Advances in contezolid: novel oxazolidinone antibacterial in Gram-positive treatment.

PURPOSE: The principal objective of this project was to review and thoroughly examine the chemical characteristics, pharmacological activity, and quantification methods associated with contezolid. METHODS: The article was based on published and ongoing preclinical and clinical studies on the application of contezolid. These studies included experiments on the physicochemical properties of contezolid, in vitro antimicrobial research, in vivo antimicrobial research, and clinical trials in various phases. There were no date restrictions on these studies. RESULTS: In June 2021, contezolid was approved for treating complicated skin and soft tissue infections. The structural modification of contezolid has resulted in better efficacy compared to linezolid. It inhibits bacterial growth by preventing the production of the functional 70S initiation complex required to translate bacterial proteins. The current evidence has indicated a substantial decline in myelosuppression and monoamine oxidase inhibition without impairing its antibacterial properties. Contezolid was found to have a more significant safety profile and to be metabolised by flavin monooxygenase 5, reducing the risk of harmful effects due to drug-drug interactions. Adjusting doses is unnecessary for patients with mild to moderate renal or hepatic insufficiency. CONCLUSION: As an oral oxazolidinone antimicrobial agent, contezolid is effective against multi-drug resistant Gram-positive bacteria. The introduction of contezolid provided a new clinical option.

Effects of group mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and group cognitive behavioural therapy on symptomatic generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized controlled noninferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is a promising alternative treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The objective of this study was to examine whether the efficacy of group MBCT adapted for treating GAD (MBCT-A) was noninferior to group cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) designed to treat GAD (CBT-A), which was considered one of first-line treatments for GAD patients. We also explored the efficacy of MBCT-A in symptomatic GAD patients compared with CBT-A for a variety of outcomes of anxiety symptoms, as well as depressive symptoms, overall illness severity, quality of life and mindfulness. METHODS: This was a randomized, controlled, noninferiority trial with two arms involving symptomatic GAD patients. Adult patients with GAD (n = 138) were randomized to MBCT-A or CBT-A in addition to treatment as usual (TAU). The primary outcome was the anxiety response rate assessed at 8 weeks after treatment as measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA). Secondary outcomes included anxiety remission rates, scores on the HAMA, the state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI), the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), the Severity Subscale of the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI-S), and the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12), as well as mindfulness, which was measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). Assessments were performed at baseline, 8 weeks after treatment, and 3 months after treatment. Both intention-to-treat (ITT) and per-protocol (PP) analyses were performed for primary analyses. The χ2 test and separate two-way mixed ANOVAs were used for the secondary analyses. RESULTS: ITT and PP analyses showed noninferiority of MBCT-A compared with CBT-A for response rate [ITT rate difference = 7.25% (95% CI: -8.16, 22.65); PP rate difference = 5.85% (95% CI: - 7.83, 19.53)]. The anxiety remission rate, overall illness severity and mindfulness were significantly different between the two groups at 8 weeks. There were no significant differences between the two groups at the 3-month follow-up. No severe adverse events were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that MBCT-A was noninferior to CBT-A in reducing anxiety symptoms in GAD patients. Both interventions appeared to be effective for long-term benefits. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered at chictr.org.cn (registration number: ChiCTR1800019150 , registration date: 27/10/2018).

Identification of differentially methylated genes as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: Aberrant DNA methylation is significantly associated with breast cancer. METHODS: In this study, we aimed to determine novel methylation biomarkers using a bioinformatics analysis approach that could have clinical value for breast cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Firstly, differentially methylated DNA patterns were detected in breast cancer samples by comparing publicly available datasets (GSE72245 and GSE88883). Methylation levels in 7 selected methylation biomarkers were also estimated using the online tool UALCAN. Next, we evaluated the diagnostic value of these selected biomarkers in two independent cohorts, as well as in two mixed cohorts, through ROC curve analysis. Finally, prognostic value of the selected methylation biomarkers was evaluated breast cancer by the Kaplan-Meier plot analysis. RESULTS: In this study, a total of 23 significant differentially methylated sites, corresponding to 9 different genes, were identified in breast cancer datasets. Among the 9 identified genes, ADCY4, CPXM1, DNM3, GNG4, MAST1, mir129-2, PRDM14, and ZNF177 were hypermethylated. Importantly, individual value of each selected methylation gene was greater than 0.9, whereas predictive value for all genes combined was 0.9998. We also found the AUC for the combined signature of 7 genes (ADCY4, CPXM1, DNM3, GNG4, MAST1, PRDM14, ZNF177) was 0.9998 [95% CI 0.9994-1], and the AUC for the combined signature of 3 genes (MAST1, PRDM14, and ZNF177) was 0.9991 [95% CI 0.9976-1]. Results from additional validation analyses showed that MAST1, PRDM14, and ZNF177 had high sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for breast cancer diagnosis. Lastly, patient survival analysis revealed that high expression of ADCY4, CPXM1, DNM3, PRDM14, PRKCB, and ZNF177 were significantly associated with better overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Methylation pattern of MAST1, PRDM14, and ZNF177 may represent new diagnostic biomarkers for breast cancer, while methylation of ADCY4, CPXM1, DNM3, PRDM14, PRKCB, and ZNF177 may hold prognostic potential for breast cancer.

