Serum miR-124 levels have utility as diagnostic biomarkers in patients with PDAC. These findings suggest, for the first time, that serum miR-124 levels may have prognostic impact in patients with PDAC.

Glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (GIOFH) is a common and devastating orthopedic disease, and its underlying mechanism remains unclear. The aim of this study was to determine the role of microRNA-34a (mir-34a) in GIOFH. C57 mouse mesenchymal stem cells (mMSCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured with dexamethasone (Dex). A total of 48 adult rats were treated with glucocorticoids, and after the onset of GIOFH, each femoral head was removed. Mir-34a mimics, an inhibitor and over-expressing lentivirus were used in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, ELISA, cell proliferation assays, osteoblastic differentiation, and endothelial activity assays were employed to evaluate the effect of mir-34a on mMSCs, osteoblasts, and vascular endothelial cells in glucocorticoid-treated mice. We found that Dex inhibited mMSC proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation, as well as the viability and activity of endothelial cells. Dex also caused osteonecrosis and decreased new vessel formation in vivo. Mir-34a alleviated the inhibitory effects of Dex on mMSCs and osteoblasts, while facilitating its inhibitory effects on endothelial cells. Mir-34a is an important regulator in osteogenesis and angiogenesis, and it might be useful as a therapeutic target for GIOFH. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:417-424, 2018.

The present study aimed to determine the role of arginase (Arg) in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). In vitro, human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs) were cultured under hypoxic conditions with, or without, the Arg inhibitor, S‑(2‑boronoethyl)‑l‑cysteine (BEC), for 48 h, following which the proliferation of the HPASMCs was determined using MTT and cell counting assays. For the in vivo investigation, 30 male rats were randomly divided into the following three groups (n=10 per group): i) control group, ii) PAH group and iii) BEC group, in which the right ventricle systolic pressure (RVSP) of the rats was assessed. The levels of cyclin D1, cyclin‑dependent kinase (CDK)4 and p27 were measured in vitro and in vivo. The phosphorylation levels of Akt and extracellular‑related kinase (ERK) were also measured in HPASMCs. In vitro, compared with the hypoxia group, Arg inhibition reduced HPASMC proliferation and reduced the expression levels of cyclin D1, CDK4, phosphorylated (p‑)Akt and p‑ERK. By contrast, Arg inhibition increased the expression of p27. In vivo, compared with the control group, the expression levels of cyclin D1 and CDK4 were reduced in the PAH group, however, the expression of p27 and the RVSP increased. In the BEC group, the opposite effects were observed. Therefore, it was suggested that Arg inhibition may reduce the RVSP of PAH rats and reduce HPASMC proliferation by decreasing the expression levels of cyclin D1 and CDK4, increasing the expression of p27, and partly reducing the phosphorylation of Akt and ERK.

Aim: To study the feasibility and curative effect of 125 I seeds articles combined with biliary stent implantation in the treatment of malignant obstructive jaundice. Patients and Methods: Fifty patients with malignant obstructive jaundice were included. Twenty-four were treated by biliary stent implantation combined with intraluminal brachytherapy by 125 I seeds articles as the experimental group, while the remaining 26 were treated by biliary stent implantation only as the control group. The goal of this study was to evaluate total bilirubin, direct bilirubin and tumor markers (cancer antigen (CA)-199, CA-242 and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)), as well as biliary stent patency status and survival time before and after surgery. Results: Jaundice improved greatly in both groups. The decreases of CA-199 and CA-242 had statistical significance (p=0.003 and p=0.004) in the experimental group. The ratio of biliary stent patency was 83.3% (20/24) in the experimental group and 57.7% (15/26) in the control group (p=0.048). The biliary stent patency time in the experimental group was 1~15.5 (mean=9.84) months. The biliary stent patency time in the control group was 0.8~9 (mean=5.57) months, which was statistically significant (p=0.018). The median survival time was 10.2 months in the experimental group, while 5.4 months in control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: 125 I seeds articles combined with biliary stent implantation significantly prolongs biliary stent patency time and survival time for patients with malignant obstructive jaundice possibly by inhibiting the proliferation of vascular endothelial cells and the growth of tumor.