Substituent Dependence on Series of Cationic Gyroidal MOFs in utc-c Topology with High CO2 Affinity and Ultrahigh Anionic Dye Adsorption Capacity.

A substituent decorating strategy for modification of the functional cavity is of great importance in the design of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Herein, three new isostructural cationic MOFs, [Cu3(Xpip)2]·NO3·nH2O (Xpip stands for X-substituted phenylimidazophenanthroline, where X = adm (SCNU-2), f (SCNU-3), and none for SCNU-4), have been successfully synthesized and shown gyroidal utc-c topology and large pore sizes which can be adjusted by different substituents (-N(CH3)2, -F, and -H). Interestingly, the differences of the substituents (sizes and proton donor/acceptor) show essential effects on the adsorption abilities of carbon dioxide and dyes, where SCNU-4 exhibits the highest CO2 affinity and the biggest adsorption capacity for anionic dyes Fluorescein Sodium, and SCNU-3 adsorbs the largest amount (1503.6 mg/g) of Acid Fuchsin to date for the reported porous materials. The detailed studies in adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherms, and theoretical calculation of the binding energies between the structures and dye molecules confirm that the electric properties of the frameworks (cationic) and substituents directed to the pore surface are two important factors dramatically affecting the selective dye adsorption.

Redox-Addressable Single-Molecule Junctions Incorporating a Persistent Organic Radical.

Integrating radical (open-shell) species into non-cryogenic nanodevices is key to unlocking the potential of molecular electronics. While many efforts have been devoted to this issue, in the absence of a chemical/electrochemical potential the open-shell character is generally lost in contact with the metallic electrodes. Herein, single-molecule devices incorporating a 6-oxo-verdazyl persistent radical have been fabricated using break-junction techniques. The open-shell character is retained at room temperature, and electrochemical gating permits in situ reduction to a closed-shell anionic state in a single-molecule transistor configuration. Furthermore, electronically driven rectification arises from bias-dependent alignment of the open-shell resonances. The integration of radical character, transistor-like switching, and rectification in a single molecular component paves the way to further studies of the electronic, magnetic, and thermoelectric properties of open-shell species.

Recent advances in structures and applications of coordination polymers based on cyclohexanepolycarboxylate ligands.

Coordination polymers (CPs) are emerging crystalline materials constructed from metal entities and organic ligands through coordination bonds, containing infinite coordination units in one, two, or three dimensions. Here an overview is given of recent structural research based on seven cyclohexanepolycarboxylates (CHPCs), namely cyclohexanecarboxylate, 1,x-cyclohexanedicarboxylate (x = 2, 3, or 4), 1,3,5-cyclohexanetricarboxylate, 1,2,4,5-cyclohexanetetracarboxylate and 1,2,3,4,5,6-cyclohexanehexacarboxylate, showing the effects of the conformation transformation and auxiliary ligands on the dimensionality and the geometric topology of the assemblies generated. The applications of these CPs as platforms for molecular adsorption, luminescent sensing, magnetism, and catalysis are also briefly discussed.

A new immunotherapy strategy targeted CD30 in peripheral T-cell lymphomas: CAR-modified T-cell therapy based on CD30 mAb.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy (CAR-T) has shown remarkable efficacy in treating tumors of lymphopoietic origin. Herein, we demonstrate an effective CAR-T cell treatment for recurrent and malignant CD30-positive peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) has been demonstrated. The extracellular fragment gene sequences of CD30 were obtained from tumor tissues of PTCL patients and cloned into a plasmid vector to express the CD30 antigen. The CD30 targeting single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) was obtained from CD30-positive monoclonal hybridoma cells, which were obtained from CD30 antigen immunized mice. After a second-generation of CAR lentiviral construction, CD30 CAR T cells were produced and used to determine the cytotoxicity of this construct toward Karpas 299 cells. The results of CD30 CAR T-mediated cell lysis show that 9C11-2 CAR T cells could significantly promote the lysis of CD30-positive Karpas 299 cells in both LDH and real-time cell electronic sensing (RTCA) assays. In vivo data show that 9C11-2 CAR T cells effectively suppress the tumor growth in a Karpas 299 cell xenograft NCG mouse model. The CD30 CAR T cells exhibited an efficient cytotoxic effect after being co-cultured with the target cells and they also exhibited a significant tumor-inhibiting ability after being intravenously injected into PTCL xenograft tumors; these observations suggest that the new CD30 CAR-T cell may be a promising therapeutic candidate for cancer therapy.

