Neural encoding for spatial release from informational masking and its correlation with behavioral metrics.

The central auditory system encompasses two primary functions: identification and localization. Spatial release from masking (SRM) highlights speech recognition in competing noise and improves the listening experience when a spatial cue is introduced between noise and target speech. This assessment focuses on the integrity of auditory function and holds clinical significance. However, infants or pre-lingual subjects sometimes provide less reliable results. This study investigates the value of cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) onset and acoustic change complex (ACC) as an objective measurement of SRM. Thirty normal-hearing young adults (11 males) were recruited. We found the spatial separation of signals and noise (±90° symmetrically) resulted in a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) improvement of 9.00 ± 1.71 dB behaviorally. It significantly enhanced cortical processing at all SNR levels, shortened CAEP latencies, and increased amplitudes, resulting in a greater number of measurable peaks for ACC. SRM showed mild to moderate correlations with the differences between two conditions in CAEP measures. The regression model combining N1'-P2' amplitude at 5 dB SNR (R2 = 0.26), P1 amplitude at 0 dB SNR (R2 = 0.14), and P1 latency at -5 dB SNR (R2 = 0.15), explained 45.3% of the variance in SRM. Our study demonstrates that introducing spatial cues can improve speech perception and enhance central auditory processing in normal-hearing young adults. CAEPs may contribute to predictions about SRM and hold potential for practical application.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The neural encoding of spatial release from masking (SRM) can be observed in normal-hearing young adults. Spatial separation between target and masker improves speech perception in noise and enhances central auditory processing. The behavioral results showed mild-to-moderate correlations with electrophysiological measures, with acoustic change complex (ACC) amplitude being a better indicator than onset components. Cortical auditory evoked potentials (CAEPs) may contribute to predictions about spatial release from masking, especially when behavioral tests are less reliable.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of new RNF126-based p300/CBP degraders.

Histone acetyltransferase CREB-binding protein (CBP) and its homologous protein p300 are key transcriptional activators that can activate oncogene transcription, which present promising targets for cancer therapy. Here, we designed and synthesized a series of p300/CBP targeted low molecular weight PROTACs by assembling the covalent ligand of RNF126 E3 ubiquitin ligase and the bromodomain ligand of the p300/CBP. The optimal molecule A8 could effectively degrade p300 and CBP through the ubiquitin-proteasome system in time- and concentration-dependent manners, with half-maximal degradation (DC50) concentrations of 208.35/454.35 nM and 82.24/79.45 nM for p300/CBP in MV4-11 and Molm13 cell lines after 72 h of treatment. And the degradation of p300/CBP by A8 is dependent on the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and its simultaneous interactions with the target proteins and RNF126. A8 exhibits good antiproliferative activity in a series of p300/CBP-dependent cancer cells. It could transcriptionally inhibit the expression of c-Myc, induce cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase and apoptosis in MV4-11 cells. This study thus provided us a new chemotype for the development of drug-like PROTACs targeting p300/CBP, which is expected to be applied in cancer therapy.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel 9-methyl-9H-purine and thieno[3, 2-d]pyrimidine derivatives as potent mTOR inhibitors.

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) has been proved to be an effective target for cancer therapy. Two kinds of mTOR inhibitors, the rapalogs and mTOR kinase inhibitors (TORKi), have been developed and clinically validated in several types of malignancies. Compared with rapalogs, TORKi can exert better antitumor activity by inhibiting both mTORC1 and mTORC2, but the clinical development of current TORKi candidates has been relative slow, more TORKi with novel scaffold need to be developed to expand the current pipelines. In this study, a series of 9-methyl-9H-purine and thieno[3, 2-d]pyrimidine derivatives were designed, synthesized and biological evaluation. Most of these compounds exhibited good mTOR kinase inhibitory activity and selectivity over PI3Kα. Subsequent antiproliferative assay allowed us to identify the lead compound 15i, which display nanomolar to low micromolar IC50s against six human cancer cell lines. 15i could induce cell cycle arrest of MCF-7, PC-3 and A549 cells at the G0/G1 phase and suppress the migration and invasion of these cancer cells by suppressing the phosphorylation of AKT and P70S6 kinase. It could also regulate autophagy-related proteins to induce autophagy. Therefore, 15i would be a starting point for the development of new TORKi as anticancer drug.

