Short-Term Monitoring of Graft Regeneration in Partial Liver Transplantation Recipients.

BACKGROUND Liver regeneration after partial liver transplantation, including living donor liver transplantation and split liver transplantation, is important for successful transplantation. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 68 patients who underwent partial liver transplantation and calculated their regeneration index (RI)-based difference in postoperative and preoperative liver volume. We collected clinical data of donors and recipients and analyzed the correlation between clinical characteristics and RI. According to the above results, the generalized estimating equation (GEE) model included white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophils, lymphocytes, platelets, prothrombin time (PT), and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) on Days 1, 3, and 7 after LT and was used to predict the RI. RESULTS The mean RI was 40%, which was used as the cutoff value to divide all patients to the high-RI group and the low-RI group. The percentage of Child-Pugh C patients was 44% in the high-RI group, which was significantly more than that (21%) in the low-RI group (P=0.038). Among the postoperative monitoring parameters, neutrophil (P=0.044) and platelet (P=0.036) levels declined in the high-RI group on Day 3, while APTT was higher on Day 1 compared to the low-RI group. The predictive model based on GEE analysis achieved a good effect, with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve on Day 1 (0.681; 95% CI, 0.556-0.807) and Day 3 (0.705; 95% CI, 0.578-0.832) showing significant differences (P=0.010 and 0.004, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The combination of decreased counts of WBC, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and platelets, as well as elevated PT and APTT on Day 3 after LT showed a good capability to predict a higher rate of liver regeneration after partial liver transplantation.

Swing Regulates Movement Direction in the Sea Cucumber Apostichopus japonicus in the Presence of Food Cue: New Insights into Movement Patterns.

Regulating movement direction is essential in the locomotion of animals. Sea cucumbers, as eyeless animals, do not have eyes for the perception of the surrounding environment and food. They have a unique way of swinging their bodies when a food cue is detected, although they lack an important perceptual tool. The present study investigated the movement patterns of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus in the absence of a food cue (experiment 1) and in the presence of a food cue (experiment 2). In experiment 1, we found that the movement of sea cucumbers was close to a linear motion (motion linearity 0.91 ± 0.01). In experiment 2, sea cucumbers most frequently adjusted the movement direction when being exposed to food (84 times/216 min), indicating that sea cucumbers adjusted the direction of movement in the swing state but not the motion state. In experiment 2, we found significantly lower time in the immobility state in the sea cucumbers in the presence of food cues compared to that of those without being exposed to food cues, and the frequency of the motion state in response to food cues was 1.6 times than that of those without food cue. This suggests that food cues cause the change in motion state in sea cucumbers. Swing frequency was 1.7 times higher in sea cucumbers exposed to food cues than that of those not exposed to food cues. Further, sea cucumbers in the presence of food showed significantly better performances in swing angle and swing velocity compared to those not exposed to food cues. This suggests that food cue significantly affects the swing state of sea cucumbers. Notably, the present study described the movement patterns of sea cucumbers when they detected food cues, and other factors (such as the detection of predators) need to be further studied. The present study provides new insights into the regulation of movement direction in eyeless organisms.

Biomineralized hybrid nanodots for tumor therapy via NIR-II fluorescence and photothermal imaging.

Chemodynamic therapy (CDT) is an emerging and promising therapeutic strategy that suppresses tumor growth by catalytically converting intracellular hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into highly-reactive hydroxyl radicals (•OH). However, the inherent substrate of H2O2 is relatively insufficient to achieve desirable CDT efficacy. Therefore, searching for integrated therapeutic methods with synergistic therapeutic modality is especially vital to augment therapeutic outcomes. Herein, we reported nanodot- CuxMnySz @BSA@ICG (denoted as CMS@B@I) and bovine serum albumin (BSA)-based biomineralization CuxMnySz (CMS) loaded with photodynamic agent-indocyanine green (ICG). CMS@B@I converts endogenous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into highly active hydroxyl radical (•OH) via Fenton reaction, and effectively produces reactive oxygen species (ROS) after being exposed to 808 nm laser irradiation, attributable to the excellent photodynamic agent-ICG. This results in eliciting a ROS storm. Additionally, CMS@B@I exhibits a superior photothermal effect under NIR-II 1064 nm laser irradiation to enhance tumor CDT efficacy. The NIR-II fluorescence imaging agent of ICG and the excellent photothermal effect of CMS@B@I are highly beneficial to NIR-II fluorescence and infrared thermal imaging, respectively, resulting in tracing the fate of CMS@B@I. This study attempts to design a bimodal imaging-guided and photothermal-enhanced CDT nanoagent for augmenting tumor catalytic therapy.