Pd-Catalyzed asymmetric [5 + 2] cycloaddition of vinylethylene carbonates and cyclic imines: access to N-fused 1,3-oxazepines.

A Pd-catalyzed asymmetric [5 + 2] cycloaddition reaction was developed for the synthesis of N-fused 1,3-oxazepines using vinylethylene carbonates and sulfamate-derived cyclic imines. Under mild reaction conditions, a series of optically active N-fused 1,3-oxazepines were synthesized in good yields (up to 89%) and enantioselectivities (up to 90 : 10 er), indicating this method as a straightforward approach to enantiomerically enriched 1,3-oxazepine derivatives. The synthetic utility of the presented reaction was further demonstrated by the successful transformation of the resulting 1,3-oxazepines to useful polycyclic N-fused 1,3-oxazepanes.

Eosin†Y as a Direct Hydrogen-Atom Transfer Photocatalyst for the Functionalization of C-H Bonds.

Eosin Y, a well-known economical alternative to metal catalysts in visible-light-driven single-electron transfer-based organic transformations, can behave as an effective direct hydrogen-atom transfer catalyst for C-H activation. Using the alkylation of C-H bonds with electron-deficient alkenes as a model study revealed an extremely broad substrate scope, enabling easy access to a variety of important synthons. This eosin Y-based photocatalytic hydrogen-atom transfer strategy is promising for diverse functionalization of a wide range of native C-H bonds in a green and sustainable manner.

Photoinduced Nickel-Catalyzed Chemo- and Regioselective Hydroalkylation of Internal Alkynes with Ether and Amide α-Hetero C(sp3)-H Bonds.

A direct hydroalkylation of disubstituted alkynes with unfunctionalized ethers and amides was achieved in an atom-efficient and additive-free manner through the synergistic combination of photoredox and nickel catalysis. The protocol was effective with a wide range of internal alkynes, providing products in a highly selective fashion. Notably, the observed regioselectivity is complementary to conventional radical addition processes. Mechanistic investigations suggest that the photoexcited iridium catalyst facilitated the nickel activation via single-electron transfer.

Pd-Catalyzed Aminocarbonylation of the Blaise Reaction Intermediate: One-Pot Synthesis of (Z)-3-Methyleneisoindolin-1-ones from Nitriles.

A highly efficient method for the one-pot synthesis of stereocontrolled (Z)-3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones was developed starting from 2-bromoarylnitriles via tandem sequential reaction with a Reformatsky reagent (Blaise reaction), followed by Pd-catalyzed intramolecular aminocarbonylation with carbon monoxide at 1 atm pressure. It has been found that the conformational flexibility of the bisphophine ligand is of great importance to the success of this tandem aminocarbonylation reaction.