Acoustic Change Complex Evoked by Horizontal Sound Location Change in Young Adults With Normal Hearing.

Acoustic change complex (ACC) is a cortical auditory-evoked potential induced by a change of continuous sound stimulation. This study aimed to explore: (1) whether the change of horizontal sound location can elicit ACC; (2) the relationship between the change of sound location and the amplitude or latency of ACC; (3) the relationship between the behavioral measure of localization, minimum audible angle (MAA), and ACC. A total of 36 normal-hearing adults participated in this study. A 180° horizontal arc-shaped bracket with a 1.2 m radius was set in a sound field where participants sat at the center. MAA was measured in a two-alternative forced-choice setting. The objective electroencephalography recording of ACC was conducted with the location changed at four sets of positions, ±45°, ±15°, ±5°, and ±2°. The test stimulus was a 125-6,000 Hz broadband noise of 1 s at 60 ± 2 dB SPL with a 2 s interval. The N1'-P2' amplitudes, N1' latencies, and P2' latencies of ACC under four positions were evaluated. The influence of electrode sites and the direction of sound position change on ACC waveform was analyzed with analysis of variance. Results suggested that (1) ACC can be elicited successfully by changing the horizontal sound location position. The elicitation rate of ACC increased with the increase of location change. (2) N1'-P2' amplitude increased and N1' and P2' latencies decreased as the change of sound location increased. The effects of test angles on N1'-P2' amplitude [F(1.91,238.1) = 97.172, p < 0.001], N1' latency [F(1.78,221.90) = 96.96, p < 0.001], and P2' latency [F(1.87,233.11) = 79.97, p < 0.001] showed a statistical significance. (3) The direction of sound location change had no significant effect on any of the ACC peak amplitudes or latencies. (4) Sound location discrimination threshold by the ACC test (97.0% elicitation rate at ±5°) was higher than MAA threshold (2.08 ± 0.5°). The current study results show that though the ACC thresholds are higher than the behavioral thresholds on MAA task, ACC can be used as an objective method to evaluate sound localization ability. This article discusses the implications of this research for clinical practice and evaluation of localization skills, especially for children.

Identification of a selective BRD4 PROTAC with potent antiproliferative effects in AR-positive prostate cancer based on a dual BET/PLK1 inhibitor.

BRD4-targeted proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) have exhibited promising in vitro and in vivo anticancer activity in a number of cancer models. However, the clinical development of current reported BRD4-PROTACs have stagnated, largely due to the safety risks caused by their poor degradation selectivity. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of PROTACs based on our recently reported dual BET/PLK1 inhibitor WNY0824, which led to the discovery of an isoform-selective and potent BRD4-PROTAC 12a (WWL0245). WWL0245 exhibited excellent selective cytotoxicity in the BETi sensitive cancer cell lines, including AR-positive prostate cancer cell lines. It could also efficiently induce ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation of BRD4 in AR-positive prostate cancer cell lines, with sub-nanomolar half-maximal degrading concentration (DC50) and maximum degradation (Dmax) > 99%. Moreover, WWL0245 induced cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 phase and apoptosis in AR-positive prostate cancer by downregulation of the protein levels of AR, PSA and c-Myc as well as transcriptionally suppressed AR-regulated genes. WWL0245 was thus expected to be developed as a promising drug candidate for AR-positive prostate cancer and a valuable tool compound to study the biological function of BRD4.

Septoplasty alone is not suitable for most structural nasal obstructions.

Septoplasty is widely used in the treatment of structural nasal obstructions, and it also has a good effect and a high degree of postoperative satisfaction. However, there a large number of structures demonstrate abnormalities related to structural nasal obstruction, including the external nose, maxilla, nasal cavity and paranasal sinus. Nasal septum deviation is only one signs of structural nasal obstruction and does not represent all possible structural abnormalities of the nasal cavity and its surrounding structure. Septoplasty is only performed to correct deviations of the nasal septum, which in many cases is obviously insufficient in restoring the symmetry of the nasal structure. Therefore, septoplasty alone is not suitable for the treatment of most structural nasal obstructions. Nasal ventilation expansion surgery, which typically covers more abnormal structural correction procedures than septoplasty, should be used when describing the treatment of structural nasal obstruction.

A novel fixed-dose combination treatment for chronic hepatitis C, based on NS5A inhibitor fopitasvir and NS5B inhibitor sofosbuvir.