Research on the relationship between marital commitment, sacrifice behavior and marital quality of military couples.

Based on the actor-partner interdependence model, this paper studied the relationship between marital commitment, sacrifice behavior and marital quality of military couples. A convenience sample of 171 Chinese military couples from Guangdong, Jiangsu and Sichuan province was used. All participants completed the self-report questionnaires independently including the Dimension of Commitment Inventory (DCI), the Couples Sacrifice Behavior Scale (CSBS) and the Evaluation and Nurturing Relationship Issues, Communication and Happiness (ENRICH). Results showed that the scores of marital commitment and marital quality of male soldiers were significantly higher than that of their spouses. Compared to their spouses, male soldiers reported higher frequency of sacrifice behaviors and perceiving sacrifice behaviors of spouses. Furthermore, the marital commitment of military couples had significant influence on their own marital quality and frequency of perceiving each other's sacrifice behavior Military couples' perception of the frequency of each other's sacrifice behavior partially mediated the effect of marital commitment on their marital quality. Male soldiers' perception of spouse's sacrifice behavior frequency significantly predicted the marital quality of their spouses.

Validation of reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the active-empathic listening scale.

Background: Active-empathic listening (AEL) is the active and emotional involvement of a listener that can take place in at least three key stages of the listening process. Bodie has developed and validated a self-reported, 11-item, three-factor active-empathic listening scale (AELS) in English with good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.86) to assess AEL abilities. Nevertheless, a Chinese version of the AELS had not been established and validated yet. Objective: The objective of the present study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the AELS. Methods: After translating the scale into the Chinese version, 834 college students completed the test. After 4 weeks, 206 participants were tested again on the Chinese AELS to examine retest reliability. The critical ratio method and the item-total correlations were used for the item analysis. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to examine the construct validity. The internal consistency of the scale was analyzed with Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's Omega. Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to examine the scale's retest reliability. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) was used to examine the convergent validity. Pearson correlation analysis was conducted. Results: Each item of the Chinese AELS had a good discrimination, and the item-total correlation of each item ranged from 0.51 to 0.73. EFA extracted three factors with characteristic root values greater than 1, which could explain 70.72% of the total variance. CFA indicated an adequate fit of the three-factor model (χ2/df = 2.250, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.055, the comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.971, the Tucker-Lewis index [TLI] = 0.959, and the goodness of fit index [GFI] = 0.959). The internal consistency reliability was acceptable (sensing: α = 0.79/ω = 0.78, processing: α = 0.83/ω = 0.83, responding: α = 0.79/ω = 0.79, and AELS: α = 0.87/ω = 0.87). Retest reliability of the scale at 4-week intervals by an ICC was 0.563. The Chinese AELS was significantly correlated with each dimension of IRI. Conclusion: The reliability and validity of the Chinese AELS met the basic psychometrics requirements. Therefore, the scale can be potentially used to assess the active empathic listening abilities of people in China.

Ecological niche models for the assessment of site suitability of sea cucumbers and sea urchins in China.

In the present study, the maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) based on the data of sea surface temperature (SST) and published information was used to assess the site suitability for the aquaculture expansion of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus and the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius in China. According to the current assessment, the coastal areas of Hebei province and Tianjin have great prospects for A. japonicus aquaculture, while is currently being underutilized. In the south, more than 94% of the coastal areas in Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong provinces are suitable for the growth of A. japonicus for six months, especially the coastal areas of Lianjiang, Changle, Fuqing and Putian in Fujian province. The water temperatures in more than 94% of China's coastal areas are higher than 25 °C in July and August, which probably results in the mortality of S. intermedius in aquaculture. This clearly indicates that high water temperature is the bottleneck of S. intermedius aquaculture and well explains the limited expansion of this commercially important exotic species since the introduction in 1989. We suggest a new aquaculture model of S. intermedius that extends the seed production to November to avoid the mass mortality in summer. In the south, 64% of coastal areas in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces are suitable for the transplantation of S. intermedius to the south. The present study suggests the ecological niche model MaxEnt based on the data of SST and published information as a new tool for the assessment of the site suitability of sea cucumbers and sea urchins in China. This provides new insights into the aquaculture expansion of native and exotic species.