Prognostic value of angiopoietin-2 in non-small cell lung cancer patients: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most frequent cause of cancer deaths worldwide. The targeted therapy had made important progress in recent years, but few potential predictive biomarkers for prognosis of NSCLC patients were identified. Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), a cytokine upregulated in tumor endothelial cells and some tumor cells including NSCLC, is a partial agonist and antagonist of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1). Ang-1 is another ligand for the tyrosine kinase receptor Tie2; it promotes recruitment of pericytes and smooth muscle cells, stabilizing vascular networks by binding to Tie2. Although many studies mainly considered that Ang-2 correlated with progression and prognosis of NSCLC significantly, there are much conflicting and controversial data. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the relationship between Ang-2 and prognosis, a clinical outcome of NSCLC. METHODS: The search was based on major databases from PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and CNKI, and 20 eligible publications (range from 2002 to 2015) are included in our meta-analysis with 2011 NSCLC patients in total. These studies illuminated the correlation between the expression of Ang-2 and NSCLC, based on either prognostic factors or clinicopathological features. Pooled calculations were carried out on the odds ratio (OR) and the corresponding 95 % confidence interval (CI) to perform this meta-analysis, and all statistical analyses were carried out by STATA 12.0 and Review Manager 5.3. RESULTS: According to our results, the expression of Ang-2 in NSCLC tissues was significantly higher than that in normal lung tissues, indicating that Ang-2 over-expression may be a predictive marker (pooled OR = 5.09, corresponding 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) 3.10-8.36, p = 0.000). In addition, our pooled data showed that Ang-2 expression was positively correlated with tumor stages (pooled OR = 3.58, 95 % CI 2.40-5.35, p = 0.000), differentiation (pooled OR = 0.65, 95 % CI 0.45-0.94, p = 0.02), lymphatic invasion (pooled OR = 3.15, 95 % CI 1.97-5.03, p = 0.000), and poor survival (pooled OR = 1.93, 95 % CI 1.47-2.52, p = 0.000) of NSCLC, but seems to have no significant impact on tumor size (pooled OR = 1.09, 95 % CI 0.59-2.00, p = 0.78). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that Ang-2 expression significantly correlated with poor prognosis for patients with NSCLC.

Tandem Blaise/Palladium-Catalyzed Ullmann Coupling for the One-Pot Synthesis of Enamino Ester-Functionalized Biaryls from Nitriles.

A novel Pd-catalyzed Ullmann-type homocoupling reaction of the Blaise reaction intermediate generated by the reaction of 2-bromo arylnitriles and a Reformatsky reagent has been developed for one-pot synthesis of enamino ester-functionalized biaryls 2 in good yields. The 2,2'-substituted enamine moieties of the coupling products could be cyclized under acidic conditions through the conjugate addition/deamination cascade to afford the seven-membered N-heterocyclics 3 with biaryl backbone in excellent yields.

[Therapeutic Effect of Paconol on Alcoholic Fatty Liver in Rats].

OBJECTIVE: To make clear the therapeutic effect of paconol on alcoholic fatty liver disease (AFLD). METHODS: Model rats of AFLD were established with alcohol intragastric administration. Paconol was applied to treat the model rats for four weeks(75, 150 and 300 mg/kg), with silybin as control administration. The content of TC and TG in serum and liver were determined with 4-Aminoantipyrine (4-AAP) method, ALT and AST levels were determined with Reitman-Frankel method, serum HDL content with direct method, serum LDL content with precipitation method, serum TNF-α content with enzyme linked immunosorbent assay sandwich technique, FFA content in serum and liver with enzymic colorimetric method, MDA content with thiobarbituric acid reactive substance assay method, liver CYP2E1 expression with SABC method, and the pathological changes of liver were observed directly or with optical microscope. RESULTS: Paconol lowered TC, TG, HDL, LDL, ALT, AST, TNF-α, FFA and MDA levels in serum, as well as TC, TG and FFA levels in liver, inhibited the expression of protein CYP2E1, and improved the pathological changes of model rats. CONCLUSION: There is a certain therapeutic effect of paconol on AFLD in rats.

Pristimerin exhibits anti-cancer activity by inducing ER stress and AKT/GSK3ß pathway through increasing intracellular ROS production in human esophageal cancer cells.

Pristimerin (Pris), a bioactive triterpenoid compound extracted from the Celastraceae and Hippocrateaceae families, has been reported to exhibit an anti-cancer property on various cancers. However, the effects of Pris on esophageal cancer are poorly investigated. This current study sought to explore the activity and underlying mechanism of Pris against human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) cells. We demonstrated that Pris showed cytotoxicity in TE-1 and TE-10 ESCC cell lines, and significantly inhibited cell viability in a concentration dependent manner. Pris induced G0/G1 phase arrest and triggered apoptosis. It was also observed that the intracellular ROS level was remarkedly increased by Pris treatment. Besides, the function of Pris mediating the activation of ER stress and the inhibition of AKT/GSK3ß signaling pathway in TE-1 and TE-10 cells was further confirmed, which resulted in cell growth inhibition. And moreover, we revealed that all of the above pathways were regulated through ROS generation. In conclusion, our findings suggested that Pris might be considered as a novel natural compound for the developing anti-cancer drug candidate for human esophageal cancer.

