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1.
Asia Pac J Clin Nutr ; 33(1): 47-55, 2024 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38494687

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To assess the vitamin D nutritional status (VDN) of pregnant women in early pregnancy and investigate the effects of periconceptional supplementation with multiple micronutrients (MMs) on this status. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN: Data were taken from the Pregnancy Health Care System and Hospital Information System in 2018 in Beijing. Vitamin D nutritional status in early pregnancy was evaluated among 4,978 pregnant women, and 4,540 women who took folic acid only (FA) or multiple mi-cronutrients supplements (MM) during the periconceptional period, were include to estimate the associations between periconceptional supplementation with MM and prevalence of vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency with logistic regression model. RESULTS: The mean early-pregnancy vitamin D concentration was 18.6 (±7.5) ng/mL, and the rates of deficiency and insufficiency were 31.6% and 60.5%, respectively. Compared to the FA group, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR, 95%confidence interval, CI) for insufficiency or deficiency of the MM group were 0.25(0.18-0.34), and the aOR (95%CI) for deficiency of the MM group were 0.17 (0.12-0.23). Women who took MMs for a longer period of time, at higher frequencies, and with higher compliance scores had lower rates of deficiency and insufficiency. In winter, spring, and autumn, taking MMs could reduce deficiency by about 70%; in summer, there was little effect. CONCLUSIONS: Among women in Beijing, serum concentrations of vitamin D in early pregnancy are relatively low, and the rates of deficiency and insufficiency are high. Taking MMs during the periconceptional period could improve this situation.


Subject(s)
Nutritional Status , Vitamin D , Pregnancy , Female , Humans , Vitamins , Folic Acid , Dietary Supplements
2.
Malar J ; 22(1): 305, 2023 Oct 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37817161

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cooperation between China and Africa is deepening, and business, trade, and people-to-people exchanges are growing closer together, especially in the infrastructure construction field. At the same time, malaria has become a serious health concern for Chinese construction workers in Africa, who are at increased risk of infection and complications due to lack of immunity and exposure to high-transmission environments. One of the biggest challenges in fighting malaria is their lack of knowledge and misinterpretations about the disease, which can impact their need for interventions, adherence to treatments, and health services. This study aims to determine the perception and interpretation of malaria among Chinese construction workers in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 Chinese construction workers in sub-Saharan Africa. Some early respondents initially made contact through two Chinese construction companies in Africa, while the rest of the participants were engaged via a snowball method by the early participants. NVivo10, a qualitative research data management software and a thematic approach, was used to analyze the data and create themes. In order to achieve the general study goals, an inductive content analysis was applied. RESULTS: The study classified participants' perceptions and interpretations of malaria into four categories: flu-like malaria, the rumors of malaria, the hard-to-explain confusion about malaria, and the special interpretation of malaria. CONCLUSION: Malaria poses major health issues to Chinese construction workers in sub-Saharan Africa who lack immunity and live in an environment of high transmission. Their dearth of awareness and misunderstanding of malaria impacts their prevention and treatment behaviors and health outcomes. This study adopts qualitative methods to examine their perceptions and interpretations of malaria, which can serve as a source for future health management strategies.


Subject(s)
Construction Industry , Malaria , Humans , East Asian People , Africa South of the Sahara , Malaria/prevention & control , Qualitative Research , Perception
3.
Bioorg Chem ; 139: 106652, 2023 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37390632