Drug resistance caused by the extreme genetic variability of zhe hepatitis C virus has rendered effective combinations of drugs indispensable in the treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Herein, we developed a fixed-dose combination (FDC) treatment containing the NS5B inhibitor sofosbuvir (SOF) and the NS5A inhibitor fopitasvir (FOP). Then the dissolution behavior of FOP in FOP/SOF FDC was improved by co-micronizing FOP with lactose. The enhanced dissolution rate of FOP in the FDC was in good agreement with the behavior of the FOP singledrug tablet. In addition, pharmacokinetic studies showed that both FOP and SOF in the FDC exhibited similar characteristics (area under the curve, Cmax, Tmax, and T1/2) as those of tablets containing FOP or SOF alone. These results revealed that the FOP/SOF FDC represents a potential therapeutic option for the treatment of CHC.

Identification of a potent and selective phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase δ inhibitor for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

PI3Kδ has proved to be an effective target for anti-lymphoma drugs. However, the application of current approved PI3Kδ inhibitors has been greatly limited due to their specific immune-mediated toxicity and increased risk of infection, it is necessary to develop more PI3Kδ inhibitors with new scaffold. In this study, SAR study with respect to piperazinone-containing purine derivatives led to the discovery of a potent and selective PI3Kδ inhibitor, 4-(cyclobutanecarbonyl)-1-((2-(2-ethyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)-9-methyl-6-morpholino-9H-purin-8-yl)methyl)piperazin-2-one (WNY1613). WNY1613 exhibits good antiproliferative activity against a panel of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) cell lines by inducing cancer cell apoptosis and inhibiting the phosphorylation of PI3K and MAPK downstream components. In addition, it can also prevent the tumor growth in both SU-DHL-6 and JEKO-1 xenograft models without observable toxicity. WNY1613 thus could be developed as a promising candidate for the treatment of NHL after subsequent extensive pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics investigation.

Design, synthesis and structure-activity relationship study of piperazinone-containing thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidine derivatives as new PI3Kδ inhibitors.

Two classes of piperazinone-containing thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidines were designed and synthesized as new PI3Kδ inhibitors in this study. Detailed SAR study with respect to the piperazinone substituents at the 6-position of thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidine core demonstrated that piperazinone-containing thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidines would be more potent and selective for PI3Kδ than their piperazine counterparts, which led to the discovery of several potent PI3Kδ inhibitors with comparable or better antiproliferative activity against a panel of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) cell lines as compared with idelalisib. Our study will promote the development of new PI3Kδ inhibitors based on piperazinone-containing thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidine scaffold.

Tonal Language Speakers Are Better Able to Segregate Competing Speech According to Talker Sex Differences.

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare release from masking (RM) between Mandarin-speaking and English-speaking listeners with normal hearing for competing speech when target-masker sex cues, spatial cues, or both were available. Method Speech recognition thresholds (SRTs) for competing speech were measured in 21 Mandarin-speaking and 15 English-speaking adults with normal hearing using a modified coordinate response measure task. SRTs were measured for target sentences produced by a male talker in the presence of two masker talkers (different male talkers or female talkers). The target sentence was always presented directly in front of the listener, and the maskers were either colocated with the target or were spatially separated from the target (+90°, -90°). Stimuli were presented via headphones and were virtually spatialized using head-related transfer functions. Three masker conditions were used to measure RM relative to the baseline condition: (a) talker sex cues, (b) spatial cues, or (c) combined talker sex and spatial cues. Results The results showed large amounts of RM according to talker sex and/or spatial cues. There was no significant difference in SRTs between Chinese and English listeners for the baseline condition, where no talker sex or spatial cues were available. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in RM between Chinese and English listeners when spatial cues were available. However, RM was significantly larger for Chinese listeners when talker sex cues or combined talker sex and spatial cues were available. Conclusion Listeners who speak a tonal language such as Mandarin Chinese may be able to take greater advantage of talker sex cues than listeners who do not speak a tonal language.

Design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of 4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-f]pteridine derivatives as novel dual-PLK1/BRD4 inhibitors.

