in BC patients (HR=0.385,P=0.03).The TCGA data analyses indicated that the SLC50A1 expression levels were higher in BC than in adjacent tissues (P<0.01).CONCLUSION: Plasma SLC50A1 levels were increased in advanced BC,and SLC50A1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for BC.SLC50A1 may be useful as a target for prognosis prediction and therapy of BC.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate expression of long-chain noncoding RNA (lncRNA) RUNX1-IT1 in colorectal cancer,and its mechanisms on invasion and migration of colorectal cancer cells.METHODS: Sixty-two colorectal cancer tissue samples and their corresponding adjacent tissues were collected from the First Affiliated Hospital of Hebei North University from January 2017 to January 2019.Expressions of lncRNA RUNX1-IT1 in both tissues were detected using fluorescence quantitative PCR (qPCR).The human colorectal cancer cell lines (SW480,SW620,HCT-116) and the human normal colorectal epithelial cell lines (FHC) were cultured.Expression levels of lncRNA RUNX1-IT1 and miR-21 in the cell lines were detected by qPCR.The most suitable cell lines were selected for subsequent investigations.After up-regulating or down-regulating the expression of lncRNA RUNX1-IT1 and miR-21 in SW480 cells,their expression levels were detected by qPCR,the targeting relationship between lncRNA RUNX1-IT1 and miR-21 was verified by the double luciferase reporter gene assay.The invasion and migration abilities of SW480 cells were detected by Transwell assay.RESULTS: The results of qPCR showed that the expression of lncRNA RUNX1-IT1 was lower in colorectal cancer tissues than that in adjacent tissues (P<0.05),while the expression of miR-21 was higher in colorectal cancer tissues (all P<0.05).There was a negative correlation between the expression of lncRNA RUNX1-IT1 and miR-21 in colorectal cancer tissues (r=-0.275,P=0.031).Compared with normal colorectal FHC cells,the expression levels of lncRNA RUNX1-IT1 in the three colorectal cancer cell lines were decreased significantly (all P<0.05),while that for miR-21 was increased significantly (all P<0.05).These effects were most obvious in the SW480 cells.Therefore,SW480 cell lines were used for subsequent experiments.The dual luciferase reporter assay confirmed that lncRNA RUNX1-IT1 targeted to regulate the expression of miR-21.Compared with the control group,overexpression of lncRNA RUNX1-IT1 inhibited the invasion and migration of SW480 cells (P<0.05).Inhibition of miR-21 expression reduced the invasion and migration of SW480 cells (P<0.05).Up-regulation of miR-21 expression inversely reversed the inhibitory effect of lncRNA RUNX1-IT1 on the invasion and migration of SW480 cells (P<0.05).CONCLUSION: LncRNA RUNX1-IT1 expression was down-regulated in colorectal cancers and it regulated SW480 cell invasion and migration by targeting miR-21.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate mutagenic activities of 178 hair dyeing cosmetics using the bacterial reverse mutation test.METHODS: Mutagenicity of 178 hair dyeing cosmetics was detected by referring to the bacterial reverse mutation assay method in "Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics" (2015 edition).RESULTS: Among the 178 hair dyeing cosmetics,the positive rate of bacterial reverse mutation assay was 19.67%(35/178) with S₉ added;the positive rate was 3.93%(7/178) without S₉.Among the 35 mutagenic hair dye,35 were positive for TA98,and 34 and 31 were positive for 5 and 10 mg/dish with S₉ added.Without S₉,the number of positive tests at 2.5 and 5 mg/dish was 7 and 5,respectively.The number of positive detections of TA97a was 15.Under the condition of adding S₉,the number of positive detections at 5,10,and 20 mg/dish were 7,14,and 8,respectively.CONCLUSION: Among the 178 hair dyeing cosmetics,the numbers of positive detections of TA98 and TA97a were relatively large,and the positive doses mostly appeared in the 10 mg/dish,5 mg/dish (+S₉),and 2.5 mg/dish (-S₉).

OBJECTIVE: An in vivo mammalian alkaline comet test was used to detect genotoxicity of two kinds of polyether ether ketone materials,and to develop the method for genotoxicity evaluation of medical devices.METHODS: Two polyether ether ketone materials were extracted with 0.9% sodium chloride injection (SC) and cottonseed oil (CSO) into rats,and used as the test solution.SC and CSO were prepared the same way and served as the negative controls.Methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) was used as positive control.70 SD rats (half males and half females) received two treatments at 24 h intervals.The SC and MMS groups of rats received treatments through intravenous injection at a dose of 10 mL/kg.The CSO group received treatments through intraperitoneal injection at a dose of 5 mL/kg.All rats were sacrificed at 3 h after the last treatments.Their livers and kidneys were weighed and histopathological examined.Single-cell suspensions were prepared from liver,kidney and peripheral blood for the alkaline comet assay which determined DNA damage via% tail DNA,tail moments and Olive tail moments.RESULTS: Under the conditions of this study,the liver and kidney coefficients of the test solution and the MMS positive control group showed no statistically significant differences compared with the SC and CSO negative control groups,respectively.The shape and structure of the liver and kidney of all rats were normal without obvious histopathological changes.There were statistically significant differences in the% tail DNA,tail moment and Olive tail moment in the MMS positive control group (P<0.01) and there were no statistically significant differences in the two polyether ether ketone materials groups (P>0.05) compared with the SC and CSO negative control groups.CONCLUSION: The method of in vivo alkaline comet assay for genotoxicity of medical devices was successfully tested.The two polyether ether ketone materials were considered unable to induce DNA strand breakage in the rat liver under the conditions of this study.