[17ß-estradiol inhibits interleukin-1ß-induced rat nucleus pulposus cell apoptosis through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathway].

The apoptosis of nucleus pulposus cells (NPCs) is the main cellular process of intervertebral disc degeneration (IVDD). Our previous studies showed that 17ß-estradiol (E2) protects rat NPCs from interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß)-induced apoptosis via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. This study was aimed to investigate whether downstream proteins of PI3K/Akt pathway were involved in inhibition of E2 on NPCs' apoptosis. Primary culture of rat NPCs was isolated by trypsin digestion. Being pretreated with E2 and different inhibitors of downstream proteins of PI3K/Akt pathway, the NPCs were treated with IL-1ß. Cellular apoptosis was detected by Annexin V/PI staining. Cell viability was detected by CCK-8. Cell adhesion was evaluated by cell-collagen binding assay. Phosphorylation levels of mammalian target of Rapamycin (mTOR), glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß) and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) were detected by Western blot. The results showed that E2 significantly inhibited the IL-1ß-induced apoptosis of NPCs, reversed the decrease of cell viability and adhesion induced by IL-1ß, and inhibited the down-regulation of mTOR phosphorylation level induced by IL-1ß. Rapamycin could block these protective effects of E2. These results suggest that E2 may inhibit IL-1ß-induced NPCs' apoptosis through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

A Rare 2D Framework Cu(atz)2 with Ferrimagnetic and High Proton Conductivity.

Materials combining proton conductivity and magnetism have attracted great attention in recent years due to their intriguing application in sensors and fuel cells. Herein a two-dimensional metal-organic framework, [Cu(atz)2 (H2 O)2 ]⋅H2 O (1) (Hatz=5-aminotetrazole), has been obtained in a green synthesis method. The single-crystal structure revealed that the atz- ligands as linkers coordinate with copper ions to sql networks, between which water molecules are immobilized through hydrogen bonds. The resulting complex 1 exhibits a high proton conductivity of 1.11×10-4 and 6.19×10-4  S cm-1 at room temperature and 333 K, respectively, under 98% RH with an activation energy of 0.56 eV. Upon dehydration, the proton conductivity of 1_dg drops by an order of magnitude. Furthermore, the magnetic behavior changes from long-range ferrimagnetic ordering of 1 to canted antiferromagnetic behaviour of 1_dg.

Easy fixation effects the prevention of Peterson's hernia and Roux stasis syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) for gastric cancer has been progressed and popular in Japan, since it was first described in 1994. Several reconstruction methods can be adopted according to remnant stomach size, and balance of pros and cons. Roux-en-Y (R-Y) reconstruction is a one of standard options after LDG. Its complications include Petersen's hernia and Roux stasis syndrome. Here we report our ingenious attempt, fixation of Roux limb and duodenal stump, for decreasing the development of Petersen's hernia and Roux stasis syndrome. AIM: To develop a method to decrease the development of Petersen's hernia and Roux stasis syndrome. METHODS: We performed ante-colic R-Y reconstruction after LDG. After R-Y reconstruction, we fixed Roux limb onto the duodenal stump in a smooth radian. Via this small improvement in Roux limb, Roux limb was placed to the right of the ligament of Treitz. This not only changed the anatomy of the Petersen's defect, but it also kept a fluent direction of gastrointestinal anastomosis and avoided a cross-angle after jejunojejunostomy. 31 patients with gastric cancer was performed this technique after R-Y reconstruction. Clinical parameters including clinicopathologic characteristics, perioperative outcomes, postoperative complication and follow-up data were evaluated. RESULTS: The operative time was (308.0 ± 84.6 min). This improvement method took about 10 min. Two (6.5%) patients experienced pneumonia and pancreatitis, respectively. No patient required reoperation or readmission. All patients were followed up for at least 3 year, and none of the patients developed postoperative complications related to internal hernia or Roux stasis syndrome. CONCLUSION: This 10 min technique is a very effective method to decrease the development of Petersen's hernia and Roux stasis syndrome in patients who undergo LDG.

Photodynamic antitumor activity of Ru(ii) complexes of imidazo-phenanthroline conjugated hydroxybenzoic acid as tumor targeting photosensitizers.

Two novel Ru(ii) polypyridyl complexes bearing imidazo-phenanthroline conjugated hydroxybenzoic acid groups were designed to enhance the tumor targeting ability as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy. [Ru(bpy)2(phcpip)] (ClO4)2 (Ru-1) and [Ru(bpy)2(ohcpip)] (ClO4)2 (Ru-2) (bpy = 2,2'-bipyridine; phcpip = 2-(3-carboxyl-4-hydroxyphenyl) imidazo [4,5-f]phenanthroline; ohcpip = 2-(2-hydroxyl-3-carboxyphenyl) imidazo [4,5-f] [1,10] phenanthroline) were synthesized and their photodynamic antitumor activities were investigated. Both complexes displayed high photocytotoxicity toward cancerous cell lines HepG2, A549, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231, but low photocytotoxicity toward normal cell lines GES-1 and Huvec. They were mainly localized at the nucleus of HepG2 cells after 24 h incubation, arrested the cell cycle at the G2/M phase and induced cancer cell apoptosis through reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediated pathways. Tumor targeting of the complexes is attributed to stronger molecular binding to DNA.

A Gyroidal MOF with Unprecedented Interpenetrating utc-c Network Exhibiting Exceptional Thermal Stability and Ultrahigh CO2 Affinity.

A zeolite-like gyroidal MOF (denoted as SCNU-1) constructed with Cu ions and 4-(1H-imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthrolin-2-yl)phenol has a featured interpenetrating uninodal utc-c network which is for the first time found in the real structure. Moreover, SCNU-1 exhibits high thermal (>773 K), solvent, and acid/base stabilities; the largest CO2 affinity, 90 kJ/mol, among the MOFs functionalized with an aromatic hydroxyl group; and excellent CO2/N2 selectivity.

Comparative study of outcomes of Roux-en-Y reconstruction and Billroth â reconstruction performed after radical distal gastrectomy.

BACKGROUND: Billroth Ⅰ (BⅠ) reconstruction and Roux-en-Y (RY) reconstruction are both commonly performed after distal gastrectomy (DG). We conducted a retrospective study to evaluate which is the better option. METHODS: Included in our study were 162 patients who, between April 2011 and October 2015, underwent DG followed by BⅠ reconstruction (n = 93) or RY reconstruction (n = 69). All patients were followed up for at least 1 year. We compared perioperative outcomes, postoperative complications, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, endoscopic findings, and nutritional status between the 2 groups of patients. RESULTS: Patient characteristics did not differ between the 2 groups, with the exception of the incidence of gastric body tumors, which was significantly higher in the RY group (73.9% vs. 19.4%; p < 0.001). Operation time was significantly longer in the RY reconstruction group (p < 0.001). There was no significant between-group difference in the grades of GI dysfunction (p = 0.122).The endoscopically determined RGB (Residual food, Gastritis, Bile reflux)scores were significantly better in the RY reconstruction group than in the BI reconstruction group (p = 0.027, p < 0.001,p < 0.001,respectively).There was also no significant between-group difference in the change (1-year postoperative value/preoperative value) in body weight, body mass index, serum albumin concentration, or total cholesterol concentration (p = 0.484,p = 0.613,p = 0.760,p = 0.890, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: RY reconstruction appears not to be advantageous over BⅠ reconstruction in terms of GI function or nutritional status 1 year after surgery. RY reconstruction does appear to be superior in terms of preventing bile reflux but takes more operation time.

Glutathione S-transferase π: a potential role in antitumor therapy.

Glutathione S-transferase π (GSTπ) is a Phase II metabolic enzyme that is an important facilitator of cellular detoxification. Traditional dogma asserts that GSTπ functions to catalyze glutathione (GSH)-substrate conjunction to preserve the macromolecule upon exposure to oxidative stress, thus defending cells against various toxic compounds. Over the past 20 years, abnormal GSTπ expression has been linked to the occurrence of tumor resistance to chemotherapy drugs, demonstrating that this enzyme possesses functions beyond metabolism. This revelation reveals exciting possibilities in the realm of drug discovery, as GSTπ inhibitors and its prodrugs offer a feasible strategy in designing anticancer drugs with the primary purpose of reversing tumor resistance. In connection with the authors' current research, we provide a review on the biological function of GSTπ and current developments in GSTπ-targeting drugs, as well as the prospects of future strategies.

Somatic mutation profiling of liver and biliary cancer by targeted next generation sequencing.

Liver and biliary cancers are highly lethal cancer types lacking effective treatments. The somatic mutations, particularly those with low mutant allele frequencies, in Chinese patients with liver and biliary cancer have not been profiled, and the frequency of patients benefiting from targeted therapy has not been studied. The present study evaluated the tumor tissues of 45 Chinese patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and 12 Chinese patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) by targeted next generation sequencing, with an average coverage of 639×, to identify alterations in 372 cancer-related genes. A total of 263 variants were identified in 139 genes, with 85.6% of these variants not previously reported in the Catalogue Of Somatic Mutations In Cancer database, and the mutation profile was different from the current datasets, including The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset and the National Cancer Center Japan (NCC_JP) dataset. Patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection harbored more mutations than those without HBV infection, and the mutations in HBV carriers occurred preferentially in genes involved in vascular endothelial growth factor signaling pathways. Mutations in fibroblast growth factor and RAS signaling pathways were enriched in patients with cirrhosis, and alterations in interleukin and transforming growth factor signaling pathways were more frequently identified in individuals with abnormal bilirubin expression. Of all the patients, 7% exhibited variants in the target of sorafenib, and 42% harbored variants in the targets of drugs that have been approved to treat other types of cancer. These findings indicate diverse HCC/BTC variants patterns in different populations, and that the mutation load and patterns are correlated with clinical features. Further clinical studies are now warranted to evaluate the efficacies of other targeted drugs besides sorafenib in the treatment of patients with liver and biliary cancer.

Madecassoside impedes invasion of rheumatoid fibroblast-like synoviocyte from adjuvant arthritis rats via inhibition of NF-κB-mediated matrix metalloproteinase-13 expression.

Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) play a pivotal role in Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pathogenesis through aggressive migration and invasion. Madecassoside (Madec), a triterpenoid saponin present in Centella asiatica herbs, has a potent anti-inflammatory effect. In the present study, Madec exerted an obvious therapeutic effect in reversing the histological lesions in adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rats. To recognize the anti-rheumatoid potentials of Madec, we further investigated whether Madec interfered with FLS invasion and metalloproteinase (MMP) expression. In cultures of primary FLS isolated from the AIA rats, Madec (10 and 30 µmol·L-1) was proven to considerably inhibit migration and invasion of FLS induced by interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß), but exhibiting no obvious effect on cell proliferation. Madec repressed IL-1ß-triggered FLS invasion by prohibiting the expression of MMP-13. Additionally, Madec suppressed MMP-13 transcription via inhibiting the MMP-13 promoter-binding activity of NF-κB. Our results further showed that Madec down-regulated the translocation and phosphorylation of NF-κB as demonstrated by Western blotting and immunofluorescence assays. In conclusion, our results suggest that Madec exerts anti-RA activity via inhibiting the NF-κB/MMP-13 pathway.

A novel Met-IR-782 near-infrared probe for fluorescent imaging-guided photothermal therapy in breast cancer.

In this work, a novel photothermal agent based on methionine (Met) was synthesized, which shows strong absorbance in the near infrared ray (NIR) region and is available for NIR imaging and in vivo photothermal therapy in a mouse model. Comparing to free IR-782, the obtained Met modified fluorescent dye (Met-IR-782) exhibited excellent fluorescence stability, preferable photothermal conversion efficiency under 780 nm laser irradiation and specific targeting to MCF7 (human breast adenocarcinoma cell line) cells. The fluorescence imaging ability enabled in situ monitoring of the tumor accumulation of Met-IR-782. The photothermal cytotoxicity assays in vitro and photothermal therapy treatments in vivo indicated that Met-IR-782 could efficiently target and suppress the growth of MCF7 xenograft tumors. Hence, Met-IR-782 is a potential fluorescent agent for NIR imaging-guided cancer photothermal therapy in clinical application. This work highlights the prospect of using light absorbing agents for NIR imaging-guided photothermal therapy.

MIIP gene expression is associated with radiosensitivity in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

The present study aims to investigate the radiosensitization effect of the migration and invasion inhibitory protein (MIIP) gene on nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) cells. The MIIP gene was transfected into NPC 5-8F and CNE2 cells. The level of MIIP was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis and western blot. The changes in radiosensitivity of the cells were analyzed by colony formation assay. The changes in cell apoptosis and cycle distribution following irradiation were detected by flow cytometry. The expression of BCL2 associated X, apoptosis regulator/B-cell lymphoma 2 was evaluated using western blot. DNA damage was analyzed by counting γ-H2AX foci. The expression levels of γ-H2AX were evaluated by immunofluorescence and western blot. In a previous study by the authors, the results indicated that the expression of MIIP gene evidently increased in MIIP-transfected 5-8F (5-8F OE) and MIIP-transfected CNE2 (CNE2 OE) cells compared with the parental or negative control cells. In the present study, the survival rate of 5-8F OE and CNE2 OE cells markedly decreased following irradiation (0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 Gy) compared with the negative control (5-8F NC and CNE2 NC) and the untreated (5-8F and CNE2) groups. The expression of MIIP was able to increase apoptosis, which resulted in G2/M cell cycle arrest and DNA damage repair was attenuated in 5-8F and CNE2 cells following irradiation as measured by the accumulation of γ-H2AX. It was indicated that MIIP expression is associated with the radiosensitivity of NPC cells and has a significant role in regulating cell radiosensitivity.

Raf1 is a prognostic factor for progression in patients with non­small cell lung cancer after radiotherapy.

Raf-1 proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (Raf1) acts as a part of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and regulates cell migration, apoptosis and differentiation. However, few studies are available on the expression and clinical significance of Raf1 in non­small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This study investigated the clinical value and prognostic significance of Raf1 in NSCLC patients, following radiotherapy. We evaluated the Raf1 expression using immunohistochemical analyses of samples from 110 NSCLC patients who received radiotherapy. The association between Raf1 expression and clinicopathological variables was also analyzed. The multivariate Cox proportional hazard model was used to determine the prognostic value of Raf1 in regards to progression and 3­year survival. Significant associations between Raf1 expression and invasion and metastasis capability in lung cancer A549 and H1299 cell lines were identified. Results showed that 44.5% (49/110) of the NSCLC patient specimens demonstrated Raf1 expression, which was found to be positively correlated with lymph node metastasis (P=0.014), T stage (P=0.038) and poor histological differentiation (P=0.029). Later progression was observed in patients with negative or low Raf1 expression than in patients with high Raf1 expression (P=0.002). The multivariate analysis indicated that Raf1 is an independent prognostic factor for time to progression (TTP) (HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.16­3.25; P=0.01). A high Raf1 expression was found to result in a poor 3­year overall survival (OS)(HR, 1.64; 95% CI, 0.98­2.75; P=0.06). Raf1 overexpression was correlated with early progression in NSCLC. Raf1 may serve as a novel prognostic factor and potential target for improving the long­term outcome of NSCLC patients.