ABSTRACT

Primary liver cancer is one of the most common malignant cancers of the digestive system that lacks effective chemotherapeutic drugs in clinical settings. Camptothecin (CPT) and its derivatives have been approved for cancer treatment; however, their application is limited by their systemic toxicity. For lead optimization in new drug discovery stages, fluorination is an effective and robust approach to increase the bioavailability and optimize the pharmacokinetics of candidate compounds, thereby improving their efficacy. To obtain new and highly active CPT derivatives, we designed, synthesized, and evaluated two new fluorinated CPT derivatives, 9-fluorocamptothecin (A1) and 7-ethyl-9-fluorocamptothecin (A2), in this study. In vitro, A1 and A2 exhibited more robust anti-tumor activity than topotecan (TPT) in various cancer cells, particularly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. In vivo, A1 and A2 exhibited greater anti-tumor activity than TPT in both AKT/Met induced primary HCC mouse models and implanted HepG2 cell xenografts. Acute toxicity tests revealed that A1 and A2 were not lethal and did not cause significant body weight loss at high doses. Moreover, A1 and A2 exhibited no significant toxicity in the mouse liver, heart, lung, spleen, kidney, and hematopoietic systems at therapeutic doses. Mechanistically, A1 and A2 blocked HCC cell proliferation by inhibiting the enzymatic activity of Topo I, subsequently inducing DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis. In summary, our results indicate that fluorination improves the anti-tumor activity of CPT while decreasing its toxicity and highlight the application potential of fluorination products A1 and A2 in clinical settings.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Liver Neoplasms , Humans , Animals , Mice , Camptothecin/pharmacology , Camptothecin/therapeutic use , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy , DNA Topoisomerases, Type I/metabolism , Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy , Topotecan/pharmacology , Topoisomerase I Inhibitors/pharmacology , Topoisomerase I Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use
4.
BMC Public Health ; 23(1): 813, 2023 05 03.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37138259

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: As malaria continues to be a significant global public health concern, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, Chinese workers in Africa are at increased risk of malaria. The effectiveness of malaria prevention measures implemented by Chinese companies and workers is a question that may correlate with the malaria infection rate in this population. This study explored the use and effectiveness of malaria prevention measures for Chinese employees in West Africa to provide a reference for companies and individuals on improving malaria prevention and control. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional approach, we surveyed 256 participants in 2021, mainly from Nigeria, Mali, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Senegal in West Africa. The survey duration is from July to the end of September 2021. We selected two companies from the 2020 ENR "World's Largest 250 International Contractors" list, which featured 6 Chinese companies, all of which are state-owned and have a 61.9% market share in Africa. The participants were Chinese workers with more than a year of work experience in construction companies in Africa. A 20-minute WeChat-based structured online questionnaire was used to obtain information on malaria infection status and malaria prevention measures. Descriptive statistical analysis, chi-square test, principal components analysis, and ordinal logistic regression analysis are used to analyze the data obtained. The difference in Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: Ninety six (37.5%) participants contracted malaria more than once within a year. The principal components analysis found a low correlation between public and individual preventive measures. No significant correlation was found between public preventive measures and malaria infection (p > 0.05), while standardized use of mosquito nets (P = 0.016) and pesticide spraying (P = 0.047) contributed significantly to fewer malaria infections at the individual level, but the removal of vegetation around houses (P = 0.028) at the individual level related to higher malaria infection. CONCLUSIONS: In our sample of Chinese construction workers going to Africa, some individual preventive measures had a stronger association with malaria prevention than a variety of public environmental measures. Furthermore, individual and public preventive measures were not associated with each other. Both of these findings are surprising and require further investigation in larger and more diverse samples. This- study provides important clues about the challenges that risk reduction programs face for migrant workers from China and elsewhere.


Subject(s)
Construction Industry , Malaria , Humans , East Asian People , Malaria/epidemiology , Malaria/prevention & control , Cote d'Ivoire/epidemiology , Ghana
5.
Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol ; 280(12): 5475-5482, 2023 Dec.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37707617

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of parental presence during induction of anesthesia (PPIA) in relieving preoperative anxiety of children undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. METHODS: One hundred and sixty children undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy were divided into the control group and the trial group. The control group received routine nursing in the operation room, while anesthesia was induced in the trial group children in the presence of their parents as part of the routine nursing. The differences in heart rate and mean dynamic pressure during pre-operative visit and anesthesia induction between the two groups were observed and recorded. The Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS) and the Induction Compliance Checklist (ICC) were scored. The anxiety status of the children and their family members in the two groups was scored at different times, and the psychological stress of anesthesiologists during anesthesia induction was scored by a visual analogue scale. The differences in each index between the two groups were compared. Operation time and costs in-hospital were also compared. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the heart rate and blood pressure scores as well as the ICC in the trial group were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.01). On comparing the scores of m-YPAS between the two groups, we observed that the scores of the children in the trial group were lower than those in the control group before entering the induction room and anesthesia induction (P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference between the scores of the children in the trial group and the control group on the day of operation and on the way to the operating room (P > 0.05). The nursing satisfaction scores of the family members in the trial group were significantly superior to those in the control group (P < 0.01). The scores of the visual analogue scale for psychological pressure of anesthesiologists during anesthesia induction were higher in the trial group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The operation time and costs in study group were both significantly higher than those of control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: PPIA can significantly reduce preoperative anxiety and surgical physiological stress response in children undergoing tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, and it is worth being encouraged.