[The effect of different types of exercise on the intestinal mechanical barrier and related regulatory factors in type 2 diabetic mice].

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different types of exercise on intestinal mechanical barrier and related regulatory factors in mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The model was established by high-fat diet feeding and intraperitoneal injection of streptozocin (STZ). The mice were divided into control group, model group (free exercise), resistance exercise group (tail load-bearing ladder climbing, 5 times a week), aerobic exercise group (non-load-bearing platform running, 5 times a week at a speed of 10-15 m/min), and combined exercise group (aerobic exercise was performed on the first, third and fifth days of each week, and resistance exercise on the second and fourth days of each week). After 8 weeks of intervention, the serum lipid levels and inflammatory cytokines were measured by corresponding kits. The pathological changes of ileum were detected by HE and PAS staining. The mRNA and protein expression levels of tight junction-related proteins were detected by real-time qPCR and Western blot, respectively. Moreover, the protein expression levels of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) were detected by Western blot. The results showed that all three types of exercise decreased blood glucose and body weight compared to the model group. Aerobic exercise and combined exercise decreased serum lipid (triglycerides and total cholesterol) levels, up-regulated the expression levels of ileal tight junction-related proteins and HIF-1α, improved the intestinal alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity, reduced serum lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and diamine oxidase (DAO) levels, and down-regulated MLCK protein expression level. These results suggest that all three types of exercise can reduce blood glucose and body weight of T2DM mice, and aerobic exercise and combined exercise can restore the damaged intestinal mechanical barrier by a mechanism involving HIF-1α-MLCK pathway.

Digestive Enzyme Activities and Gut Emptying Are Correlated with the Reciprocal Regulation of TRPA1 Ion Channel and Serotonin in the Gut of the Sea Urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius.

The energetic link in the benthic community is based on physiological characteristics of the low food absorption efficiency of sea urchins. Low food absorption efficiency of sea urchins is correlated with the activity of digestive enzymes and the duration of food in their gut. Thus, the digestive enzymes activities (pepsin and amylase enzyme activities) and gut emptying are important indicators in assessing nutrient digestion and absorption in sea urchins. In the present study, the relationship between these indicators and molecules related to digestive physiology were quantified in sea urchins. We found (1) an inter-regulatory relationship existed between Transient receptor potential cation channel, subfamily A, member 1 (TRPA1), and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT) in the gut of Strongylocentrotus intermedius; (2) digestive enzyme activities were negatively correlated with the TRPA1 and concentration of 5-HT in the gut of S. intermedius; (3) gut emptying rate was positively correlated with TRPA1 and concentration of 5-HT in the gut of S. intermedius. The present study revealed that the digestion and absorption of food are correlated with the TRPA1 and 5-HT in the gut of S. intermedius, which provides valuable information about the digestive physiology of sea urchins. This novel finding is relevant to understanding the low food digestibility of sea urchins. It also provides valuable information to the digestive physiology of sea urchins, which are key to maintaining the stability of food webs in the marine ecosystem.

Macroalgae and interspecific alarm cues regulate behavioral interactions between sea urchins and sea cucumbers.

Sea urchins and sea cucumbers are mutually beneficial organisms in kelp ecosystem. As herbivores, sea urchins process kelp through feeding and egestion, providing inaccessible food for benthic consumers such as sea cucumbers. Sea urchins in turn profit from the sediment cleaned by sea cucumbers. However, behavioral interactions between them remain poorly understood, which greatly hampers our understanding on the relationship between ecologically important benthic species in marine ecosystems and the regulating mechanism. The present study investigated behavioral interactions between sea urchins Strongylocentrotus intermedius and sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus in laboratory conditions. We revealed that the presence of sea urchins caused significant higher speed movement of A. japonicus. Interestingly, the negative effects of S. intermedius on A. japonicus were significantly reduced in the shared macroalgal area. For the first time, we found the interspecific responses to alarm cues between sea cucumbers and sea urchins. Conspecific responses were significantly larger than the interspecific responses in both sea urchins and sea cucumbers. This indicates that interspecific response to alarm cues is an efficient approach to anti-predation and coexistence in mutually beneficial organisms. The present study shed light on the interspecific relationships and coexistence between sea urchins and sea cucumbers in kelp ecosystem.