Protein kinase inhibitors and epigenetic regulatory molecules are two main kinds of anticancer drugs developed in recent years. Both kinds of drugs harbor their own advantages and disadvantages in the treatment of cancer, and the development of small molecules which could target at kinases and epigenetic targets simultaneously can avoid the defects of drugs which only targets at kinases or epigenetic proteins. In this study, a series of 4,5-dihydro-[1,2,4]triazolo [4,3-f]pteridine derivatives were designed and synthesized based on the structure of PLK1 inhibitor BI-2536. Subsequent targets affinity screen and antiproliferative activity test led to the discovery of the most potent dual PLK1/BRD4 inhibitor 9b with good potency for both PLK1 (IC50 = 22 nM) and BRD4 (IC50 = 109 nM) as well as favorable antiproliferative activity against a panel of cancer cell lines. 9b could induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in acute myeloid leukemia cell line MV 4-11 in a concentration dependent manner. It could also downregulate the transcription of several proliferation-related oncogenes, including c-MYC, MYCN and BCL-2. Finally, in a MV4-11 mouse xenograft model, 9b exhibited favorable in vivo antitumor activity with 66% tumor growth inhibition (TGI) at a dose of 60 mg/kg while without obvious toxicity. This study thus provided us a start point for the development of new dual PLK1/BRD4 inhibitors as anticancer agents.

Correction: Inhibition of Stat3 signaling pathway by nifuroxazide improves antitumor immunity and impairs colorectal carcinoma metastasis.

Since publication of this article, the authors have noticed that there were errors in Fig. 1b (the CT 26 cells colony formation images) and Fig. 7c (the vehicle group images). As a result of the misfiling of the data during preparation of figures, incorrect images were inadvertently inserted in these figures.An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of 3,5-dimethylisoxazole and pyridone derivatives as BRD4 inhibitors.

Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4), a member of the bromodomain and extra-terminal (BET) family, has been recognized as an attractive candidate target for the treatment targeting gene transcription in several types of cancers. In this study, two types of novel compounds were designed, synthesized and evaluated as BRD4 inhibitors. Therein, pyridone derivatives were more effective against BRD4 protein and human leukemia cell lines MV4-11. Among them, compounds 11d, 11e and 11f were the most potential ones with IC50 values of 0.55 µM, 0.86 µM and 0.80 µM against BRD4, and exhibited remarkable antiproliferative activities against MV4-11 cells with IC50 values of 0.19 µM, 0.32 µM and 0.12 µM, respectively. Moreover, in western blot assay, compound 11e induced down-regulation of C-Myc, which is a significant downstream gene of BRD4. Cell cycle analysis assay also showed that compound 11e could block MV4-11 cells at G0/G1 phase. Taken together, our results suggested that compound 11e and its derivatives were a class of novel structural potential BRD4 inhibitors and could serve as lead compounds for further exploration.

Discovery and Structure-Resistance Relationship Study of New Thieno[2,3-b] Pyridine HCV NS4B Inhibitors.

The non-structural protein 4B (NS4B) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has emerged as a promising target for chronic hepatitis C treatment. The thieno[2,3-b]pyridine HCV inhibitor 2 has demonstrated properties as a NS4B inhibitor. Subsequent hybridization of 2 with our recently published imidazo[2,1-b]thiazole NS4B inhibitor 3 resulted in the discovery of several more potent compounds with sub-micromolar EC50 against HCV genotype 1b replicon. More importantly, the resistant profile study of the new synthesized HCV inhibitors illustrated that the bicyclic scaffold would mediate the resistance of H3R and Q26R mutations, while the piperazinone motif would mediate the resistance of H94R, F98C and V105M mutations, and the C3- amino group would disrupt the interaction between piperazinone motif and NS4B. This structure-resistance relationship detail could help us to develop new NS4B inhibitors with higher resistant barrier in the future.

Structural characterization of a Δ3, Δ2-enoyl-CoA isomerase from Pseudomonas aeruginosa: implications for its involvement in unsaturated fatty acid metabolism.

Gene PA4980 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes a putative enoyl-coenzyme A hydratase/isomerase that is associated with the function of the biofilm dispersion-inducing signal molecule cis-2-decenoic acid. To elucidate the role of PA4980 in cis-2-decenoic acid biosynthesis, we reported the crystal structure of its protein product at 2.39 Å. The structural analysis and substrate binding prediction suggest that it acts as a monofunctional enoyl-coenzyme A isomerase, implicating an alternative pathway of the cis-2-decenoic acid synthesis.

Author Correction: Structural and functional studies on Pseudomonas aeruginosa DspI: implications for its role in DSF biosynthesis.

A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.