Subject(s)
Adenoidectomy , Tonsillectomy , Child , Humans , Anesthesia, General , Anxiety/etiology , Anxiety/prevention & control , Parents
6.
Cell Biol Int ; 46(2): 213-221, 2022 Feb.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34719075

ABSTRACT

Sorafenib is the important first-standard drug for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A major obstacle to successful treatment is sorafenib resistance. However, the mechanism of sorafenib resistance is unclear. The present study aimed to determine the involvement of dipeptidyl peptidase-8 (DPP8) in sorafenib resistance. DPP8 expression was detected using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and western blot analysis. The effect of DPP8 on sorafenib resistance was examined using terminal deoxynulceotidyl transferase nick-end-labeling (TUNEL), colony formation, flow cytometry, luciferase reporter, immunofluorescence, and immunoprecipitation (IP) assays. We found that DPP8 mRNA and protein levels were dramatically upregulated in HCC. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) illustrated that DPP8 might be involved in apoptosis regulation. Downregulation of DPP8 substantially promoted the sensitivity of HCC cells to sorafenib. Further analysis showed that DPP8 might regulate nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signaling, which was confirmed using a luciferase reporter assay. Downregulation of DPP8 decreased the expression levels of downstream genes of the NF-κB pathway. IP showed that DPP8 can interact with NF-κB subunit c-Rel, an important protein of NF-κB signaling. Finally, a drug combination of sorafenib and Val-boroPro induced higher mortality of HCC cells than sorafenib alone in DPP8-upregulated cells. Our findings indicated that using the inhibitor Val-boroPro might be a promising method to enhance sorafenib sensitivity in advanced HCC.


Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Liver Neoplasms , Apoptosis , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism , Cell Line, Tumor , Dipeptidyl-Peptidases and Tripeptidyl-Peptidases/genetics , Dipeptidyl-Peptidases and Tripeptidyl-Peptidases/metabolism , Dipeptidyl-Peptidases and Tripeptidyl-Peptidases/therapeutic use , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Humans , Liver Neoplasms/metabolism , NF-kappa B/metabolism , Sorafenib/pharmacology
7.
Bioorg Chem ; 122: 105747, 2022 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35338969

ABSTRACT

Based on the structural skeleton of natural products boeravinones, two types of 6H-chromeno[3,4-b]quinoline derivatives were designed and synthesized by nitrogen atom substitution strategy. Then, their cytotoxic activities were evaluated against six human tumor cell lines including HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma), A2780 (ovarian cancer), Hela (cervical cancer), HCT116 (colorectal cancer), SW1990 (pancreatic cancer), and MCF7 (breast cancer). The results showed that compounds ZML-8 and ZML-14 exhibited robust inhibitory activities against HepG2 cells with IC50 values of 0.58 and 1.94 µM, respectively. In addition, ZML-8 and ZML-14 showed higher selectivity against HepG2 and L-02 cells than Topotecan. Mechanistically, ZML-8 and ZML-14 not only induced cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase and cell apoptosis, but also dose-dependently inhibited topoisomerase I activity and induced DNA damage in HepG2 cells. Molecular docking showed that ZML-8 and ZML-14 could interact with topoisomerase I-DNA complex with a similar binding mode to Topotecan. Inhibitory activities of these two compounds on topoisomerase I were then confirmed in both cell-free systems and in whole-cell lysates. Taken together, compounds ZML-8 and ZML-14 merit further development as a new generation of non-camptothecin topoisomerase I inhibitors for the treatment of cancer.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents , Ovarian Neoplasms , Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry , Apoptosis , Cell Line, Tumor , Cell Proliferation , Drug Design , Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor , Female , Humans , Molecular Docking Simulation , Topoisomerase I Inhibitors , Topoisomerase II Inhibitors/pharmacology
8.
Bioorg Chem ; 114: 105065, 2021 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34174631