Dynamic development of microglia and macrophages after spinal cord injury.

Secondary injury following spinal cord injury is primarily characterized by a complex inflammatory response, with resident microglia and infiltrating macrophages playing pivotal roles. While previous studies have grouped these two cell types together based on similarities in structure and function, an increasing number of studies have demonstrated that microglia and macrophages exhibit differences in structure and function and have different effects on disease processes. In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to identify the distinct evolutionary paths of microglia and macrophages following spinal cord injury. Our results showed that microglia were activated to a pro-inflammatory phenotype immediately after spinal cord injury, gradually transforming to an anti-inflammatory steady state phenotype as the disease progressed. Regarding macrophages, our findings highlighted abundant communication with other cells, including fibroblasts and neurons. Both pro-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects of macrophages were also identified; the pro-inflammatory effect may be related to integrin ß2 (Itgb2) and the neuroprotective effect may be related to the oncostatin M pathway. These findings were validated by in vivo experiments. This research underscores differences in the cellular dynamics of microglia and macrophages following spinal cord injury, and may offer new perspectives on inflammatory mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets.

[Study on intervention effect of Danggui Shaoyao San on rats with cirrhotic ascites].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the intervention effect of Danggui Shaoyao San on rats with cirrhotic ascites, and discuss the effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) on cirrhotic ascites. METHOD: Male SD rats were randomly divided into the control group, the model group, Danggui Shaoyao San low, middle and high dose groups. The cirrhotic ascites rat model was established by CCl4 combined with phenobarbital. Their urines were collected at 24 h to observe urine excretion of each group. Filter papers were used to determine the amount of ascites. The levels of serum alanine aminotransferasa (ALT) , aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were detected by the automatic biochemistry analyzer. Plasma prothrombin time (PT) was evaluated by the blood coagulation analyzer. The concentration of AVP in plasma was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Pathological changes in livers were observed by HE staining. RESULT: Compared with the model group, the Danggui Shaoyao San group showed significant improvement in live indexes, with notable decrease in serum ALT and AST and the time of PT, improvement in liver pathological changes. Simultaneously, the amount of ascites decreased to varying degrees, with notable increase in urine in 24 h and decrease in AVP concentration in plasma. CONCLUSION: Danggui Shaoyao San can notably improve liver functions of rats with cirrhotic ascites, reduce the generation of ascites and delay the progress of liver pathological changes. Its mechanism may be related to AVP.

Marital Status Is a Prognostic Factor for Cardiovascular Mortality but Not a Prognostic Factor for Cancer Mortality in Siewert Type II Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction.

Background: The impact of marital status on the prognosis of patients with Siewert type II adenocarcinoma of the esophagogatric junction (AEG) remained unclear. This study aimed to investigate the associations of marital status with cancer-specific death risk and cardiovascular death risk in Siewert type II AEG patients. Methods: Data for Siewert type II AEG patients were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database from 2010 to 2015. A 1:1 propensity score matching (PSM) was applied to reduce inter-group bias between the married and unmarried groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis, a competing risk model and the Fine-Gray multivariable regression model were used to identify the prognostic value of marital status. Results: In total, 1,623 subjects were included. After PSM, according to Fine-Gray multivariable regression analysis, there was no significant difference in the cumulative cancer-specific death rate between the married and the unmarried groups (hazard ratio (HR): 1.160, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.994 - 1.354, P = 0.060). Patients in unmarried group had a higher cardiovascular death rate than patients in married group (HR: 3.066, 95% CI: 1.372 - 6.850, P = 0.006). Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that unmarried Siewert type II AEG patients are associated with higher cardiovascular death risk but not cancer-specific death risk compared with married patients.

[Corrigendum] Fully human VEGFR2 monoclonal antibody BC001 attenuates tumor angiogenesis and inhibits tumor growth.

Subsequently to the publication of the above paper, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that, for the scratch wound assay experiments shown in Fig. 1 on p. 2413, the panels showing the '0 h' experiments for the respective incubations with VEGF or BC001 were apparently identical. The authors were able to re­examine their original data files, and realized that this figure had been inadverently assembled incorrectly. The revised version of Fig. 1, containing the correct data for the '0 h / BC001' panel, is shown below. Note that the revisions made to this figure do not affect the overall conclusions reported in the paper. The authors are grateful to the Editor of International Journal of Oncology for allowing them the opportunity to publish this Corrigendum, and apologize to the readership for any inconvenience caused. [International Journal of Oncology 45: 2411­2420, 2014; DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2014.2690].