6-(7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-ylthio) hexanol: a promising new anticancer compound.

The 7-nitro-2,1,3-nitrobenzoxadiazole (NBD) derivatives are a series of compounds containing the NBD scaffold that are not glutathione (GSH) peptidomimetics, and result in a strong inhibition of glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). Growing evidences highlight their pivotal roles and outstanding anticancer activity in different tumor models. In particular, 6-(7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazol-4-ylthio) hexanol (NBDHEX) is extensively studied, which is a very efficient inhibitor of GSTP1-1. It triggers apoptosis in several tumor cell lines and this cytotoxic activity is observed at micro and submicromolar concentrations. Importantly, studies have shown that NBDHEX acts as an anticancer drug by inhibiting GSTs catalytic activity, avoiding inconvenience of the inhibitor extrusion from the cell by specific pumps and disrupting the interaction between the GSTP1-1 and key signaling effectors. Additionally, some researchers also have discovered that NBDHEX can act as late-phase autophagy inhibitor, which opens new opportunities to fully exploit its therapeutic potential. In this review, we summarize the advantages, anticancer mechanisms, and analogs of this compound, which will establish the basis on the usage of NBDHEX in clinical applications in future.

Unexpected Synthesis of a Bulky Bis-Pocket A3B-Type Meso-Cyano Porphyrin.

A one-pot synthesis of bulky bis-pocket A3B-type meso-cyano porphyrin, 5-cyano-10,15,20-tris(2,4,6-triphenylphenyl)porphyrin, has been accomplished via trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) catalyzed condensation of pyrrole and 2,4,6-triphenylbenzaldehyde in an acceptable yield of about 4%. DDQ served as oxidant and the cyanating agent.

DNA methylation mediated silencing of microRNA-874 is a promising diagnosis and prognostic marker in breast cancer.

MicroRNA-874 (miR-874) is downregulated in several human cancers and has been suggested to be a tumor suppressor gene. However, the molecular mechanism of miR-874 downregulation in breast cancer has not been well elucidated. Here we aimed to study the aberrant hyper-methylation of CpG sites with the utility of miR-874 downreregulation in breast cancer and evaluate the clinical function of miR-874 as a prognostic marker. The miR-874 expressions in cells and tissues of two breast cancer lines were measured by real-time PCR. The DNA methylation status of the miR-874 promoter region in 19 pairs of breast cancer and adjacent normal samples was analyzed with Sequenom EpiTYPER MassArray. To evaluate whether miR-874 is a potential prognostic marker in breast cancer, we also explored the clinical long-time follow-up records from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). We found miR-874 expression was downregulated in 47 pairs of breast cancer tissues. Moreover, univariate and multivariate analysis revealed miR-874 expression may be a prognostic biomarker of overall survival in breast cancer patients. Preconditioning with 5-Aza-CdR in two cell lines elevated miR-874 expressions. The data from Sequenom EpiTYPER MassArray showed that DNA methylation of the promoter region of miR-874 was upregulated and accompanied by decreased miR-874 expression, which was further confirmed by TCGA. After comprehensive considerations, we think miR-874, which might be served as a prognostic biomarker, is mediated by DNA methylation.