ABSTRACT

29 novel 20(S)-aminophosphonate derivatives of camptothecin were synthesized via a FeCl3 - catalyzed one-pot reaction. All of these compounds displayed similar or superior cytotoxic activity in comparison with that of Irinotecan against Hep3B, MCF-7, A-549, MDA-MB-231, KB, and multidrug-resistant (MDR) KB-vin cell lines. Out of them, compound B07 exhibited significant cytotoxicity and 10-fold improvement in activity compared to Irinotecan. Mechanistically, B07 not only induced cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in Hep3B and MCF-7 cells, but also inhibited Topoisomerase I activity in the cell and cell-free system in a manner similar to that of Irinotecan. In both xenograft and primary HCC mouse models, B07 showed significant anti-tumor activity and was more potent than Irinotecan. Additionally, the acute toxicity assay showed that B07 had no apparent toxicity to the mouse liver, kidney, and hemopoietic system of the FVB/N mice. Therefore, these findings indicate that compound B07 could be a potential Topoisomerase I poison drug candidate for further clinical trial.


Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Camptothecin/pharmacology , Drug Design , Organophosphonates/pharmacology , Antineoplastic Agents/chemical synthesis , Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry , Apoptosis/drug effects , Camptothecin/chemical synthesis , Camptothecin/chemistry , Cell Cycle/drug effects , Cell Proliferation/drug effects , Cell Survival/drug effects , Cells, Cultured , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor , Humans , Molecular Structure , Organophosphonates/chemical synthesis , Organophosphonates/chemistry , Structure-Activity Relationship
9.
BMC Public Health ; 21(1): 2213, 2021 12 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34863140

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There are increasing Chinese migrants in sub-Saharan Africa currently. Most of them are engaged in infrastructure construction. Research has shown that they stay at particular risk of HIV and are recommended for HIV testing. However, their HIV testing behavior, and its relevant factors, have not been researched among them by now. This study describes the recent HIV testing behavior and relevant factors among Chinese migrant workers in Kenya. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 110 male Chinese workers from six different Chinese infrastructure construction enterprises in Kenya. Furthermore, a two-stage cluster random sampling method was used to select participants. We used a questionnaire that included HIV testing history, demographic characteristics, and putative multilevel facilitators of HIV testing. Logistic regression was used to explore the predictors of recent HIV testing behavior among Chinese migrant workers in Kenya. RESULT: Of the 110 participants, 30 (27.27%) were tested for HIV in the recent year. All participants were male, and the majority were married (73.2%). The mean age was 37.49 years (SD = 9.73; range: 23 to 63), and a considerable proportion refused to answer questions about transactional sexual behaviors in the last year. Most were able to obtain HIV-related information (91.8%) and were exposed to HIV-related information in the last year (68.2%), but only 47.6% had sufficient HIV knowledge. Nearly one-fifth of them believed that selling sex and paying for sex is acceptable. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that participants who could accept the 'pay for sex' (OR: 2.74; 95% CI: 1.02, 7.36) and exposed to HIV related information (OR: 4.75; 95% CI: 1.29, 17.44) were more likely to test for HIV in the recent 1 year. CONCLUSION: Higher current HIV test rates were associated with a more open sexual attitude towards paying for sex and being exposed to HIV-related information in the last year among Chinese workers in Kenya. More specific attention to HIV should be attached to this population to increase the rate of HIV testing among them.


Subject(s)
Asian People , Construction Industry , HIV Testing , Transients and Migrants , Adult , Asian People/psychology , Asian People/statistics & numerical data , China/ethnology , Cross-Sectional Studies , HIV Infections/diagnosis , HIV Infections/ethnology , HIV Testing/statistics & numerical data , Humans , Kenya/epidemiology , Male , Middle Aged , Sexual Behavior/ethnology , Transients and Migrants/psychology , Transients and Migrants/statistics & numerical data , Young Adult
10.
Sensors (Basel) ; 20(19)2020 Sep 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32992657

ABSTRACT

Singular value decomposition (SVD) methods have aroused wide concern to extract the periodic impulses for bearing fault diagnosis. The state-of-the-art SVD methods mainly focus on the low rank property of the Hankel matrix for the fault feature, which cannot achieve satisfied performance when the background noise is strong. Different to the existing low rank-based approaches, we proposed a simultaneously low rank and group sparse decomposition (SLRGSD) method for bearing fault diagnosis. The major contribution is that the simultaneously low rank and group sparse (SLRGS) property of the Hankel matrix for fault feature is first revealed to improve performance of the proposed method. Firstly, we exploit the SLRGS property of the Hankel matrix for the fault feature. On this basis, a regularization model is formulated to construct the new diagnostic framework. Furthermore, the incremental proximal algorithm is adopted to achieve a stationary solution. Finally, the effectiveness of the SLRGSD method for enhancing the fault feature are profoundly validated by the numerical analysis, the artificial bearing fault experiment and the wind turbine bearing fault experiment. Simulation and experimental results indicate that the SLRGSD method can obtain superior results of extracting the incipient fault feature in both performance and visual quality as compared with the state-of-the-art methods.

11.
Int J Mol Sci ; 20(6)2019 Mar 25.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30934541

ABSTRACT

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the most promising seed cells for cell therapy. Comparing the biological and transcriptome gene characteristics of MSCs from different sources provides an important basis for the screening of clinically used cells. The main purpose of this experiment was to establish methods for the isolation and culture of MSCs from five different canine sources, including adipose tissue, bone marrow, umbilical cord, amniotic membrane, and placenta, and compare biological and transcriptome characteristics of MSCs, in order to provide a basis for the clinical application of canine MSCs. MSCs were isolated from Chinese pastoral dogs, and the following experiments were performed: (1) the third, sixth, and ninth generations of cells were counted, respectively, and a growth curve was plotted to calculate the MSC population doubling time; (2) the expression of CD34 and CD44 surface markers was studied by immunofluorescence; (3) the third generation of cells were used for osteogenetic and adipogenic differentiation experiments; and (4) MSC transcriptome profiles were performed using RNA sequencing. All of the five types of MSCs showed fibroblast-like adherent growth. The cell surface expressed CD44 instead of CD34; the third-generation MSCs had the highest proliferative activity. The average population doubling time of adipose mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs), placenta mesenchymal stem cells (P-MSCs), bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs), and amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (AM-MSCs) were 15.8 h, 21.2 h, 26.2 h, 35 h, and 41.9 h, respectively. All five types of MSCs could be induced to differentiate into adipocytes and osteoblasts in vitro, with lipid droplets appearing after 8 days and bone formation occurring 5 days after AD-MSC induction. However, the multilineage differentiation for the remaining of MSCs was longer compared to that of the AD-MSCs. The MSC transcriptome profiles showed that AD-MSC and BM-MSCs had the highest homology, while P-MSCs were significantly different compared to the other four types of MSCs. All the isolated MSCs had the main biological characteristics of MSCs. AD-MSCs had the shortest time for proliferation, adipogenesis, and osteogenic differentiation.


Subject(s)
Dogs/genetics , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/metabolism , Organ Specificity/genetics , Transcriptome/genetics , Animals , Biomarkers/metabolism , Cell Adhesion , Cell Differentiation , Cell Proliferation , Cells, Cultured , Cluster Analysis , Gene Expression Regulation , Mesenchymal Stem Cells/cytology , Reproducibility of Results
12.
Med Princ Pract ; 28(1): 23-27, 2019.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30326473

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is a common acute disease with an incidence of 0.5-2/10,000. This study aimed to determine whether the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) could be indicators for SSNHL. METHODS: A total of 60 confirmed cases of SSNHL and 60 healthy volunteers were included in this study. Peripheral blood NLRs and PLRs were compared between these groups. The SSNHL patients were divided into two groups, according to therapeutic effect: an effective group and an ineffective group. Peripheral blood NLRs and PLRs before and after treatment were compared between these two groups. RESULTS: The average NLRs and PLRs of these patients were both significantly higher than in controls. The average NLRs and PLRs of the ineffective group were both significantly higher than those of the effective group. CONCLUSION: Peripheral blood NLR and PLR could be used as a convenient, reliable, and cost-effective indicator to predict the prognosis of SSNHL.


Subject(s)
Biomarkers/blood , Blood Platelets , Hearing Loss, Sensorineural/blood , Hearing Loss, Sudden/blood , Lymphocytes , Neutrophils , Adult , Aged , China , Female , Humans , Lymphocyte Count , Male , Middle Aged , Platelet Count , Prognosis , Young Adult
13.
Yi Chuan ; 41(2): 125-136, 2019 Feb 20.
Article in Zh | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30803943

ABSTRACT

The vertebrate heart tube originates from cardiogenic mesodermal cells in the early embryo, and subsequently elongates by progressive addition of second heart field (SHF) progenitor cells from adjacent pharyngeal mesoderm and splanchnic mesoderm. Insufficient addition of SHF cells to the heart tube causes the failure of maximal elongation of the heart tube, which results in a series of developmental defects including the most common congenital birth defects, such as right ventricular dysplasia and outflow tract septation, and alignment anomalies. SHF cells form an atypical, apicobasally polarized epithelium which is characterized by apical monocilia, and dynamic actin-rich basal filopodia. In this review, we summarize recent research progresses of actin cytoskeleton in the deployment process of mouse SHF progenitor cells, and reveal the significance of actin cytoskeleton in SHF development, especially in the deployment of SHF cells to the outflow tract, to provide theoretical reference for elucidating and understanding the biological characteristics of SHF deployment.


Subject(s)
Actin Cytoskeleton/physiology , Heart/embryology , Mesoderm/cytology , Myocardium/cytology , Stem Cells/cytology , Animals , Mice , Organogenesis
15.
Exp Cell Res ; 350(1): 73-82, 2017 Jan 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27871850

ABSTRACT

Uterine fibroids, also known as uterine leiomyomas, are a benign tumor of the human uterus and the commonest estrogen-dependent benign tumor found in women. Myocardin is an important transcriptional regulator in smooth and cardiac muscle development. The role of myocardin and its relationship with ERα in uterine fibroids have barely been addressed. We noticed that the expression of myocardin was markedly reduced in human uterine fibroid tissue compared with corresponding normal or adjacent myometrium tissue. Here we reported that myocardin induced the transcription and expression of differentiation markers SM22α and alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in rat primary uterine smooth muscle cells (USMCs) and this effect was inhibited by ERα. Notably, we showed that, ERα induced expression of proliferation markers PCNA and ki-67 in rat primary USMCs. We also found ERα interacted with myocardin and formed complex to bind to CArG box and inhibit the SM22α promoter activity. Furthermore, ERα inhibited the transcription and expression of myocardin, and reduced the levels of transcription and expression of downstream target SM22α, a SMC differentiation marker. Our data thus provided important and novel insights into how ERα and myocardin interact to control the cell differentiation and proliferation of USMCs. Thus, it may provide potential therapeutic target for uterine fibroids.


Subject(s)
Cell Differentiation/drug effects , Estrogen Receptor alpha/metabolism , Leiomyoma/metabolism , Nuclear Proteins/pharmacology , Trans-Activators/pharmacology , Animals , Cell Differentiation/physiology , Gene Expression Regulation/genetics , Humans , Leiomyoma/chemically induced , Leiomyoma/drug therapy , Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/drug effects , Muscle, Smooth, Vascular/metabolism , Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/drug effects , Myocytes, Smooth Muscle/metabolism , Nuclear Proteins/metabolism , Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics , Rats , Serum Response Factor/metabolism , Trans-Activators/metabolism
17.
Magn Reson Chem ; 56(1): 37-45, 2018 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28921691

