Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a lethal disease, while the precise underlying molecular mechanisms of HCC pathogenesis remain to be defined. MicroRNA (miRNA), a class of non-coding small RNAs, can post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression. Altered miRNA expression has been reported in HCCs. This study assessed expression and the oncogenic activity of miRNA-10b (miR-10b) in HCC. Forty-five paired human HCC and adjacent non-tumor tissues were collected for qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry analysis of miR-10b and CUB and Sushi multiple domains 1 (CSMD1), respectively. We analyzed the clinicopathological data from these patients to further determine if there was an association between miR-10b and CSMD1. HCC cell lines were used to assess the effects of miR-10b mimics or inhibitors on cell viability, migration, invasion, cell cycle distribution, and colony formation. Luciferase assay was used to assess miR-10b binding to the 3’-untranslated region (3’-UTR) of CSMD1. miR-10b was highly expressed in HCC tissues compared to normal tissues. In vitro, overexpression of miR-10b enhanced HCC cell viability, migration, and invasion; whereas, downregulation of miR-10b expression suppressed these properties in HCC cells. Injection of miR-10b mimics into tumor cell xenografts also promoted xenograft growth in nude mice. Bioinformatics and luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that CSMD1 was the target gene of miR-10b. Immunocytochemical, immunohistochemical, and qRT-PCR data indicated that miR-10b decreased CSMD1 expression in HCC cells. We showed that miR-10b is overexpressed in HCC tissues and miR-10b mimics promoted HCC cell viability and invasion via targeting CSMD1 expression. Our findings suggest that miR-10b acts as an oncogene by targeting the tumor suppressor gene, CSMD1, in HCC.

Human aging is a hot topic in biology, and it has been associated with DNA methylation changes at specific genomic sites. We aimed to study the changes of DNA methylation at a single-CpG-site resolution using peripheral blood samples from centenarians. Using Illumina 450 K Methylation BeadChip microarray assays, we carried out a pool-based, epigenome-wide investigation of DNA methylation of blood samples from 12 centenarians and 12 healthy controls. Differentially methylated cytosine-phosphate-guanosine (CpG) sites were selected for further pyrosequencing analysis of blood samples from 30 centenarians and 30 healthy controls. We identified a total of 31 high-confidence CpG sites with differential methylation profiles between the groups: 9 (29%) were hypermethylated and 22 (71%) were hypomethylated in centenarians. It was also found that hypermethylation of HKR1 and hypomethylation of ROD1 and NLRC5 genes strongly correlated with age in centenarians. Our results indicate that the methylation profile combination of HKR1, ROD1, and NLRC5 could be a promising biomarker for aging in Hainan centenarians.

Trace elements are key regulators of metabolism and physiological pathways, and their levels change during aging. Hair, as a biological sample, has attracted much attention due to its ease of collection and slow substance metabolism. Also, trace elements in hair can reveal the distribution of essential nutrients and toxic elements in the body pools. Therefore, we investigated the lifestyle and dietary status by questionnaire and measured 8 trace elements in hair and 6 elements in blood of a sample of elders over 80 residing in Hainan province of China. Our data showed that the concentration of Se, Fe and Pb dropped as people grow older, but Mn rose. Changes in trace elements may affect enzyme activity and biological pathways, and are associated with many diseases, including cancer and chronic diseases. In addition, association between age-related diseases and trace elements are increasingly being reported, suggesting that approaches of combining nutrition with longevity studies in the further study will help us to identify the mechanisms whereby trace elements affect the aging process.