[CT observation of retromaxillary posterior ethmoid].

Objective:To investigate the morphologic characteristics of the retromaxillary posterior ethmoid.Method:A total of 103 outpatients encountered in our hospital during March 2012 and December 2012,who completed paranasal sinus CT examination,were included in this study.Patients had no sinus trauma,surgery or tumor history.Their paranasal sinus CT scans were analyzed from scheduled axial and coronal plane.The incidence and imaging features of the retromaxillary posterior ethmoid were observed.Result:The retromaxillary posterior ethmoid(RMPE)was the posterior ethmoid cell that expanded along the lamina papyracea toward the infraorbital region.RMPE was located behind the posterior wall of the maxillary sinus and under the orbital floor.The occurrence rate of the RMPE was 74.3%.The ethmomaxillary septum is the bony septum the between the maxillary sinus and posterior ethmoid.Anatomical confirmation of RMPE is based mainly on the presence of the ethmomaxillary septum.RMPE is located at the back of ethmomaxillary septum.The sagittal angulation of the ethmomaxillary septum ranged from 22 to 87 degrees,with an average of(50.34±12.10)degrees.Conclusion:The ethmomaxillary septum is important for anatomic recognition of the RMPE.Accurate identification of the RMPE before ESS can help improve the removal of the posterior ethmoid sinus.

Metabolism of SKLB-TB1001, a Potent Antituberculosis Agent, in Animals.

Tuberculosis is a major global health problem, and the emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains has increased the difficulty of treating this disease. Among the novel antituberculosis drugs in the pipeline, decaprenylphosphoryl-beta-d-ribose-2-epimerase (DprE1) inhibitors such as BTZ043 and pBTZ169 exhibited extraordinary antituberculosis potency. Here, the metabolites of the new DprE1 inhibitor SKLB-TB1001 in vivo and its inhibition of cytochrome P450 isoforms and plasma protein binding (PPB) in vitro were studied. The results showed that rapid transformation and high PPB resulted in inadequate exposure in vivo and thus led to the moderate potency of SKLB-TB1001 in vivo This study provided explanations for the discrepant potency of this scaffold in vivo and in vitro Meanwhile, it also provides a rationale for lead optimization of this very promising scaffold of antituberculosis agents to prevent them from being metabolized, thus improving their exposure in vivo.

Structural and functional studies on Pseudomonas aeruginosa DspI: implications for its role in DSF biosynthesis.

DspI, a putative enoyl-coenzyme A (CoA) hydratase/isomerase, was proposed to be involved in the synthesis of cis-2-decenoic acid (CDA), a quorum sensing (QS) signal molecule in the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). The present study provided a structural basis for the dehydration reaction mechanism of DspI during CDA synthesis. Structural analysis reveals that Glu126, Glu146, Cys127, Cys131 and Cys154 are important for its enzymatic function. Moreover, we show that the deletion of dspI results in a remarkable decreased in the pyoverdine production, flagella-dependent swarming motility, and biofilm dispersion as well as attenuated virulence in P. aeruginosa PA14. This study thus unravels the mechanism of DspI in diffusible signal factor (DSF) CDA biosynthesis, providing vital information for developing inhibitors that interfere with DSF associated pathogenicity in P. aeruginosa.

Identification of a new series of benzothiazinone derivatives with excellent antitubercular activity and improved pharmacokinetic profiles.

Nitrobenzothiazinone (BTZ) is a promising scaffold with potent activity against M. tuberculosis by inhibiting decaprenylphosphoryl-beta-d-ribose 2'-oxidase (DprE1). But unfavorable durability poses a challenge to further development of this class of agents. Herein, a series of BTZs bearing a variety of different substituents at the C-2 position were designed and synthesized. Compounds were screened for their antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra and were profiled for metabolic stability, plasma protein-binding capacity and pharmacokinetics in vivo. In general, these new BTZs containing N-piperazine, N-piperidine or N-piperidone moiety have excellent antitubercular activity and low cytotoxicity. Several of the compounds showed improved microsomal stability and lower plasma protein-binding, opening a new direction for further lead optimization. And we obtained compound 3o, which maintained good anti-tuberculosis activity (MIC = 8 nM) and presented better in vitro ADME/T and in vivo pharmacokinetic profiles than reported BTZ compound PBTZ169, which may serve as a candidate for the treatment of tuberculosis.