Description: Background: Microsatellites are ubiquitous in genomes of various organisms. With the realization that they play roles in developmental and physiological processes, rather than exist as 'junk' DNA, microsatellites are receiving increasing attention. Next-generation sequencing allows acquisition of large-scale microsatellite information, and is especially useful for plants without reference genome sequences. Results: In this study, enriched DNA libraries of tree peony, a well-known ornamental woody shrub, were used for high-throughput microsatellite development by 454 GS-FLX Titanium pyrosequencing. We obtained 675,221 reads with an average length of 356 bp. The total size of examined sequences was 240,672,018 bp, from which 237,134 SSRs were identified. Of these sequences, 164,043 contained SSRs, with 27% featuring more than one SSR. Interestingly, a high proportion of SSRs (43%) were present in compound formation. SSRs with repeat motifs of 1-4 bp (mono-, di-, tri-, and tetra-nucleotide repeats) accounted for 99.8% of SSRs. Di-nucleotide repeats were the most abundant. As in most plants, the predominant motif in tree peony was (A/T)n, with (G/C)n less common. The lengths of SSRs were classified into 11 groups. The shortest SSRs (10 bp) represented 1% of the total number, whereas SSRs 21-30 and 101-110 bp long accounted for 26% and 29%, respectively, of all SSRs. Many sequences (42,111) were mapped to CDS (coding domain sequence) regions using Arabidopsis as a reference. GO annotation analysis predicted that CDSs with SSRs performed various functions associated with cellular components, molecular functions, and biological processes. Of 100 validated primer pairs, 24 were selected for polymorphism analysis among 23 genotypes; cluster analysis of the resulting data grouped genotypes according to known relationships, confirming the usefulness of the developed SSR markers. Conclusions: The results of our large-scale SSR marker development using tree peony are valuable for investigating plant genomic structural evolution and elucidating phenotypic variation in this species during its evolution and artificial selection. The newly identified SSRs should be useful for genetic linkage map construction, QTL mapping, gene location and cloning, and molecular marker-assisted breeding. In addition, the genome-wide marker resources generated in this study should aid genomic studies of tree peony and related species.

Description: Background: Genital warts (GW) are the most common sexually transmitted infections. To date, few studies using a human papillomavirus (HPV)-specific questionnaire have focused on the impact of quality of life (QoL) among patients with GW in developing countries. The origins of GW related psychosocial burdens and variations between genders were poorly characterized as well. Methods: A hospital-based survey was conducted in Beijing and Nanjing of China in 2008. Eligible patients aged 18-65 who had a diagnosis of GW within 3 months were recruited. Demographic information, HPV knowledge, and assessment of psychosocial burden were collected by the HPV Impact Profile (HIP). The HIP examined 7 specific psychosocial domains by 29 items: (1) worries and concerns, (2) emotional impact, (3) sexual impact, (4) self-image, (5) partner and transmission, (6) interactions with physicians, and (7) control/life impact. HIP scores are reversely relates to the subjects' QoL, by which a higher score indicating a heavier psychosocial burden. Results: Patients with GW experienced heavier psychosocial burdens than those of the general population, and females experienced heavier burdens than males (male vs. female: 49.20 vs.51.38, P 〈 0.001). "Self Image" and "Sexual Impact" were the two domains that affected patients the most, with mean HIP scores of 63.09 and 61.64, respectively. Women suffered heavier psychosocial burdens than men in the domain of "Worries and Concerns" (female vs. male: 54.57 vs. 42.62, P 〈 0.001), but lower psychosocial burdens in the domains of "Sexual Impact" (female vs. male: 59.16 vs. 65.26, P 〈 0.001) and "Interactions with Doctors" (female vs. male: 34.40 vs. 41.97, P 〈 0.001). Patients from Nanjing suffered a higher psychosocial burden than those of Beijing, especially in domains of "Emotional Impact", "Sexual Impact", "Partner and Transmission", and "Interactions with Doctors". Conclusions: Patients with GW suffered heavy psychological burden, and self-image and sexual-related concern were the primary cause of burdens. It's important to change the current biomedical model to bio-psycho-social model, and establish psychosocial support systems. The distinctions of origins of psychosocial burden between genders identified will be informative for prevention of GW and control efforts in China and other similar settings.

Description: Background: 14-3-3sigma is implicated in promoting tumor development of various malignancies. However, the clinical relevance of 14-3-3sigma in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumor progression and modulation and pathway elucidation remain unclear. Methods: We investigated 14-3-3sigma expression in 109 HCC tissues by immunohistochemistry. Overexpression and knockdown experiments were performed by transfection with cDNA or siRNA. Protein expression and cell migration were determined by Western blot and Boyden chamber assay. Results: In this study, we found that 14-3-3sigma is abundantly expressed in HCC tumors. Stable or transient overexpression of 14-3-3sigma induces the expression of heat shock factor-1alpha (HSF-1alpha) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in HCC cells. Moreover, expression of 14-3-3sigma significantly correlates with HSF-1alpha/HSP70 in HCC tumors and both 14-3-3sigma and HSP70 overexpression are associated with micro-vascular thrombi in HCC patients, suggesting that 14-3-3sigma/HSP70 expression is potentially involved in cell migration/invasion. Results of an in vitro migration assay indicate that 14-3-3sigma promotes cell migration and that 14-3-3sigma-induced cell migration is impaired by siRNA knockdown of HSP70. Finally, 14-3-3sigma-induced HSF-1alpha/HSP70 expression is abolished by the knockdown of beta-catenin or activation of GSK-3beta. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that 14-3-3sigma participates in promoting HCC cell migration and tumor development via beta-catenin/HSF-1alpha/HSP70 pathway regulation. Thus, 14-3-3sigma alone or combined with HSP70 are potential prognostic biomarkers for HCC.

Description: As life expectancy continues to increase around the world, the use of minimally invasive surgery (MIS) could be beneficial for octogenarian and older gastric cancer patients.