Mechanism underlying effects of cellulose-degrading microbial inoculation on amino acid degradation and biosynthesis during composting.

Amino acids are essential organic compounds in composting products. However, the mechanism underlying the amino acid metabolism during composting remains unclear. This study aims at exploring the impacts of inoculating cellulose-degrading microbes on amino acid metabolism during composting with mulberry branches and silkworm excrements. Cellulose-degrading microbial inoculation enhanced amino acid degradation by 18%-43% by increasing protease and sucrase activities and stimulating eight amino acid degradation pathways from the initial to thermophilic phases, with Enterococcus, Saccharomonospora, Corynebacterium being the dominant bacterial genera, but stimulated amino acid production by 54% by increasing sucrase and urease activities, decreasing ß-glucosidase activities, and stimulating twenty-two amino acid synthesis pathways at the mature phase, with Thermobifida, Devosia, and Cellulosimicrobium being the dominant bacterial genera. The results suggest that cellulose-degrading microbial inoculation enhances amino acid degradation from the initial to thermophilic phases and biosynthesis at the mature phase, thereby improving the quality of organic fertilizer.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel indole-piperazine derivatives as antibacterial agents.

Herein, a series of novel indole-piperazine derivatives were synthesized. Bioassay results showed the title compounds exhibited moderate to good bacteriostatic efficacy against the test Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Among theses compounds, three remarkable compounds 8f, 9a, and 9h exhibited superior in vitro antibacterial profiles for anti- S. aureus and anti-MRSA to that of gentamicin. Hit compound 9a manifested a rapid bactericidal kinetic effect on MRSA, with no resistance observed after 19 days of sequential passaging. And 8 µg/mL of compound 9a displayed considerable post antibacterial effects to that of ciprofloxacin at the concentration of 2 µg/mL. Cytotoxic and ADMET studies indicated, to some extent, compounds 8f, 9a, and 9h were up to the standard for antibacterial drugs. These results suggest that indole/piperazine derivatives based on the title compounds can serve as a new scaffold for antimicrobial development.

A Novel Imidazopyridine Derivative Exerts Anticancer Activity by Inducing Mitochondrial Pathway-Mediated Apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: Cancer remains a major clinical challenge because of the lack of effective drug for its treatment. To find out novel cancer chemotherapeutic molecules, we explored the anticancer effect of novel imidazopyridine compound 9i and also investigated the underlying molecular mechanism. METHODS: Human cervical cancer cell (HeLa) viability was measured by an MTT assay after treatment with compound 9i. Clonogenicity of HeLa cells was investigated by an in vitro colony formation assay. Cell death was visualized by propidium iodide (PI) staining. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) was used to determine apoptosis and mitochondrial membrane potential in HeLa cells. The expression level of apoptosis-related proteins was also determined by western blot. RESULTS: Compound 9i suppressed HeLa cell viability in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Compound 9i induced mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP), activated caspase cascade, and finally resulted in apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Compound 9i induces mitochondrial pathway-mediated apoptosis in human cervical cancer cells, suggesting that 9i could be a potential lead compound to be developed as a cancer therapeutic molecule.

[Application of the Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale-Revision 2016 in young children with autism spectrum disorder].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the assessment results of the Children Neuropsychological and Behavioral Scale-Revision 2016 (CNBS-R2016) between young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and global developmental delay (GDD, without ASD) and to explore whether CNBS-R2016 could be helpful to early identification of ASD. METHODS: A total of 260 ASD and 371 GDD children aged 18-30 months were enrolled to finish the assessment of CNBS-R2016. The development quotients (DQs) of the five domains of CNBS-R2016 including gross motor, fine motor, adaptability, language and social behavior were compared between the two groups. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the value of the autism-predicted domain in identifying ASD and GDD. RESULTS: The DQs of all the five domains in the ASD group were lower than those in the GDD group (P<0.05). The language DQ and total DQ of the ASD group had a negative correlation with the score of the autism-predicted domain (rs=-0.566, -0.552 respectively, P<0.01). When the cut-off value of the autism-predicted domain was 10.5, the largest area under the ROC curve was 0.835, and the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of ASD were 0.750 and 0.798 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The development of ASD children aged 18-30 months is worse than that of GDD children. CNBS-R2016 may be helpful to distinguish ASD from children with developmental delay.

Bisphenol A alternatives bisphenol S and bisphenol F interfere with thyroid hormone signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo.

