Osteoarticular tuberculosis (OAT) is an extrapulmonary tuberculosis and accounts for 1 to 3% of all tuberculosis cases. We used an rpoB PCR-plasmid TA cloning-sequencing method to detect and identify tubercle bacilli in surgical specimens from patients suspected of having OAT. By comparing the similarities of the rpoB sequences determined with those in GenBank, Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected in 23 of 43 samples. Three of the 23 positive samples had mutations at codon 531, which are commonly observed in rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis strains. Our results suggest that the rpoB PCR-TA cloning-sequencing method developed, which detects M. tuberculosis and which simultaneously determines its rifampin susceptibility, can also be used efficiently for the diagnosis of OAT.The World Health Organization reported that nearly a third of the world's population suffers from tuberculosis (TB). Each year 8 million individuals have active disease, and 2 million deaths occur annually (28). With this resurgence, cases of extrapulmonary TB have also shown an increase. Approximately, 10 to 11% of extrapulmonary TB cases involve joints and bones (1 to 3% of all reported TB cases).Thus, the estimated global prevalence of latent joint and bone TB is approximately 19 million to 38 million cases (17). Moreover, since osteoarticular tuberculosis (OAT) can cause functional disability, it should be accurately diagnosed and treated early.As the identification of mycobacterial species from clinical samples usually requires culture (26), the diagnosis of OAT depends upon microbiologic testing (i.e., smear or culture) and the histologic examination of tissue samples. Although culture is the "gold standard," it may take 6 to 8 weeks before a positive culture is detected (22), unless the radiometric BACTEC 460 method or the nonradiometric BACTEC 960/ Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube method (4) is used.In recent years, several nucleic acid-based techniques have been developed for the rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples. By testing sputa and bronchoalveolar lavage specimens, mycobacteria can be detected and identified by PCR or PCR-linked methods (1, 18). However, unlike pulmonary TB samples, such as sputa and bronchoalveolar lavage specimens, from which tubercle bacilli are concentrated for culture and further testing, joint biopsy samples usually contain only a small number of bacteria. This causes difficulties with culture and staining for acid-fast bacilli (8,17,19) that necessitate the use of molecular biology-based methods.In the present study, rpoB PCR-plasmid TA cloning-sequencing for Mycobacterium species was applied directly to clinical specimens from patients suspected of having OAT without culture. rpoB encodes the ␤ subunit of RNA polymerase (3), and recently, partial rpoB DNA sequences containing the Rif r region, which is related to rifampin resistance, have been used to identify Mycobacterium species (5, 10, 11) and non-Mycobacterium species (12,13,14,15,16).M. tuberculosis is readily dif...

Nerve growth factor (NGF), a prototypical neurotrophic factor essential for neuronal cell proliferation and survival, has been implicated as a marker of tumor progression, as well as a potential target for novel therapeutic approaches in cancer. To investigate the functional potential of NGF in liver cancer in the present study, a stable NGF-overexpressing HepG2 cell line was generated. The scratch-wound assay was used to investigate cell motility and polarity. Western blotting was performed to evaluate the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related proteins, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin and vimentin. Moreover, immunofluorescence was performed to investigate the arrangement of the actin cytoskeleton. Cell anoikis resistance was examined using a suspension culture model and cell apoptosis was examined via flow cytometry. The present results indicated that NGF overexpression in HepG2 cells disrupted HepG2 cell polarity and promoted cell motility. Furthermore, NGF overexpression induced EMT and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement in HepG2 cells, as well as enhanced anoikis resistance and prevented cellular apoptosis. Notably, a tropomyosin receptor kinase A receptor inhibitor blocked NGF-induced cell motility and apoptosis. Therefore, it was suggested that NGF serves a critical role in the invasion and metastasis of liver cancer. The use of NGF as a biomarker or potential new target could lead to the development of novel factors for diagnosis or for improving therapeutic strategies in liver cancer.

BackgroundHuman gastric cancer (GC) is a leading primary cause of cancer-associated deaths in both males and females worldwide. However, there are few effective diagnostic and therapeutic measures for GC patients due to the complicated underlying mechanisms of GC. Recently, increasing research has indicated that lncRNAs may play a critical role in the progression of GC.Material/MethodsAI769947, AK054978, DB077273, BG981369, AK054588, and AF131784 expressions were analyzed by qRT-PCR assay in GC tissues and corresponding normal tissues (n=44). BG981369 expression was detected by qRT-PCR assay in GC cells. BG981369 was overexpressed and silenced in AGS and SNU-5 cells. The proliferation ability was detected by MTT and colony formation assays. Cell cycle distribution and cell apoptosis rate were analyzed by flow cytometry. The migration and invasion abilities were measured by Transwell assay. In addition, SOX4 expression was analyzed by qRT-PCR in GC tissues. The correlation between SOX4 and BG981369 was analyzed by Pearson analysis.ResultsThe results indicated that lncRNA BG981369 was significantly higher in GC tissues than in normal tissues. Overexpression of BG981369 inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion and promoted apoptosis of gastric adenocarcinoma (AGS) cells, and silencing of BG981369 promoted proliferation, migration, and invasion, and inhibited cell apoptosis of SNU-5 cells. Furthermore, we found that SOX4 may act as a downstream mediator of BG981369, suggesting that BG981369 inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promotes apoptosis by targeting SOX4 in the GC cell lines.ConclusionsOur results suggest that BG981369 and SOX4 are potentially effective therapeutic targets for GC.