Isolation and antioxidant activity of peptides from Chinese hairy tofu.

Hairy tofu is a famous Chinese snack that is made from soybeans and rich in various nutrients. In order to further explore the antioxidant peptides of hairy tofu hydrolysates, seven proteases were used to hydrolyze hairy tofu. The results of in vitro radical scavenging activity showed that hairy tofu hydrolysates obtained by pancreatin exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. After Sephadex G-25 gel filtration and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC), 97 peptides were identified in the most antioxidant fraction using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Among them, nine peptides were synthesized and their antioxidant activities were assessed using a H2O2-induced oxidative 293T cell model. Finally, four peptides (QCESHK, LAWNEGR, NLQGENEWDQK, and FTEMWR) at concentrations of < 50 µg/ml significantly decreased the malondialdehyde content compared with the model group, displaying in vivo antioxidant activity and low cytotoxicity. Overall, this research provided the choice of using hairy tofu peptides as antioxidant products in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Restoration of intrinsic hand function by superficial radial nerve: an anatomical study.

BACKGROUND: The contralateral seventh cervical (cC7) nerve root transfer represents a cornerstone technique in treating total brachial plexus avulsion injury. Traditional cC7 procedures employ the entire ulnar nerve as a graft, which inevitably compromises its restorative capacity. OBJECTIVE: Our cadaveric study seeks to assess this innovative approach aimed at preserving the motor branch of the ulnar nerve (MBUN). This new method aims to enable future repair stages, using the superficial radial nerve (SRN) as a bridge connecting cC7 and MBUN. METHODS: We undertook a comprehensive dissection of ten adult cadavers, generously provided by the Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology at Fudan University, China. It allowed us to evaluate the feasibility of our proposed technique. For this study, we harvested only the dorsal and superficial branches of the ulnar nerve, as well as the SRN, to establish connections between the cC7 nerve and recipient nerves (both the median nerve and MBUN). We meticulously dissected the SRN and the motor and sensory branches of the ulnar nerve. Measurements were made from the reverse point of the SRN to the wrist flexion crease and the coaptation point of the SRN and MBUN. Additionally, we traced the MBUN from distal to proximal ends, recording its maximum length. We also measured the diameters of the nerve branches and tallied the number of axons. RESULTS: Our modified approach proved technically viable in all examined limbs. The distances from the reverse point of the SRN to the wrist flexion crease were 8.24 ± 1.80 cm and to the coaptation point were 6.60 ± 1.75 cm. The maximum length of the MBUN was 7.62 ± 1.03 cm. The average axon diameters in the MBUN and the anterior and posterior branches of the SRN were 1.88 ± 0.42 mm、1.56 ± 0.38 mm、2.02 ± 0.41 mm,respectively. The corresponding mean numbers of axons were 1426.60 ± 331.39 and 721.50 ± 138.22, and 741.90 ± 171.34, respectively. CONCLUSION: The SRN demonstrated the potential to be transferred to the MBUN without necessitating a nerve graft. A potential advantage of this modification is preserving the MBUN's recovery potential.

hMSH2 coordinated with the expression of E2F1 promotes platinum response in epithelial ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To explore underlying mechanisms that regulate hMSH2 expression and drug susceptibility in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). METHODS: Using data from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) we used bioinformatical analysis to predict transcription factors (TFs) that potentially regulate hMSH2. RT-qPCR, Western blot, and luciferase assays were undertaken using ovarian cancer cell lines to verify the identified TF. Expressions of the TF were modulated using overexpression or knockdown, and the corresponding cellular responses to cisplatin were examined. RESULTS: The TF, E2F1, was found to regulate the hMSH2 gene. The expression level of E2F1 correlated with cisplatin susceptibility in vitro. Kaplan-Meier analysis of 77 patients with EOC showed that low E2F1 expression was associated with worse survival. CONCLUSIONS: To our knowledge, this is the first report of E2F1 regulated MSH2 expression playing a role in drug resistance of platinum-based treatments for patients with EOC. Further work is need to confirm our results.