High fitness areas drive the aggregation of the sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus.

Sea urchin aggregation is a common phenomenon in coastlines. However, it remains controversial whether sea urchins form resource aggregations or behavioral aggregations in a non-spawning season. To clarify, we studied the aggregative responses to food and predators in the sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus when high fitness areas (HFAs) were scarce versus sufficient. By taking the occupied area of each sea urchin (test diameter + spines =  4.5 cm) as a square (4.5 cm × 4.5 cm), we set scarce HFAs for the sea urchins in Experiment 1 (the squares of HFAs: the area occupied by experimental sea urchins = 1:1) and sufficient HFAs for the sea urchins in Experiment 2 (the squares of HFAs: the area occupied by experimental sea urchins = 2:1). If M. nudus form resource aggregations, they would aggregate passively under the scarce HFAs conditions, but not in the sufficient HFAs conditions. Conversely, if M. nudus form behavioral aggregation, aggregation would occur in both scarce and sufficient HFAs. The present results showed that in the scarce HFAs, M. nudus in the food and predator groups were significantly closer to the food and further from predators, and had significantly more aggregated numbers in HFAs than those in the control group. Sea urchins did not aggregate in response to food or predators under the sufficient HFAs, although significantly more sea urchins of the experimental group was found in HFAs than that of the control group. Sea urchins (at least M. nudus) form resource aggregations that are driven by the scarce HFAs. This provides valuable information into the mechanisms of the aggregation of sea urchins.

Conspecific alarm cues are a potential effective barrier to regulate foraging behavior of the sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus.

A cost-effective approach to controlling foraging and feeding behaviors of sea urchins is essential for the management of kelp beds. Laboratory experiments were designed to investigate whether alarm cues from crushed conspecific urchins can effectively prevent the foraging and feeding behaviors of the sea urchin Mesocentrotus nudus under the static seawater condition. The present study found that the number of M. nudus that foraged successfully was significantly lower when alarm cues were placed between the kelp and the sea urchins. This result indicates that alarm cues could play an important role in critical kelp-bed areas. It probably prevents sea urchins from foraging by acting as a barrier. Further, we found that alarm cues around the kelp significantly affected foraging behavior of M. nudus, indicating that the alarm cues around the kelp are a potential effective way to prevent sea urchins from foraging for the kelp. In addition, the number of sea urchins that stopped feeding was significantly higher in the group in the presence of alarm cues than that in the control group. This indicates that alarm cues may have an application in stopping sea urchins from feeding. However, there was no significant difference of Aristotle's lantern reflex between the groups with and without alarm cues. These results indicate that alarm cues greatly affect foraging behavior, but not Aristotle's lantern reflex of M. nudus. All together, the present study suggests that alarm cues have an application potential in the management of the kelp beds as green engineering. Future studies are essential to further investigate the chemical basis of the alarm cues of sea urchins for the application in large-scale.

Vaccarin enhances intestinal barrier function in type 2 diabetic mice.

AIMS: Hyperglycemia and insulin resistance drive intestinal barrier dysfunction in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Vaccarin, the main active component in the semen of traditional Chinese medicine Vaccaria has a definite effect on T2DM mice. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether vaccarin can enhance the intestinal barrier function in T2DM. MAIN METHODS: The T2DM mice model was established by streptozocin and high-fat diet. Vaccarin at a dose of 1 mg/kg/day was administered. We evaluated the effects of vaccarin on gut microbiota and intestinal barrier function by 16S rRNA sequencing, Western blot, quantitative fluorescent PCR (qPCR), and morphological observation. Moreover, we constructed a single layer of the human intestinal epithelium model to determine the effect of vaccarin in vitro. RESULTS: The experimental results showed that vaccarin alleviated inflammatory mediators in serum and intestinal tissue of mice (P < 0.05), which may depend on the improvement of tight junctions and gut microbiota (P < 0.05). Activation of extracellular regulated protein kinases (Erk1/2) stimulated myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). By inhibiting ERK expression (P < 0.05), vaccarin had similar effects to ERK inhibitors. In addition, the regulation of tight junction barriers also involved the abovementioned pathways in vivo. CONCLUSION: Vaccarin could protect the intestinal barrier by inhibiting the ERK/MLCK signaling pathway and modulate the composition of the microbiota. These results suggested that vaccarin may be an effective candidate for improving intestinal barrier changes in T2DM.

1,25(OH)2 D3 attenuates sleep disturbance in mouse models of Lewis lung cancer, in silico and in vivo.

Many clinical studies have reported that patients diagnosed with cancer will suffer from sleep disturbance during their clinical process, especially among lung cancer patients, and this effect will not easily subside. 1,25-dihydroxy-vitamin-D3 [1,25(OH)2 D3 ], the activated form of vitamin D, can participate in neuronal differentiation and prevent damage to the nervous system. However, little is known about the potential therapeutic effects of cancer-related psychiatric symptoms. In light of this, we hypothesized that a low circulating level of vitamin D was related to sleep quality in the presence of a tumor, 1,25(OH)2 D3 may be an effective way to ameliorate sleep disturbance and neurochemical alterations along with the cancer progress. Male C57BL/6 mice were implanted with intracranial transmitters to monitor electroencephalogram and were subcutaneously inoculated with Lewis lung cancer cells. The results demonstrated that on Days 19-20, tumor-bearing mice displayed fragmented sleep, shortened wake phase, prolonged sleep in the non-rapid eye movement phase, and the levels of vitamin D-associated genes in the brain had changed a lot compared to control mice. Importantly, 1,25(OH)2 D3 treatment really effectively saved the sleep quality of tumor-bearing mice. We further explored and confirmed that 1,25(OH)2 D3 repressed tumor-induced neuroinflammation (IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-γ, and IL-2), enhanced neurotrophic factors (brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF], glialcellline-derived neurotrophic factor) and 5-HT system in the hippocampus, hypothalamus or cortex. A molecular docking approah manifested the ability of 1,25(OH)2 D3 to affect the activity of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 and BDNF. Together, our results suggested that 1,25(OH)2 D3 treatment may attenuate sleep disturbance in Lewis lung cancer-bearing mice, and become a promising strategy for treating cancer symptom clusters to ameliorate the quality of life of patients with cancer.

Carryover effects of long-term high water temperatures on fitness-related traits of the offspring of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius.

It is important to study the fitness of marine invertebrates in exposure to high water temperature. We studied whether the long-term high temperatures work on the fitness-related traits (righting behavior, covering behavior, foraging behavior, Aristotle's lantern reflex, body size) of S. intermedius whose parents (males and females) were exposed to ambient or high temperatures (~3 °C higher than the ambient) for a long period of time. The present study found that test diameter, wet body weight and test weight of offspring were not significantly different between temperature treatments, indicating that the parental sea urchins in exposure to high temperatures develop no carryover effects on the body size of the offspring sea urchins. We found no significant difference in foraging behavior, Aristotle's lantern reflex, lantern length and lantern weight of sea urchins after their parents had experienced long-term high temperatures. In addition, no significant change was found in the righting and covering behaviors of sea urchins whose parents were at long-term high temperatures. These results indicate that no significant lasting effects exhibited in the fitness-related behaviors and tissue size after their parents were exposed to high temperatures for a long time. The crushing force of test and test thickness showed no significant difference in the offspring of S. intermedius, no matter whether their parents were exposed to long-term high temperatures or not. The current results enrich our understanding that the parental sea urchin experiencing long-term high temperatures probably develop no carryover effects on the test of their offspring. We found that sea urchins whose parents were exposed to long-term elevated temperatures showed a significantly higher lantern length/test diameter and a significantly lower test height/test diameter in offspring sea urchins due to the thermal experience of their parents, showing the plasticity of lantern and test of offspring sea urchins in response to the thermal experience of their parents. Together with our previous investigation, the present study indicates that small sea urchins are less susceptible to the carryover effects of high temperatures in comparison with the developmental stages of embryos and larvae.

Interaction among sea urchins in response to food cues.