ABSTRACT

Quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) is a well-established technique in quantitative analysis. We presented a validated 1 H-qNMR method for assay of octreotide acetate, a kind of cyclic octopeptide. Deuterium oxide was used to remove the undesired exchangeable peaks, which was referred to as proton exchange, in order to make the quantitative signals isolated in the crowded spectrum of the peptide and ensure precise quantitative analysis. Gemcitabine hydrochloride was chosen as the suitable internal standard. Experimental conditions, including relaxation delay time, the numbers of scans, and pulse angle, were optimized first. Then method validation was carried out in terms of selectivity, stability, linearity, precision, and robustness. The assay result was compared with that by means of high performance liquid chromatography, which is provided by Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The statistical F test, Student's t test, and nonparametric test at 95% confidence level indicate that there was no significant difference between these two methods. qNMR is a simple and accurate quantitative tool with no need for specific corresponding reference standards. It has the potential of the quantitative analysis of other peptide drugs and standardization of the corresponding reference standards.


Subject(s)
Octreotide/chemistry , Calibration , Deuterium Oxide/chemistry , Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy/standards , Reference Standards
19.
J Biomed Sci ; 23(1): 55, 2016 Jul 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27465066

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated that the NDV-mediated gene therapy is a promising new approach for treatment of cancers. P53 plays a vital role in tumor suppression and surveillance. Therefore, we hypothesize that a recombinant NDV expressing P53 would be an ideal agent for the hepatoma therapy. RESULTS: In the essay, the human P53 gene was incorporated into the genome of a lentogenic strain (named rNDV-P53), which did not affect viral replication kinetics and magnitude in HepG2 cells. Compared to the vehicle virus, rNDV-P53 increased cell growth suppressor ratio and early apoptosis by 2 folds, and decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential in HepG2 cells. In vivo studies, treatment with rNDV-P53 reduced tumor volume of tumor-bearing mice by more than 4 folds, tumor weight by more than 5 folds comparing with rNDV. The 120-day survival rate of rNDV-P53-treated mice was 75 %, survival rate of rNDV-treated mice was 12.5 %. TUNEL analysis showed a significant increase in the apoptosis rate in the tumor tissues of rNDV-P53-treated mice than that of rNDV-treated mice. Moreover, serum chemistries revealed an insignificant change of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine levels, alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) in rNDV-P53-treated group compared to normal mice, suggesting treatment with the recombinant virus was not toxic. CONCLUSION: rNDV-P53 is a potent candidate for carcinoma therapy especially for hepatocarcinoma.


Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/therapy , Gene Expression , Genetic Therapy , Liver Neoplasms/therapy , Newcastle disease virus , Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 , Animals , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/metabolism , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/pathology , Hep G2 Cells , Humans , Liver Neoplasms/genetics , Liver Neoplasms/metabolism , Liver Neoplasms/pathology , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred ICR , Newcastle disease virus/genetics , Newcastle disease virus/metabolism , Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/biosynthesis , Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/genetics , Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
20.
J Sep Sci ; 39(11): 2172-8, 2016 Jun.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27062107

ABSTRACT

High-speed countercurrent chromatography, combined with macroporous resin chromatography were applied to the separation and purification of flavans from Ixeris chinensis. Four flavans, namely, 5-methoxy-7,4'-dihydroxyflavan-3-ol (1), 5,7-dimethoxy-4'-hydroxyflavan-3-ol (2), 5,7-dimethoxy-4'-hydroxyflavan (3), and 5,7-dimethoxy-8-methyl-4'-hydroxyflavan (4), were obtained from I. chinensis for the first time. Their chemical structural identification was carried out by spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy. Amounts of 13.2 mg of compound 1, 6.4 mg of compound 2, 5.8 mg of compound 3, and 14.5 mg of compound 4 were separated from 120 mg 75% ethanol fraction. The purities of 1-4 were 99.1, 99.2, 97.3, and 98.6 %, respectively.


Subject(s)
Asteraceae/chemistry , Flavonoids/chemistry , Flavonoids/isolation & purification , Countercurrent Distribution , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Porosity , Resins, Synthetic/chemistry
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