Ovarian cancer has one of the highest mortalities in malignancies in women, but little is known of its tumour progression properties and there is still no effective molecule that can monitor its growth or therapeutic responses. MSLN (mesothelin), a secreted protein that is overexpressed in ovarian cancer tissues with a poor clinical outcome, has been previously identified to activate PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/Akt signalling and inhibit paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. The present study investigates the correlation between MSLN and MMP (matrix metalloproteinase)-7 in the progression of ovarian cancer, and the mechanism of MSLN in enhancing ovarian cancer invasion. The expression of MSLN correlated well with MMP-7 expression in human ovarian cancer tissues. Overexpressing MSLN or ovarian cancer cells treated with MSLN showed enhanced migration and invasion of cancer cells through the induction of MMP-7. MSLN regulated the expression of MMP-7 through the ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) 1/2, Akt and JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) pathways. The expression of MMP-7 and the migrating ability of MSLN-treated ovarian cancer cells were suppressed by ERK1/2- or JNK-specific inhibitors, or a decoy AP-1 (activator protein 1) oligonucleotide in in vitro experiments, whereas in vivo animal experiments also demonstrated that mice treated with MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase)/ERK- or JNK-specific inhibitors could decrease intratumour MMP-7 expression, delay tumour growth and extend the survival of the mice. In conclusion, MSLN enhances ovarian cancer invasion by MMP-7 expression through the MAPK/ERK and JNK signal transduction pathways. Blocking the MSLN-related pathway could be a potential strategy for inhibiting the growth of ovarian cancer.

Background: Elevated cord blood IgE (cIgE), a predictor of atopic diseases, is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. However, gene-environment interactions on cIgE elevation and their difference by sex remain largely unexplored.Objective: This study aimed to determine whether there are sex-moderated interactions between genetic variants in the IL4/IL13 pathway and prenatal environments on cIgE elevation. Methods:Comprehensive information on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), home dampness (indexed by combining mildewy odour, visible mould and water stamp on the wall) and other household environments was obtained using a structured questionnaire during the third trimester of pregnancy in 1107 full-term newborns.The cord blood was collected for measuring cIgE levels, with elevation defined as ≥0.5 IU/mL, and for genotyping of five single nucleotide polymorphisms of three candidate genes (IL-13 rs1800925, rs20541, rs848, IL-4 rs2243250 and STAT6 rs324011).Results: Gene-environment interactions on cIgE elevation were observed in male but not female newborns, including those between ETS and IL13 rs20541, between home dampness and STAT6 rs324011, and between composite environmental exposure (combined ETS and the three home dampness indices) and STAT6 rs324011 (P for interaction = 0.03, 0.006, and 0.001, respectively). Male newborns carrying STAT6 rs324011 CT or TT genotype manifested with a significant dose-response association of the composite environmental exposure with cIgE elevation. Conclusion and Clinical Relevance:Sex moderates the gene-environment interactions involving IL4/IL13 pathway genes and prenatal household environments on cIgE elevation.The absence of prenatal exposure to ETS and home dampness in male neonates carrying the STAT6 rs324011 CT or TT genotype is least likely associated with cIgE elevation. K E Y W O R D Scord blood, IgE, prenatal environment, sex, single nucleotide polymorphism | INTRODUC TI ONElevated IgE levels in the cord blood (cIgE) have been associated with higher risk of childhood allergic diseases 1 that are increasingly prevalent and have led to significant physical, social and economic burden. 2,3 For example, elevated cIgE has been a useful measure of subsequent risk of food allergy/urticaria at 12 months 4 and allergic sensitization at varying ages during childhood. 5-8 Both genetic | 1129 CHEN Et al.

Effective therapies for malignant tumors are needed, and magnetic hyperthermia has shown positive results in biomedical studies. Here, we optimize the magnetic labeling process for intracellular hyperthermia and evaluate the cytotoxicity effects of cervical cancer cell (HeLa) mediated by intracellular hyperthermia. Experimentally, cells were incubated with different concentrations of 10 nm anionic iron oxide nanoparticles, and the incubation times varied from 6 to 24 h. Iron stain (Prussian blue) and magnetophoresis were performed to evaluate the efficiency of cells internalizing the nanoparticles. An optimized condition for intracellular magnetic label was obtained, and a trypan blue exclusion test analyzed the cytotoxicity effects after cells were exposed to ac magnetic field ( kHz, kA/m). Cell viabilities decreased to immediately after 120 s of treatment. After culturing the cells for 48 h, it was found that only of cells remained viable.

The success of stem cell application in regenerative medicine, usually require a stable source of stem or progenitor cells. Fat tissue represents a good source of stem cells because it is rich in stem cells and there are fewer ethical issues related to the use of such stem cells, unlike embryonic stem cells. Therefore, there has been increased interest in adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) for tissue engineering applications. Here, we aim to provide an easy processing method for isolating adult stem cells from human adipose tissue harvested from the subcutaneous fat of the abdominal wall during gynecologic surgery. We used a homogenizer to mince fat and compared the results with those obtained from the traditional cut method involving a sterile scalpel and forceps. Our results showed that our method provides another stable and quality source of stem cells that could be used in cases with a large quantity of fat. Furthermore, we found that pregnancy adipose-derived stem cells (P-ADSCs) could be maintained in vitro for extended periods with a stable population doubling and low senescence levels. P-ADSCs could also differentiate in vitro into adipogenic, osteogenic, chondrogenic, and insulin-producing cells in the presence of lineage-specific induction factors. In conclusion, like human lipoaspirates, adipose tissues obtained from pregnant women contain multipotent cells with better proliferation and showed great promise for use in both stem cell banking studies as well as in stem cell therapy.