Dual Rh(II)/Pd(0) Relay Catalysis Involving Sigmatropic Rearrangement Using N-Sulfonyl Triazoles and 2-Hydroxymethylallyl Carbonates.

Dual Rh(II)/Pd(0) relay catalysis of N-sulfonyl triazoles and 2-hydroxymethylallyl carbonates has been developed, which affords N-sulfonyl pyrrolidines in moderate to good yields with high diastereoselectivities. The reaction proceeds via a relay mechanism involving O-H insertion onto the α-imino Rh(II)-carbene, [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement, dipole formation through Pd(0)-catalyzed decarboxylation, and intramolecular N-allylation, leading to the formation of multiple bonds in a one-pot operation.

Tandem Synthesis of Tetrasubstituted NH Pyrroles from Simple Nitriles.

An efficient tandem route to obtain tetrasubstituted NH pyrroles in a one-pot manner has been developed, staring from simple nitriles, ethyl bromoacetates, and zinc. This reaction involves oxidative dimerization of the zinc bromide complex of ß-enaminoesters using cerium ammonium nitrate (CAN) as an oxidant, affording 2,3,4,5-tetrasubstituted pyrroles in yields up to 91%.

Pd-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of cyclic ketimines and trimethylenemethanes toward N-fused pyrrolidines bearing a quaternary carbon.

A Pd-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of N-sulfonyl cyclic ketimines and trimethylenemethanes (TMM) was developed that afforded N-fused pyrrolidines bearing a quaternary carbon. Under mild reaction conditions, structurally diverse N-sulfonyl cyclic imines, including sulfamate-fused aldimines, aryl- or styryl-substituted sulfamate-derived ketimines, and N-sulfonyl cyclic ketimines, were tolerated as reactants, affording N-fused pyrrolidines with high efficiency.

Hydroxychloroquine potentiates the anti-cancer effect of bevacizumab on glioblastoma via the inhibition of autophagy.

Bevacizumab (BEV) is widely used for the treatment of patients with recurrent glioblastoma (GBM), but recent evidence demonstrated that BEV induced cytoprotective autophagy, which allows tumor cells to survive. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) inhibits lysosomal acidification and blocks autophagy via influencing autophagosome fusion and degradation. HCQ is often used to enhance the efficacy of chemoradiotherapy. However, whether HCQ sensitizes GBM cells to BEV and the molecular mechanism of this effect are not clear. We showed that high concentrations of BEV increased the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and caused the degradation of Beclin1 in the LN18 and LN229 cell lines, indicating that high concentrations of BEV induced the autophagy of the LN18 and LN229 cells. However, BEV (100 µg/ml) did not influence the autophagy of the LN18 and LN229 cells, and HCQ at less than 5 µg/ml significantly accumulated LC3B-II and p62 proteins and blocked the autophagy process. Importantly, we found that HCQ (5 µg/ml) potentiated the anti-cancer effect of BEV (100 µg/ml). Therefore, HCQ is a novel strategy that may augment the efficacy of BEV for GBM via the inhibition of autophagy.

Preparation, characterization, and pharmacodynamics of thermosensitive liposomes containing docetaxel.

A novel thermosensitive liposome (TL) containing docetaxel (DTX) was designed to enhance DTX-targeted delivery and antitumor effect. TL loading DTX (DTX-TL) were prepared by thin film hydration. The mean particle size of the liposomes was about 100 nm, and the drug entrapment efficiency was more than 95%. The phase transition temperature of liposomes was about 42 °C. In vitro drug release showed that drug released at 37 °C was obviously less than that at 42 °C. For in vivo experiments, the human breast tumor model was established by subcutaneous xenotransplantation on nude mice; liposomes and injection containing DTX were injected i.v. in nude mice, followed by exposure of the tumors to hyperthermia (HT) for 30 min after administration. The tumor inhibition ratio of DTX-TL group was significantly higher than the normal injection group. Combining TL with HT enhanced the delivery of DTX and thereby its antitumor effects. The liposomes reported in this paper could potentially produce viable clinical strategies for improved targeting and delivery of DTX for the treatment of breast cancer.