Centenarians refer to a special group who have outlived most of their fellows. Body shape and abdominal obesity have been identified as cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. Our study aimed to evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and CVD risk factors among male and female centenarians in Hainan province. Five hundred thirty-seven centenarians aged between 100 and 115 (Mage = 107 years old) years participated in this study. Each participant received a standardized questionnaire and physical examination. We measured anthropometric variables (BMI, WC, WHR, WHtR, SBP and DBP) and serum lipid (TC, TG, HDL-C and LDL-C). 76.9% (n = 413) of the study subjects were female. TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C were significantly higher in female group than that of male group. BMI, WC and WHtR were well-correlated with the CVD risk factors. The anthropometric measures were negatively related with HDL-C levels and positively related with the other CVD risk factors. Hainan centenarians were short in stature and underweight. Moreover, female centenarians were often pear-shaped, while male centenarians were often apple-shaped. Further, BMI, WC and WHtR were well-correlated with the serum lipid, and TC, TG, LDL-C and HDL-C were significantly higher in females than males. Also, BMI, WC and WHtR were closely related to the incidence of dyslipidemia in females, including high TG, high LDL-C and low HDL-C.

Background: Physical independence is crucial for overall health in the elderly individuals. The life expectancy of women has been shown to be higher than that of men, which is also known as the “male–female health-survival paradox”. Sex hormones may be one of the explanations. However, the relationships between sex hormones and physical function remain unclear in the elderly females. This study was designed to explore these relationships among the Chinese oldest-old and centenarian women. Methods: Data from 1226 women were obtained from the China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study. Home interviews, physical examinations and blood analyses were conducted using standardized procedures. Variables including age, Han ethnicity, illiteracy, smoker, drinker, estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone were used in the multivariate logistic and linear regression analyses. Results: In all the participants, age [beta (95% confidence interval): − 0.84 (− 0.98, − 0.71)] and E2 levels [beta (95% confidence interval): − 0.22 (− 0.28, − 0.17)] were negatively associated with activities of daily living (ADLs) in the multivariate linear regression analyses (P < 0.05 for all). We also observed significantly negative associations of age [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.90 (0.88, 0.91)] and E2 levels [odds ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.98 (0.98, 0.99)] with physical normality in the multivariate logistic regression analyses (P < 0.05 for all). Age and E2 levels gradually decreased with increases in the ADL quartiles across all the participants (P < 0.05 for all). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that E2 levels were negatively associated with physical function among the Chinese oldest-old and centenarian women.

Previous studies reported that low level of oestradiol (E2) was associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, little study examined the relationship between E2 and CVD in longevous women, which were deficient in serum E2 for the post-menopausal status. Therefore, this study aims to explore the association between E2 and CVD risk factors in a group of female centenarians of Hainan, China. A total of 413 female centenarians (aged from 100 to 115) from China Hainan Centenarian Cohort Study (CHCCS) were enrolled in this study. Home interviews were conducted to collected data on demographic characteristics, health-related lifestyles, and anthropometrics. The level of serum E2 was assessed in the Clinical Laboratory of Hainan branch of PLA General Hospital. The variables of CVD risk factors, including blood pressures, lipids and blood glucose, were measured through standard procedures. Significant negative correlations between levels of serum E2 and TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C were observed in this study. Compared with the highest group of E2, the odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals of high LDL-C in groups 3, 2 and 1 were OR1.94 (CI0.82–4.62), OR3.61 (CI1.27–10.25) and OR9.29 (CI2.08–41.53), respectively. Similarly, the prevalence of hypertension was decreased with the increase of serum E2. The odds ratio and 95% confidence intervals of stage-2 hypertension in groups 3, 2 and 1 versus highest E2 group were OR1.34 (CI0.49–3.72), OR1.36 (CI0.47–3.99) and OR1.38 (CI0.45–4.20), respectively. This study examined the relationship between E2 and CVD risk factors in a group of community-based female centenarians. A negative correlations between serum E2 levels and CVD risk factors, i.e. high level of LDL-C, TC, and hypertension were observed in this population. Besides, the level of serum E2 is also negatively correlated with HDL-C. Further studies on the correlation between serum E2 and CVD risk factors, especially dyslipidemia, in longevous and post-menopausal women are warranted.