Interaction among sea urchins remains largely uninvestigated, although the aggregation of sea urchins is common. In the present study, 1, 15 and 30 sea urchins Strongylocentrotus intermedius (11.06 ± 0.99 mm in test diameter) were placed in a 1 m2 circular tank, respectively. Movement behaviors were recorded for 12 min to investigate potential interactions among sea urchins. After the 12-min control period, we added food cues into the tank and recorded the changes in sea urchins' behaviors. For the first time, we here quantified the interactions among sea urchins in laboratory and found that the interactions varied with food cues and with different densities. The sea urchins dispersed in random directions after being released. There was no significant difference in the movement speed and the displacement of sea urchins among the three density groups (1, 15 and 30 ind/m2). The interaction occurred when sea urchins randomly contacted with the conspecifics and slowed down the movement speed. The speed of sea urchins after physical contacts decreased by an average of 40% in the density of 15 ind/m2 and 17% in the density of 30 ind/m2. This interaction resulted in significantly higher randomness in the movement direction and lower movement linearity in 15 and 30 ind/m2 than in 1 ind/m2. After the introduction of food cues, the movement speed, displacement and dispersal distance of sea urchin groups decreased significantly in all the three densities. The dispersal distance and expansion speed of sea urchins were significantly lower in 30 ind/m2 than those in 15 ind/m2. The present study indicates that the interaction among sea urchins limits the movement of individual sea urchin and provides valuable information into how large groups of sea urchins are stable in places where food is plentiful.

Rosthorin A inhibits non-small cell lung cancer cell growth and metastasis through repressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition via downregulating Slug.

Lung cancer always ranks first in the number of cancer deaths every year, accounting for 18.4% of total cancer deaths in 2018. Metastasis is the main cause of death in lung cancer patients. The identification of bioactive components of traditional Chinese medicine is very important for the development of novel reagents against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Rosthorin A has originated from Rabdosia rosthornii (Diels) Hara which excerpts from 'Chinese materia medica', and is known to have 'clear heat phlegm' properties in the folk. Little is known about the biological functions and mechanisms of Rosthorin A in cancer cells at present. The role of EMT in metastasis of a tumor cell is self-evident. Slug is an important EMT inducer, which is related to the development of lung cancer. Cell growth, clone assay, cell migration, cell invasion, and protein expression, and NSCLC transplanted tumor growth were performed in A549, H1299, and H1975 cells. Rosthorin A significantly inhibited the growth of NSCLC cells, it could prolong the survival of nude mice. Rosthorin A inhibited the migration and invasion of A549, H1299, and H1975 cells. Rosthorin A up-regulated E-cadherin expression level and down-regulated the expression of ß-catenin, N-cadherin, vimentin, Slug, and Twist. Rosthorin A could promote the expression of E-cadherin and inhibit the development of EMT by downregulating Slug, to inhibit the development and metastasis of NSCLC cells. In summary, Rosthorin A could be used as a promising candidate for the treatment of NSCLC patients with recurrence and metastasis.

Preparation, characterization and wound healing effect of vaccarin-chitosan nanoparticles.

Wound healing is a complex, dynamic and difficult process. Much effort and attempt has been made to accelerate this process. The purpose of this study is to prepare nanoparticles loaded with vaccarin (VAC-NPS)hydrogel and evaluate its effect on promoting wound healing. In the present study, the physicochemical properties of VAC-NPS were characterized. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to observe the morphology of VAC-NPS. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) was employed to assessment the biocompatibility of VAC-NPS in vitro. The wound healing function of VAC-NPS hydrogels was evaluated in the full-thickness dermal wound in a rat model. The results indicated that VAC-NPS was spherical like particles with uniform particle size distribution and no obvious aggregation with a diameter of (216.6 ± 10.1)nm. The loading capacity and encapsulation efficiency of VAC in the nanoparticles were (14.3 ± 1.2) % and (51.7 ± 1.7) % respectively. MTT assay demonstrated that the VAC-NPS had no cytotoxicity and could promote HUVEC proliferation and migration. In vivo results showed that VAC-NPS promotes wound healing, and the mechanism may be through up-regulating IL-1ß and PDGF-BB, promoting angiogenesis. VAC-NPS might have a potential application value for the treatment of the wound healing and a promising performance in bio-medically relevant systems.

Fitness benefits and costs of shelters to the sea urchin Glyptocidaris crenularis.

