BackgroundIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a chronic progressive interstitial lung disease of unknown etiology, is characterized by continuous damage to alveolar epithelial cells, abnormal repair of alveolar tissue, and alveolar wall scar formation. Currently, the recommended treatment for IPF in Western medicine is relatively limited. In contrast, traditional Chinese medicine and compound prescriptions show advantages in the diagnosis and treatment of IPF, which can be attributed to their multi-channel and multi-target characteristics and minimal side-effects. The purpose of this study was to further corroborate the effectiveness and significance of the traditional Chinese medications Astragalus and Danshen in IPF treatment.MethodsWe performed whole-genome methylation analysis on nine rat lung tissue samples to determine the epigenetic variation between IPF and non-fibrotic lungs using Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analyses and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reactions.ResultsWe identified differentially methylated regions and 105 associated key functional genes in samples related to IPF and Chinese medicine treatment. Based on the methylation levels and gene expression profiles between the Chinese medicine intervention and pulmonary fibrosis model groups, we speculated that Astragalus and Salvia miltiorrhiza (traditionally known as Danshen) act on the Isl1, forkhead box O3, and Sonic hedgehog genes via regulation at transcriptional and epigenetic levels during IPF.ConclusionsThese findings provide novel insights into the epigenetic regulation of IPF, indicate the effectiveness of Astragalus and Danshen in treating IPF, and suggest several promising therapeutic targets for preventing and treating IPF.

BackgroundTo provide a comprehensive overview of temporal trends in cancer incidence during 1973–2010 in urban Shanghai.MethodsThe estimated annual percent changes (EAPCs) for the whole period and for the time segments in age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) were evaluated with Joinpoint analysis. Age-period-cohort (APC) models were modeled to examine the effects of age, period and birth cohort on cancer incidence.ResultsThe overall ASR decreased slightly and significantly in males (EAPC of −0.41) but increased significantly in females (EAPC of 0.57) during 1973–2010 in urban Shanghai. The incidence trend was not linear and varied by time segments. During the most recent 10 years (2001–2010), the ASR in males decreased by 1.65 % per year and stabilized in females. Incidence rates continued to decline during 1973–2010 for esophagus, stomach, and liver cancer in both sexes, as well as male lung cancer and cervix cancer. It should be noted that it was the first time to document a significant decline in lung cancer incidence among males during 1973–2010 with EAPC of −0.58 %, and a notable upward for cervix cancer since 1996 with EAPC of 8.94 %. Unfavorable trends in incidence were observed for the most common cancer sites in the 38 years period: colorectum, gallbladder & biliary tract, pancreas, kidney, bladder, brain & central nervous system (CNS), thyroid, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), prostate, female breast, corpus uteri, and ovary. APC analysis showed age, period and birth cohort yielded different effects by cancer sites.ConclusionsThe observed trends primarily reflect dramatic changes in socioeconomic development and lifestyles in urban Shanghai over the past four decades.

BackgroundGrowth arrest specific 2 (gas2) gene is a component of the microfilament system that plays a major role in the cell cycle, regulation of microfilaments, and cell morphology during apoptotic processes. However, little information is available on fish gas2. In this study, the tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) gas2 gene was cloned and characterized for the first time.ResultsThe open reading frame was 1020 bp, encoding 340 amino acids; the 5′-untranslated region (UTR) was 140 bp and the 3′-UTR was 70 bp, with a poly (A) tail. The highest promoter activity occurred in the regulatory region (–3000 to –2400 bp). The Gas2-GFP fusion protein was distributed within the cytoplasm. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses revealed that gas2 gene expression levels in the liver, muscle, and brain were clearly affected by low temperature stress. The results of gas2 RNAi showed decreased expression of the gas2 and P53 genes.ConclusionThese results suggest that the tilapia gas2 gene may be involved in low temperature stress-induced apoptosis.