No abstract

Abstract. Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2C (UBE2C) is a key regulator of cell cycle progression and is involved in the tumorigenesis of a variety of cancers. Previous studies have demonstrated that UBE2C is an important factor in the malignant progression of astrocytic tumors. However, the association between UBE2C expression and clinical prognosis of glioma patients has not been defined. In the present study, the expression of UBE2C in gliomas and non-cancerous brain tissues were detected by microarray and immunohistochemical analysis. The association between UBE2C expression and clinicopathological characteristics of the glioma patients was evaluated. The Kaplan-Meier method and multivariate Cox's proportional hazards model were used to analyze the survival time of the patients. The results demonstrated that the expression levels of UBE2C in anaplastic gliomas and glioblastoma (GBM) patients were significantly higher compared to low-grade gliomas, in microarray and immunohistochemistry analysis. A higher UBE2C expression was associated with a significantly decreased overall survival time in patients possessing anaplastic gliomas (P<0.01) and GBMs (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis of 80 GBM patients revealed that UBE2C expression was an independent prognostic factor. To the best of our knowledge, the present data suggest for the first time that UBE2C overexpression is strongly associated with an aggressive progression and poor outcome of malignant glioma. Therefore, UBE2C overexpression may be used as a predictor of poor prognosis in patients with malignant glioma.

Abstract. Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune disorder of the peripheral nervous system characterized by weakness in the limbs. To date, numerous hypotheses have been suggested to explain the pathogenesis of GBS; however, the pathogenesis of GBS remains to be elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, TLR4 and GBS. Therefore, the mRNA of TLR2, TLR4, myeloid differentiation factor (MyD)88 and nuclear factor (NF)-κB of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in patients with GBS and healthy controls was assessed. To confirm the function of TLR2 and TLR4 in the pathogenesis of GBS, PBMCs derived from patients with GBS and healthy controls were cultured with various TLR agonists. The levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1β were measured in the culture supernatant and fasting serum was obtained for the detection of anti-ganglioside antibodies. The results revealed that the mRNA levels of TLR2, TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB were significantly increased in patients with GBS compared with those in healthy controls (P=0.003, 0.017, 0.032 and 0.015, respectively). PBMCs from patients with GBS secreted higher levels of TNF-α and IL-1β than those from control subjects. The positive rate of immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgM anti-ganglioside antibodies in patients with severe GBS was 42.86%, which was markedly higher than rates found in patients with mild GBS (9.09 and 18.18%, respectively). The results of the present study demonstrated that TLR2 and TLR4 are involved in the pathogenesis of GBS and that they and their associated signaling pathways may be targets for the treatment of GBS.