Understanding the ecological role of shelters is greatly hampered by the scarcity of long-term laboratory experiments on the trade-off between fitness benefits and costs. This lack probably leads to an underestimation of the negative and/or positive effects on behaviors and growth of marine invertebrates in benthic ecosystems. Although our previous study revealed a significant effect on fitness-related traits of Glyptocidaris crenularis after 31 months, the present study extended it and investigated fitness benefits and/or costs of long-term sheltering on sea urchins to over 7 years. The present long-term study suggests that the previously reported reduction in feeding rate probably resulted from a reduction in reflexive feeding motions (Aristotle's lantern reflex) rather than changes in foraging behavior. Actively seeking sheltering behavior was negatively impacted in individuals with continuous access to shelters. However, covering and righting behaviors did not differ in sheltered sea urchins, indicating that these behaviors are maintained to escape from adverse environments regardless of shelter. Body size of sea urchins in the group with shelters was significantly lower than those without shelters after 7 years. Weights of gonads and gut were not significantly different after 7 years despite previous observations of differences after ~2.5 years. The present study provides valuable information on the trade-off between fitness benefits and costs to sea urchins residing in shelters. However, the present study is only a laboratory investigation for one urchin species (G. crenularis) which does not consider the complexity of natural environments. Field studies should be carried out with G. crenularis and other sea urchin species, before a more universal conclusion can be drawn.

Vaccarin Regulates Diabetic Chronic Wound Healing through FOXP2/AGGF1 Pathways.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a growing global health issue nearly across the world. Diabetic patients who are prone to develop diabetes-related complications often exhibit progressive neuropathy (painless and sensory loss). It is usual for small wounds to progress to ulceration, which especially worsens with peripheral arterial disease and in the presence of anaerobic bacteria, culminating into gangrene. In our study, vaccarin (VAC), the main active monomer extracted from Chinese herb vaccariae semen, is proven to have a role in promoting diabetic chronic wound healing through a cytoprotective role under high glucose conditions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We constructed a pressure ulcer on both VAC-treated and control mice based on a type 1 diabetes (T1DM) model. The wound healing index was evaluated by an experimental wound assessment tool (EWAT). We also determined the effect of VAC on the proliferation and cell migration of human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) by a cell counting kit (CCK-8), a scratch and transwell assay. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that VAC could promote the proliferation and migration of high glucose-stimulated HMEC-1 cells, which depend on the activation of FOXP2/AGGF1. Activation of the angiogenic factor with G patch and FHA domains 1 (AGGF1) caused enhanced phosphorylation of serine/threonine kinase (Akt) and extracellular regulated protein kinases (Erk1/2). By silencing the expression of forkhead box p2 (FOXP2) protein by siRNA, both mRNA and protein expression of AGGF1 were downregulated, leading to a decreased proliferation and migration of HMEC-1 cells. In addition, a diabetic chronic wound model in vivo unveiled that VAC had a positive effect on chronic wound healing, which involved the activation of the above-mentioned pathways. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, our study found that VAC promoted chronic wound healing in T1DM mice by activating the FOXP2/AGGF1 pathway, indicating that VAC may be a promising candidate for the treatment of the chronic wounds of diabetic patients.

A Five-lncRNAs Signature-Derived Risk Score Based on TCGA and CGGA for Glioblastoma: Potential Prospects for Treatment Evaluation and Prognostic Prediction.

Accumulating studies have confirmed the crucial role of long non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) as favorable biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, therapy, and prognosis prediction. In our recent study, we established a robust model which is based on multi-gene signature to predict the therapeutic efficacy and prognosis in glioblastoma (GBM), based on Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. lncRNA-seq data of GBM from TCGA and CGGA datasets were used to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) compared to normal brain tissues. The DEGs were then used for survival analysis by univariate and multivariate COX regression. Then we established a risk score model, depending on the gene signature of multiple survival-associated DEGs. Subsequently, Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for estimating the prognostic and predictive role of the model. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was applied to investigate the potential pathways associated to high-risk score by the R package "cluster profile" and Wiki-pathway. And five survival associated lncRNAs of GBM were identified: LNC01545, WDR11-AS1, NDUFA6-DT, FRY-AS1, TBX5-AS1. Then the risk score model was established and shows a desirable function for predicting overall survival (OS) in the GBM patients, which means the high-risk score significantly correlated with lower OS both in TCGA and CGGA cohort. GSEA showed that the high-risk score was enriched with PI3K-Akt, VEGFA-VEGFR2, TGF-beta, Notch, T-Cell pathways. Collectively, the five-lncRNAs signature-derived risk score presented satisfactory efficacies in predicting the therapeutic efficacy and prognosis in GBM and will be significant for guiding therapeutic strategies and research direction for GBM.