lncRNA cancer susceptibility candidate 2 (CASC2) is a recently identified oncogenic lncRNA in different types of cancers. Our preliminary microarray data showed that lncRNA CASC2 was downregulated in the plasma of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), indicating the involvement of this lncRNA in RA. In the present study, lncRNA CASC2 and IL‑17 in plasma were detected by reverse transcription‑-quantitative PCR and ELISA, respectively. Diagnostic analyses were performed using receiver operating characteristic curves. Flow cytometry was performed to evaluate cell apoptosis. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/azd5363.html The effects of lncRNA CASC2 on IL‑17 expression were determined via western blotting. lncRNA CASC2 was found to be downregulated, while IL‑17 was upregulated in the plasma of RA patients when compared with these levels in the plasma of healthy controls. Plasma levels of lncRNA CASC2 and IL‑17 were significantly and inversely correlated in both RA patients and healthy controls. Altered plasma levels of lncRNA CASC2 and IL‑17 were able to differentiate RA patients from healthy controls. Overexpression of lncRNA CASC2 promoted, while treatment with IL‑17 inhibited the apoptosis of human fibroblast‑like synoviocytes (HFLSs) isolated from RA patients. Overexpression of lncRNA CASC2 inhibited IL‑17 expression in HFLS, while treatment with IL‑17 did not significantly affect the expression of lncRNA CASC2. Therefore, downregulation of lncRNA CASC2 is involved in RA and lncRNA CASC2 overexpression may promote the apoptosis of HFLS by downregulating IL‑17.Penehyclidine hydrochloride (PHC) suppresses renal ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury (IRI); however, the underlying mechanism of action that achieves this function remains largely unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the potential role of autophagy in PHC‑induced suppression of renal IRI, as well as the involvement of cell proliferation and apoptosis. A rat IRI model and a cellular hypoxia/oxygenation (H/R) model were established; PHC, 3‑methyladenine (3‑MA) and rapamycin (Rapa) were administered to the IRI model rats prior to I/R induction and to H/R cells following reperfusion. Serum creatinine was measured using a biochemistry analyzer, whereas aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) expression levels were detected using ELISA kits. Renal tissue injury was evaluated by histological examination. In addition, microtubule‑associated protein light chain 3B (LC3B) expression, autophagosome formation, cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected in the cellular H/R pressed renal IRI through the induction of autophagy, which in turn promoted proliferation and suppressed apoptosis in renal cells.Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly population. Autophagy is a well‑known regulator of neurodegenerative diseases and β‑asarone has been discovered to have certain neuropharmacological effects. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the potential effects of β‑asarone in AD and its possible mechanism of action in relation to autophagy. The present study investigated the effects of β‑asarone on the number of senile plaques and amyloid β(Aβ)40, Aβ42, amyloid precursor protein (APP) and Beclin‑1 mRNA levels in the hippocampus of APP/presenilin‑1 (PS1) transgenic mice. The possible mechanism of β‑asarone on autophagy‑related proteins, including Beclin‑1, light chain (LC)3A, LC3B and p62 levels, and the number of autophagosomes was also investigated. Mice were divided into a normal control group, a model group, a β‑asarone‑treated group, a 3‑MA‑treated group and a rapamycin‑treated group. Treatments were continuously administered to all mice for 30 days by intragastric administration. The mice, including those in the normal and model control groups, were given equal volumes of saline. It was demonstrated that β‑asarone treatment reduced the number of senile plaques and autophagosomes, and decreased Aβ40, Aβ42, APP and Beclin‑1 expression in the hippocampus of model mice compared with untreated model mice. β‑asarone also inhibited LC3A/B expression levels, but increased p62 expression. It was deduced that the neuroprotective effects of β‑asarone in APP/PS1 transgenic mice resulted from its inhibition of autophagy. In conclusion, the data suggested that β‑asarone should be explored further as a potential therapeutic agent in AD.MicroRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) are non-coding RNAs that regulate protein synthesis by targeting mRNAs for translational repression or degradation. Previous studies have reported that aberrant expression of miR‑744 may be involved in human osteosarcoma; however, the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. In the present study, the expression levels of miR‑744 and its downstream signals were determined by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR and western blotting. Cell proliferation was assessed using the bromodeoxyuridine assay, and the target of miR‑744 was investigated using a dual‑luciferase activity assay. The present study identified a significant upregulation of miR‑744 in osteosarcoma tissues compared with adjacent non‑tumor tissues. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that ectopic overexpression of miR‑744 induced by a miR‑744 precursor significantly enhanced proliferation of the osteosarcoma cell line MG63, whereas opposite results were observed following suppression of miR‑744 with its inhibitor. Moreover, as a unique anti‑oncogene, PTEN was identified as a direct target of miR‑744. It was confirmed that miR‑744 downregulated PTEN expression in MG63 cells by targeting the PTEN 3'untranslated region, and that the downstream AKT signal was also regulated by miR‑744. Collectively, the present results suggested that miR‑744 promoted proliferation of human osteosarcoma cells by directly regulating the PTEN/AKT signaling pathway.A number of epidermal proteins are closely related to skin barrier function, the abnormalities of which can lead to specific skin diseases. These proteins must be quantified to further investigate the changes in the skin barrier between healthy and disease states. However, the non‑invasive and proteome‑wide quantification of skin proteins without any labelling steps remains a challenge. In this study, 3M medical adhesive tapes were used to obtain skin samples from volunteers. Proteins were extracted from fresh skin samples and digested with trypsin. Each tryptic peptide was analysed in three replicates using liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry analysis and label‑free quantification. The data were searched against the Human Universal Protein Resource (UniProt?) to match with known proteins. Using this method, 1,157 skin proteins recorded in the UniProt? were quantified. A total of 50 identical proteins were identified in the three replicate analyses of all samples with no significant differences in abundance. |