The wide use of the alternatives to bisphenol A (BPA) has raised concerns about their potential toxicities. Considering the disrupting activity of BPA on thyroid hormone (TH) signaling, we investigated whether bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF), two leading alternatives, could interfere with TH signaling pathway using a series of assays in vitro and in vivo. In the fluorescence competitive binding assay, we found BPS and BPF, like BPA, bound to TH receptors (TRα and TRß), with the binding potencies an order of magnitude lower than BPA (BPA > BPF > BPS). Molecular docking data also show their binding potencies to TRs. In the coactivator recruitment assay, BPS and BPF recruited coactivator to TRß but not TRα, with weaker potencies than BPA. Correspondingly, agonistic actions of the three bisphenols in the absence or presence of T3 were observed in the TR-mediated reporter gene transcription assay. Also, all the three bisphenols induced TH-dependent GH3 cell proliferation, whereas BPA and BPF inhibited T3 induction in the presence of T3. As for in vivo assay, the three bisphenols like T3 induced TH-response gene transcription in Pelophylax nigromaculatus tadpoles, but in the presence of T3 altered T3-induced gene transcription in a biphasic concentration-response manner. These results for the first time demonstrate that BPS and BPF, like BPA, have potential to interfere with TH signaling pathway, i.e., they generally activate TH signaling in the absence of T3, but in the presence of TH, display agonistic or/and antagonistic actions under certain condition. Our study highlights the potential risks of BPS and BPF as BPA alternatives.

Inhibited effects of CAPE-pNO2 on cervical carcinoma in vivo and in vitro and its detected metabolites.

The development of advanced cervical cancer therapies is a particularly urgent need due to the strong side effects and toxicities of current treatments. Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) exhibits broad-spectrum antitumor activities and little toxicity or side effects. In our previous study, caffeic acid para-nitro phenethyl ester (CAPE-pNO2) significantly improved the effect of anti-platelet aggregation and attenuated myocardial ischemia. Based on this finding, we aimed to further explore the antitumor activity of CAPE-pNO2 in cervical cancer cells and tumor xenografts. In addition, we assessed the biotransformation of CAPE-pNO2 in cervical cancer cells. Our study demonstrated that both CAPE and CAPE-pNO2 can inhibit cell proliferation via the induction of G2/M cell cycle arrest. More importantly, CAPE-pNO2 dramatically induced cell apoptosis via significant down-regulation of pro-caspase-3, pro-caspase-9, Bcl-2, Cyclin B1 and Cdc2 and up-regulation of cleaved-caspase-3, Bax, CytoC and P21Cip1. Moreover, CAPE and CAPE-pNO2 significantly suppressed the growth and angiogenesis of nude mice xenografts. CAPE and CAPE-pNO2 were found to degrade into four and six metabolites, respectively. The metabolites of CAPE and CAPE-pNO2 were different, and the major metabolic pathway may be phase II reactions. These results suggest that CAPE-pNO2 induced cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest via a strong regulatory effect on relevant apoptotic proteins. Therefore, CAPE-pNO2 should be further studied as a potent anti-cancer agent.

Anti-colon cancer effect of caffeic acid p-nitro-phenethyl ester in vitro and in vivo and detection of its metabolites.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), extracted from propolis, was proven to inhibit colon cancer. Caffeic acid p-nitro-phenethyl ester (CAPE-pNO2), a derivative of CAPE, was determined to be an anti-platelet agent and a protector of myocardial ischaemia with more potent effects. In the present study, CAPE-pNO2 showed stronger cytotoxic activity than CAPE. We revealed interactions between CAPE-pNO2 and experimental cells. CAPE-pNO2 induced apoptosis in HT-29 cells by up-regulating P53, cleaved-caspase-3, Bax, P38 and CytoC; CAPE-pNO2 also up-regulated P21Cip1 and P27Kip1 and down-regulated CDK2 and c-Myc to promote cell cycle arrest in G0/G1. In xenograft studies, CAPE-pNO2 remarkably suppressed tumour growth dose dependently and decreased the expression of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) in tumour tissue. Moreover, HE staining showed that no observable toxicity was found in the heart, liver, kidney and spleen. In addition, metabolites of CAPE-pNO2 in HT-29 cells and organs were detected. In conclusion, para-nitro may enhance the anticancer effect of CAPE by inhibiting colon cancer cell viability, inducing apoptosis and cell cycle arrest via the P53 pathway and inhibiting tumour growth and reducing tumour invasion by decreasing the expression of VEGF; additionally, metabolites of CAPE-pNO2 showed differences in cells and organs.

Optimization of the T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay for detecting thyroid hormone signaling disruption of chemicals.

T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis is an ideal model for detecting thyroid hormone (TH) signaling disruption of chemicals. To optimize the T3-induced Xenopus assay and improve its sensitivity and reproducibility, we intend to develop quantitatively morphological endpoints and choose appropriate concentrations and exposure durations for T3 induction. Xenopus laevis at stage 52 were exposed to series of concentrations of T3 (0.31-2.5nmol/L) for 6days. By comparing morphological changes induced by T3, we propose head area, mouth width, unilateral brain width/brain length, and hindlimb length/snout-vent length as quantitative parameters for characterizing T3-induced morphological changes, with body weight as a parameter for indicating integrated changes. By analyzing time-response curves, we found that following 4-day exposure, T3-induced grossly morphological changes displayed linear concentration-response curves, with moderate morphological changes resulting from 1.25nmol/L T3 exposure. When using grossly morphological endpoints to detect TH signaling disruption, we propose 4days as exposure duration of T3, with concentrations close to 1.25nmol/L as induction concentrations. However, it is appropriate to examine morphological and molecular changes of the intestine on day 2 due to their early response to T3. The quantitative endpoints and T3 induction concentrations and durations we determined would improve the sensitivity and the reproducibility of the T3-induced Xenopus metamorphosis assay.

Absorption properties and effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester and its p-nitro-derivative on P-glycoprotein in Caco-2 cells and rats.

CONTEXT: Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), isolated from honeybee propolis, has pharmacological applications. A synthesized CAPE derivative, p-nitro-caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE-NO2), showed similar activities with CAPE. The pharmacological activities of CAPE and CAPE-NO2 are related to their absorption properties. OBJECTIVE: To understand the pharmacokinetic profiles of CAPE and CAPE-NO2 in rats and investigate the absorption mechanisms and effects on P-glycoprotein in Caco-2 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pharmacokinetic profiles of CAPE and CAPE-NO2 were obtained after oral administration (10 mg/kg) to rats. Transport studies of CAPE and CAPE-NO2 (5, 10, 20 µM) were performed in Caco-2 cell model. P-gp activities were assayed by rhodamine 123 cellular retention. Expression of P-gp was determined after the cells were administrated with CAPE and CAPE-NO2 (5, 20 µM) for 48 and 72 h. RESULTS: The AUC(0-t) of CAPE-NO2 (3239.9 ± 352 ng × h/mL) was two-time greater than CAPE (1659.6 ± 152 ng × h/mL) in rats. The Papp values of CAPE and CAPE-NO2 were (4.86 ± 0.90) × 10-6 cm/s and (12.34 ± 1.6) × 10-6 cm/s, respectively. The accumulation of rhodamine 123 was increased by 1.3- to 1.9-fold and 1.4- to 2.3-fold in CAPE and CAPE-NO2 groups after 1 h administration, respectively. However, CAPE and CAPE-NO2 increased the P-gp levels by 2.1- and 1.7-fold, respectively. CONCLUSION: The absorption of CAPE-NO2 can be enhanced in rats and Caco-2 cells compared with CAPE. The two compounds are potential inhibitors of P-gp. The increased P-gp levels generated by CAPE and CAPE-NO2 played a role as a defense mechanism by limiting intracellular xenobiotic levels.

Potential Biomarkers in Diagnosis of Human Gastric Cancer.

The high incidence of gastric cancer (GC) and its consequent mortality rate severely threaten human's health. It is not frequently diagnosed until a relatively advanced stage. Surgery is the only potentially curative treatment. Thus, early screening and diagnosis are critical for patients with GC. The tumor marker assays used currently for detecting GC are simple and rapid, but the usage is limited by its low sensitivity and specificity. Here, we provide a brief description of some new potential markers and new biotechnological methods for the diagnosis of GC, hoping to find out more effective approaches for early detection of GC.

The effects and outcomes of electrolyte disturbances and asphyxia on newborns hearing.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of electrolyte disturbances (ED) and asphyxia on infant hearing and hearing outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted newborn hearing screening with transient evoked otoacoustic emission (TEOAE) test on a large scale (>5000 infants). The effects of ED and asphyxia on infant hearing and hearing outcomes were evaluated. RESULT: The pass rate of TEOAE test was significantly reduced in preterm infants with ED (83.1%, multiple logistic regression analysis: P<0.01) but not in full-term infants with ED (93.6%, P=0.41). However, there was no significant reduction in the pass rate in infants with asphyxia (P=0.85). We further found that hypocalcaemia significantly reduced the pass rate of TEOAE test (86.8%, P<0.01). In the follow-up recheck at 3 months of age, the pass rate remained low (44.4%, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: ED is a high-risk factor for preterm infant hearing. Hypocalcaemia can produce more significant impairment with a low recovery rate.