No abstract

Activated pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) with an increased proliferation and migration ability are the partners in crime with pancreatic cancer cells. Acid-sensing ion channel 1 (ASIC1) is expressed in pancreatic cancer and PSCs, and especially, it mediates the activation of PSCs. However, whether ASIC1 is involved in pancreatic cancer cells-induced biological behavior re-educating of PSCs is unclear. In this study, the change of ASIC1 expression in PSCs and pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells after indirect co-culture was detected by western blotting, and the proliferation and migration of PSCs with ASIC1 knockdown under Panc-1 cells-conditioned medium (Panc-1-CM) was assessed. The results showed that pancreatic cancer cells induced ASIC1 overexpression, and the enhanced proliferation and migration of PSCs was weakened by ASIC1 inhibition. In addition, the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) expression in PSCs remained stable, but the phosphorylated ERK (p-ERK) expression in PSCs treated with Panc-1-CM increased, which was suppressed by ASIC1 knockdown. These results indicate that ASIC1 participates in the regulation of PSCs proliferation and migration induced by cancer cells via the ERK pathway, and ASIC1 inhibition may be beneficial to pancreatic cancer treatment.

No abstract

To assess the biomechanical and clinical evidence available in use and efficacy of interspinous fusion devices and to explore indications for their application. MEDLINE search and Google Scholar were employed to find the relevant papers through the following key words: interspinous fusion, interspinous fixation, and posterior instrumentation. Based on their fixation modes and fused sites, the related classification for interspinous fusion devices will be established, and a systematic review of clinical and biomechanical studies was made. The results revealed that a total of 13 kinds of interspinous fusion devices were obtained, and they were classified into two main categories: (1) ''interspinous fixation without situ fusion'' type (or rigid interspinous fusion device) and (2) ''interspinous fixation with situ fusion'' type (or fused interspinous fusion device). Furthermore, a summary on its biomechanical and clinical study was given, which showed that interspinous fusion device could provide excellent biomechanical efficiency and promising clinical success. In conclusion, interspinous fusion device construct is a new potential fixation technique. However, further high-quality studies are still needed to clarify their long-term efficacy and indications for their use.