Bioengineered Bacterial Membrane Vesicles with Multifunctional Nanoparticles as a Versatile Platform for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Inducing immunogenic cell death (ICD) is a critical strategy for enhancing cancer immunotherapy. However, inefficient and risky ICD inducers along with a tumor hypoxia microenvironment seriously limit the immunotherapy efficacy. Non-specific delivery is also responsible for this inefficiency. In this work, we report a drug-free bacteria-derived outer membrane vesicle (OMV)-functionalized Fe3O4-MnO2 (FMO) nanoplatform that realized neutrophil-mediated targeted delivery and photothermally enhanced cancer immunotherapy. In this system, modification of OMVs derived from Escherichia coli enhanced the accumulation of FMO NPs at the tumor tissue through neutrophil-mediated targeted delivery. The FMO NPs underwent reactive decomposition in the tumor site, generating manganese and iron ions that induced ICD and O2 that regulated the tumor hypoxia environment. Moreover, OMVs are rich in pathogen-associated pattern molecules that can overcome the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment and effectively activate immune cells, thereby enhancing specific immune responses. Photothermal therapy (PTT) caused by MnO2 and Fe3O4 can not only indirectly stimulate systemic immunity by directly destroying tumor cells but also promote the enrichment of neutrophil-equipped nanoparticles by enhancing the inflammatory response at the tumor site. Finally, the proposed multi-modal treatment system with targeted delivery capability realized effective tumor immunotherapy to prevent tumor growth and recurrence.

Construction and validation of a histone acetylation-related lncRNA prognosis signature for ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer (OC) leads to the most deaths among gynecological malignancies. The various epigenetic regulatory mechanisms of histone acetylation in cancer have attracted increasing attention from scientists. Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) also plays an important role in multiple biology processes linked to OC. This study aimed to identify the histone acetylation-related lncRNAs (HARlncRNAs) with respect to the prognosis in OC. We obtained the transcriptome data from Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA); HARlncRNAs were first identified by co-expression and differential expression analyses, and then univariate Cox regression and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) were used to construct the HARlncRNAs risk signature. Kaplan-Meier analysis, time-dependent receiver operating characteristics (ROC), univariate Cox regression, multivariate Cox regression, nomogram, and calibration were conducted to verify and evaluate the risk signature. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) in risk groups were conducted to explore the tightly correlated pathways with the risk group. A risk signature with 14 HARlncRNAs in OC was finally established and further validated in the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) cohort; the 1-, 3-, and 5-year ROC value, nomogram, and calibration results confirmed the good prediction power of this model. The patients were grouped into high- and low-risk subgroups according to the risk score by the median value. The low-risk group patients exhibited a higher homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) score, LOH_frac_altered, and mutLoad_nonsilent. Furthermore, consensus clustering analysis was employed to divide OC patients into three clusters based on the expression of the 14 HARlncRNAs, which presented different survival probabilities. Principal component analysis (PCA) and t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) were also performed to evaluate the three clusters. In conclusion, the risk signature composed of 14 HARlncRNAs might function as biomarkers and prognostic indicators with respect to predicting the response to the anti-cancer drugs in OC.

A suggested framework for conducting esophageal cancer screening in China.

Esophageal cancer is one of the most prevalent malignant tumors worldwide. Because of its challenging clinical characteristics, esophageal cancer is a major disease burden on the economy, society, and individuals. There is an urgent need to establish a beneficial policy to reduce the burden and to improve the health-related quality of life of patients. Primary prevention with smoking cessation and reduction of drinking alcohol are highly recommended. Screening, early diagnosis and treatment are suggested. This study intended to establish a modified future screening model from the social perspective that deploys different strategies for different populations. Risk assessment and community-based screening are proposed for high-risk populations. Health education in low-risk areas could help promote primary prevention to mitigate lifestyle factors and to increase public awareness and potentially to increase screening and early detection.

Signal pathway of GnRH-III inhibiting FSH-induced steroidogenesis in granulosa cells.

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone type 1 and type 2 have been demonstrated to inhibit follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-induced granulosa cell (GC) steroidogenesis. A third type of GnRH (GnRH-III) was also purified from salmon, its action on the FSH-regulated GC function, however is not clear. In the present study we demonstrated that the FSH-induced estrogen and progesterone production in cultured DES-treated GCs was significantly inhibited by GnRH-III. Furthermore, the FSH-stimulated steroidogenic acute regulatory protein and the enzymes for steroidigenesis, such as HSD3B2,aromatase and cytochrome P450 side-chain cleavage were also significantly suppressed by this peptide. The inhibitory action of GnRH-III on the FSH-induced steroidogenenisis was demonstrated via Akt and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways through suppressing its own receptor expression. Further studies indicated that FSH could stimulate NR5A2 and upstream stimulatory factor (USF) activation, and their induction was significantly suppressed by the GnRH-III. Therefore, it is suggested that GnRH-III inhibiting FSH-induced steroidogenenisis in GCs might be by suppressing FSH-induced its own receptor expression via NR5A2 and USF transcriptional factors.

Effect of heat stress on expression of junction-associated molecules and upstream factors androgen receptor and Wilms' tumor 1 in monkey sertoli cells.

Sertoli cells are important in determining the fate of spermatogenic cells by providing nutrition and structural support via cell junctions. In this study, we sought to examine the effect of 43 C warming on cell junctions in seminiferous epithelium and the expression of junction-associated molecules in Sertoli cells. Electron microscopy showed the appearance of large vacuoles between Sertoli and germ cells and adjacent Sertoli cells, leading to disruption of corresponding cell junctions 24 h after terminating the heat treatment. Using primary Sertoli cells isolated from pubertal monkey testes, we demonstrated that expression of adherens junction-associated molecules, such as N-cadherin and beta-catenin, and tight junction-associated molecule zonula occludens protein 1 was significantly reduced in 24-48 h after heat treatment. In contrast, intermediate filament vimentin expression was up-regulated in 6-48 h. Androgen receptor (AR) and Wilms' tumor gene 1 expression dramatically decreased after heat treatment. Both proteins completely disappeared immediately after terminating heat treatment and began to recover after 6 h. Treatment of the monkey Sertoli cells with an AR antagonist, flutamide, could mimic the heat-induced changes in the expression of junction-associated molecules in Sertoli cells. Furthermore, overexpression of AR in the Sertoli cells up-regulated the expression of N-cadherin, beta-catenin, and zonula occludens protein 1 and down-regulated vimentin expression. Their expression after heat treatment could be rescued by the AR overexpression. These results indicate that the decreased AR expression after heat treatment is involved in heat-induced cell junction disruption.

[Analysis of amino acid contents between wild plant QiBaiZhu and YunnanBaiZhu].

Amino acid contents between in the root of wild plant QiBaiZhu (Atractylodes macracephala Koidz) and YunnanBaiZhu were analyzed. The results showed that the content of essential amino acid in QiBaiZhu was 3.5 times as much as that of YunnanBaiZhu, especially the content of Arg was very rich (1.61%) and was 53.6 times as much as that of YunnanBaiZhu. Wild plant QiBaiZhu has very good development and utilization value in nutrition and medicinal.

Dedifferentiation of adult monkey Sertoli cells through activation of extracellularly regulated kinase 1/2 induced by heat treatment.

Sertoli cells play a key role in triggering and regulating the process of spermatogenesis. Failure of a Sertoli cell to mature functionally will presumably render it incapable of supporting germ cell survival and development that appeared after puberty. Expression of cytokeratin 18 (ck-18) intermediate filaments indicates a state of undifferentiation usually observed in Sertoli cells of prepubertal testis. In this study we demonstrated that local testicular heat treatment of adult monkey with water at 43 C for 30 min once daily for 2 consecutive days was capable of activating reexpression of ck-18 in Sertoli cells, which was coincident with activation of ERK1/2 and Akt kinases. Using primary Sertoli cell culture isolated from adult monkey testis, we further confirmed that the heat treatment of the cells at 43 C could also induce ck-18 reexpression, which was similar to the in vivo treatment. ERK MAPK was also induced by the heat treatment in a time- and protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent manner. After blocking the ERK MAPK signaling pathway, an inhibition of ck-18 expression in the cultured Sertoli cells was observed, and this inhibitory effect was also detected by blocking the PKA activation. However, ck-18 activation in Sertoli cells remained unaltered when the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway was blocked. In conclusion, the heat treatment of adult monkey Sertoli cells are capable of inducing a reversible change in the Sertoli cells from an adult differentiated state to an immature-like dedifferentiated state through PKA-ERK MAPK-dependent pathways but not via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway.