Analysis of Factors and T-Lymphocyte Subset Changes in Pediatric Recurrent Respiratory Infections Post-Pidotimod Treatment.

Objective: This study aims to analyze factors contributing to recurrent respiratory tract infections (RRTIs) in pediatric patients and evaluate the efficacy of pidotimod (PI) treatment. Methods: This study utilized a retrospective cohort design, enrolling a total of 85 children diagnosed with RRTIs between September 2020 and September 2022, alongside 54 healthy children. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors contributing to RRTI occurrence. Among the participants, 40 children underwent conventional treatment (control group), while 45 received PI treatment (research group). Comparative analyses were conducted to assess clinical efficacy and adverse effects between the two treatment groups. Results: The history of family members' smoking and parental allergy emerged as independent risk factors for RRTIs (P < .05, OR>1), whereas parental education level, outdoor activity, and micronutrient intake were identified as independent protective factors for RRTIs (P < .05, OR<1). Symptoms such as cough, fever, rhonchi, moist rales, and tonsillar enlargement resolved significantly faster in the research group compared to the control group (P < .05). Additionally, the research group exhibited reduced infection duration and fewer recurrent infections (P < .05). Following treatment, the overall treatment efficacy was superior in the research group compared to the control group (P < .05), with no significant difference in the incidence of adverse effects (P > .05). Post-treatment, levels of CD3+, CD4+, and CD4+/CD8+ were elevated in the research group compared to the control group, while CD8+ levels were lower (P < .05). Conclusions: Daily outdoor activity among children, family members' history of smoking, parental allergy history, education level, and micronutrient intake emerged as independent factors influencing pediatric RRTIs. Furthermore, PI was identified as a significant treatment option for RRTIs.

Involvement of GSTP1 in low dose radiation-induced apoptosis in GM12878 cells.

BACKGROUND: Low-dose ionizing radiation-induced protection and damage are of great significance among radiation workers. We aimed to study the role of glutathione S-transferase Pi (GSTP1) in low-dose ionizing radiation damage and clarify the impact of ionizing radiation on the biological activities of cells. RESULTS: In this study, we collected peripheral blood samples from healthy adults and workers engaged in radiation and radiotherapy and detected the expression of GSTP1 by qPCR. We utilized γ-rays emitted from uranium tailings as a radiation source, with a dose rate of 14 µGy/h. GM12878 cells subjected to this radiation for 7, 14, 21, and 28 days received total doses of 2.4, 4.7, 7.1, and 9.4 mGy, respectively. Subsequent analyses, including flow cytometry, MTS, and other assays, were performed to assess the ionizing radiation's effects on cellular biological functions. In peripheral blood samples collected from healthy adults and radiologic technologist working in a hospital, we observed a decreased expression of GSTP1 mRNA in radiation personnel compared to the healthy controls. In cultured GM12878 cells exposed to low-dose ionizing radiation from uranium tailings, we noted significant changes in cell morphology, suppression of proliferation, delay in cell cycle progression, and increased apoptosis. These effects were partially reversed by overexpression of GSTP1. Moreover, low-dose ionizing radiation increased GSTP1 gene methylation and downregulated GSTP1 expression. Furthermore, low-dose ionizing radiation affected the expression of GSTP1-related signaling molecules. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that low-dose ionizing radiation damages GM12878 cells and affects their proliferation, cell cycle progression, and apoptosis. In addition, GSTP1 plays a modulating role under low-dose ionizing radiation damage conditions. Low-dose ionizing radiation affects the expression of Nrf2, JNK, and other signaling molecules through GSTP1.

Antifungal mechanism of rose, mustard, and their blended essential oils against Cladosporium allicinum isolated from Xinjiang naan and its storage application.

AIMS: To reveal the inhibition mechanism of rose, mustard, and blended essential oils against Cladosporium allicinum isolated from Xinjiang naan, and investigate the effect of the three essential oils on oxidative damage and energy metabolism. METHODS AND RESULTS: Rose and mustard essential oils significantly inhibited mycelial growth and spore viability in a dose-dependent relationship. After essential oil treatment, the cell membrane permeability was altered, and significant leakage of intracellular proteins and nucleic acids occurred. SEM observations further confirmed the disruption of cell structure. ROS, MDA, and SOD measurements indicated that essential oil treatment induced a redox imbalance in C. allicinum, leading to cell death. As for energy metabolism, essential oil treatment significantly reduced Na+K+-ATPase, Ca2+Mg2+-ATPase, MDH activity, and CA content, impairing metabolic functions. Finally, storage experiments showed that all three essential oils ensured better preservation of naan, with mustard essential oil having the best antifungal effect. CONCLUSIONS: Rose and mustard essential oils and their blends can inhibit C. allicinum at multiple targets and pathways, destroying cell morphological structure and disrupting metabolic processes.

Bauhinia championii alleviates extracellular matrix degradation in IL-1ß induced chondrocytes via miRNA-145-5p/TLR4/NF-κB axis.

Bauhinia championii is a herbal medicine used to treat osteoarthritis (OA) in Chinese traditional medicine. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of this medicinal herb against OA have rarely been reported. Given that it has been established that extracellular matrix metabolism plays an important role in the pathogenesis of OA, the present study focused on the effects and mechanisms of Bauhinia championii in the regulation of extracellular matrix metabolism in chondrocytes induced by IL-1ß. Rat chondrocytes were isolated, cultured and identified in vitro. The CCK-8 method was used to detect the cell viability of Bauhinia championii aqueous extract (BCAE)-treated chondrocytes. The chondrocyte inflammatory and degeneration models were induced by 10 ng/mL IL-1ß, then chondrocytes were grouped into different groups to evaluate the effect of BCAE on extracellular matrix degradation and the regulation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. Furthermore, whether the regulatory effect of BCAE on TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway is related to miRNA-145-5p was also investigated by cell transfection. We found that BCAE promoted chondrocyte viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner. BCAE delayed chondrocyte degeneration induced by IL-1ß. BCAE could reduce the degradation of the cartilage extracellular matrix by inhibiting the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. miRNA-145-5p negatively regulated the expression of TLR4 in chondrocytes, while BCAE could upregulate the expression of miRNA-145-5p in chondrocytes induced by IL-1ß. These results suggest that BCAE upregulates the expression of miRNA-145-5p to inhibit the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway, thereby alleviating the metabolic imbalance of the extracellular matrix and protecting chondrocytes from degeneration.

CeO2@CuS@PDA-FA as targeted near-infrared PTT/CDT therapeutic agents for cancer cells.

Single tumor treatment method usually has some defects, which makes it difficult to achieve good therapeutic effect. The ingenious combination of multiple tumor treatment methods on a single nanoplatform to achieve multifunctional treatment can effectively improve the efficiency of treatment. The targeted modification of nanomaterials can augment the precision of nanotherapeutic drugs in tumor treatment. Herein, a multifunctional nanoplatform (CeO2@CuS@PDA-FA) based on cerium dioxide nanoparticles engineered with copper sulfide (CeO2@CuS) has been constructed for synergistic photothermal therapy (PTT) and chemodynamic therapy (CDT). The CeO2@CuS were coated using polydopamine (PDA), and the modification of PDA surface by folic acid, in order to achieve the targeted effect for tumors. The localized hyperthermia induced by PTT can further improve the CDT efficiency of the nanoplatform, leading to a PTT/CDT synergistic effect. The nanoplatform possessed the capability of cancer cell-targeted and achieved better therapeutic efficacyin vitro. This work provided a new strategy for combined multifunctional theranostic platform and shows strong potential in practical applications.

Research progress of traditional Chinese medicine as sensitizer in reversing chemoresistance of colorectal cancer.

In recent years, the incidences and mortalities from colorectal cancer (CRC) have been increasing; therefore, there is an urgent need to discover newer drugs that enhance drug sensitivity and reverse drug tolerance in CRC treatment. With this view, the current study focuses on understanding the mechanism of CRC chemoresistance to the drug as well as exploring the potential of different traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in restoring the sensitivity of CRC to chemotherapeutic drugs. Moreover, the mechanism involved in restoring sensitivity, such as by acting on the target of traditional chemical drugs, assisting drug activation, increasing intracellular accumulation of anticancer drugs, improving tumor microenvironment, relieving immunosuppression, and erasing reversible modification like methylation, have been thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, the effect of TCM along with anticancer drugs in reducing toxicity, increasing efficiency, mediating new ways of cell death, and effectively blocking the drug resistance mechanism has been studied. We aimed to explore the potential of TCM as a sensitizer of anti-CRC drugs for the development of a new natural, less-toxic, and highly effective sensitizer to CRC chemoresistance.

Mitochondrial regulation of acute extrafollicular B-cell responses to COVID-19 severity.

BACKGROUND: Patients with COVID-19 display a broad spectrum of manifestations from asymptomatic to life-threatening disease with dysregulated immune responses. Mechanisms underlying the detrimental immune responses and disease severity remain elusive. METHODS: We investigated a total of 137 APs infected with SARS-CoV-2. Patients were divided into mild and severe patient groups based on their requirement of oxygen supplementation. All blood samples from APs were collected within three weeks after symptom onset. Freshly isolated PBMCs were investigated for B cell subsets, their homing potential, activation state, mitochondrial functionality and proliferative response. Plasma samples were tested for cytokine concentration, and titer of Nabs, RBD-, S1-, SSA/Ro- and dsDNA-specific IgG. RESULTS: While critically ill patients displayed predominantly extrafollicular B cell activation with elevated inflammation, mild patients counteracted the disease through the timely induction of mitochondrial dysfunction in B cells within the first week post symptom onset. Rapidly increased mitochondrial dysfunction, which was caused by infection-induced excessive intracellular calcium accumulation, suppressed excessive extrafollicular responses, leading to increased neutralizing potency index and decreased inflammatory cytokine production. Patients who received prior COVID-19 vaccines before infection displayed significantly decreased extrafollicular B cell responses and mild disease. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal an immune mechanism that controls SARS-CoV-2-induced detrimental B cell responses and COVID-19 severity, which may have implications for viral pathogenesis, therapeutic interventions and vaccine development.

Acteoside promotes B cell-derived IL-10 production and ameliorates autoimmunity.

IL-10-producing regulatory B (Breg) cells are well recognized for maintaining immune tolerance. The impaired Breg cell function with decreased IL-10-producing capacity has been found in autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS). However, seldom therapeutic agents targeting Breg cells are available to treat those autoimmune diseases. Here, we showed that acteoside (AC), a caffeoyl phenylethanoid glycoside from a medicinal herb Radix Rehmanniae, could promote IL-10 production from both human and murine B cells via critically regulating the TLR4/PI3K axis. Moreover, TLR4 was found increased in Breg cells from mice with experimental SS (ESS), a mouse model that recapitulates human pSS. Thus, B cells from the ESS mice were susceptible to AC treatment, showing higher IL-10-producing capacity than those from naïve controls. In addition, AC treatment also promoted the production of IL-10 from TLR4+ CXCR4+ plasma cells of ESS mice. Notably, we found that AC was able to enter lymphoid organs upon oral administration. AC treatment effectively increased IL-10+ B cells in ESS mice and ameliorated disease pathology accompanied by reduced T effector cells, including Th17 and T follicular helper cells in the ESS mice. In conclusion, AC could promote Breg cell function and attenuate ESS pathology in vivo, which may be a promising drug candidate for treating pSS and other autoimmune diseases.

Protective Effect of 20(R)-Ginsenoside Rg3 Against Cisplatin-Induced Renal Toxicity via PI3K/AKT and NF-[Formula: see text]B Signaling Pathways Based on the Premise of Ensuring Anticancer Effect.

Although the protective effect of ginsenoside on cisplatin-induced renal injury has been extensively studied, whether ginsenoside interferes with the antitumor effect of cisplatin has not been confirmed. In this paper, we verified the main molecular mechanism of 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (R-Rg3) antagonizing cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) through the combination of in vivo and in vitro models. It is worth mentioning that the two cell models of HK-2 and HepG2 were used simultaneously for the first time to explore the effect of the activation site of tumor-associated protein p53 on apoptosis and tumor suppression. The results showed that a single injection of cisplatin (20 mg/kg) led to weight loss, the kidney index of the mice increased, and creatinine (CRE) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels in mice sharply increased. Continuous administration of R-Rg3 at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg for 10 days could significantly alleviate this symptom. Similarly, R-Rg3 treatment reduced oxidative stress damage caused by cisplatin. Moreover, R-Rg3 could observably reduce the apoptosis and inflammatory infiltration of renal tubular cells induced by cisplatin. We used western blotting analysis to demonstrate that R-Rg3 restored cisplatin-induced AKI might be related to PI3K/AKT and NF-[Formula: see text]B mediated apoptosis and inflammation pathways. In the meantime, we also verified that R-Rg3 could activate different sites of p53 to control renal cell apoptosis induced by cisplatin without affecting its antitumor effect.

Knittable and Sewable Spandex Yarn with Nacre-Mimetic Composite Coating for Wearable Health Monitoring and Thermo- and Antibacterial Therapies.

The emerging personal healthcare has significantly propelled the development of advanced wearable electronics with novel functions of providing diagnostic information and point-of-care therapies for specific diseases. However, it is still challenging to simultaneously achieve high sensitivity for health biomonitoring and multifunction integration for point-of-care therapies in a one single flexible, lightweight yet robust fiber-based device. Here, a knittable and sewable spandex yarn with conductive nacre-mimetic composite coating has been developed through an alternant dip-coating method employing MXene nanosheets as the "brick" and polydopamine (PDA)/Ni2+ as the "mortar". The resultant spandex yarn coating with MXene/PDA/Ni2+ (MPNi@Spandex) can be assembled as a strain sensor with high sensitivity (up to 5.7 × 104 for the gauge factor), wide sensing range (∼61.2%), and low detection limit (0.11%) to monitor the biological activities of the human body. Furthermore, MPNi@Spandex displays great potential to give on-demand thermotherapy by virtue of the fast response to near-infrared irradiation, controllable surface temperature, and applicability even under sewing conditions. In addition, MPNi@Spandex knitted textiles demonstrate a strong antibacterial effect due to the sharp edges, anionic, and hydrophilic nature of MXene nanosheets. Remarkably, near-infrared irradiation further improves the bacteria-killing efficiency of an MPNi@Spandex knitted textile to more than 99.9%. This work paves the way for the design of multifunctional wearable electronics with an all-in-one theranostic platform for personal healthcare.

Alleviative effects of 20(R)-Rg3 on HFD/STZ-induced diabetic nephropathy via MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathways in C57BL/6 mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a major complication of diabetes. The kidney disease develops in nearly 20%-40% of type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. Ginseng is the root of Panax ginseng C. A. Meyer and has been used in prevention and treatment of diseases for more than 2000 years as a traditional oriental medicine. The 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3, an active saponin isolated from ginseng, can prevent and treat many diseases. The object of this research was to explore the alleviative effects of 20(R)-Rg3 on DN in mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The T2D animal model was induced by continuous access to a high fat diet (HFD) combined with a single injection of 100 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) in C57BL/6 mice. The mice were treated by oral gavage of the 20(R)-Rg3 (10, 20 mg/kg) for 8 weeks. Functional and histopathological analyses of the kidneys were then performed. Protein expression levels of MAPKs and NF-κB signal pathways in the kidney were evaluated by western blotting. The expressions of HO-1 and NF-κB in the kidney were measured by fluorescent labeling staining. Other assessments including fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels, blood lipids, oxidative indicators, and inflammatory factors were all performed. RESULTS: Abnormally elevated FBG levels were observed in HFD/STZ mice, contributing significantly to the occurrence of DN. Simultaneously, HFD/STZ mice showed the rise of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, and the decrease in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). DN was evidenced by the overproduction of malondialdehyde (MDA), decreased levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymatic activities, high levels of serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr). Simultaneously, the results of the immunofluorescence assay showed an increased expression level in NF-κB p65 while a decrease in antioxidant enzyme HO-1 was observed. Herein, 20(R)-Rg3 treatment for 8 weeks not only attenuated FBG levels and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) levels but also improved insulin (INS) level, blood lipids, oxidative stress, and renal function by regulating MAPKs and NF-κB signal pathways in DN mice. CONCLUSION: Taken together, the findings from the present study explicitly confirmed that 20(R)-Rg3 exerted ameliorative effects on DN mice via improving anti-oxidative activity and reducing renal inflammation.

Exploration of the effect of salvianolate on myocardial infarction in rats based on tandem mass tags.

Salvianolate is a compound from traditional Chinese medicine widely used in the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases. This study explored the effects of salvianolate on myocardial infarction and used tandem mass tags (TMT) to discover differentially expressed proteins. Male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group, model group, and salvianolate group. The myocardial infarction model was established by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery while the sham group had a sham operation. The rats were intraperitoneally injected with 2 ml of 5% glucose once a day, with 48.438 mg/kg/d salvianolate for the rats in the salvianolate group. After 4 weeks, the rats' hemodynamics were measured to evaluate cardiac function, and Masson staining assessed the area of myocardial infarction. TMT analysis was performed and validated by western blot. Salvianolate improved cardiac function after myocardial infarction, reduced the myocardial infarction area, and protected the myocardial tissue. 100 differentially expressed proteins were identified between the sham operation and model groups, salvianolate reversed the expression of 25 of those proteins, that were mainly involved in the metabolism of extracellular collagen matrix and the response to growth factor stimulation. Type I collagen, type V collagen, chymase, ß-myosin heavy chain, and A-Raf differential expression were consistent in western blotting. In conclusion, salvianolate had a protective effect on myocardial tissues of rats with myocardial infarction. Several proteins including type I collagen, type V collagen, chymase, ß-myosin, and A-Raf may be salvianolate targets for treatment of myocardial infarction.

Rare Ginsenoside 20(R)-Rg3 Inhibits D-Galactose-Induced Liver and Kidney Injury by Regulating Oxidative Stress-Induced Apoptosis.

Oxidative stress is considered as a major factor in aging and exacerbates aging process through a variety of molecular mechanisms. D-galactose, a normal reducing sugar with high dose can cause the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or stimulate free radical production indirectly by the formation of advanced glycation end products in tissues, finally resulting in oxidative stress. 20(R)-ginsenoside Rg3 (20(R)-Rg3), a major and representative component isolated from red ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A Meyer), has been shown to observably have an anti-oxidative effect. We thereby investigated the beneficial effects of 20(R)-Rg3 on D-galactose-induced oxidative stress injury and its underlying mechanisms. Our results showed that continuous injection of D-galactose with 800[Formula: see text]mg/kg/day for 8 weeks increased the levels of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN). However, such increases were attenuated by the treatment of 20(R)-Rg3 for 4 weeks. Meanwhile, 20(R)-Rg3 markedly inhibited D-galactose-caused oxidative stress in liver and kidney. The anti-oxidants, including catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), were elevated in the mice from 20(R)-Rg3-treated group compared with that from D-galactose group. In contrast, a significant decrease in levels of cytochrome P450 E1 (CYP2E1) and the lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde (MDA) and 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) were observed in the 20(R)-Rg3-treated group. These effects were associated with a significant increase of AGEs. More importantly, 20(R)-Rg3 effectively attenuated D-galactose induced apoptosis in liver and kidney via restoring the upstream PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Taken together, our study suggests that 20(R)-Rg3 may be a novel and promising anti-oxidative therapeutic agent to prevent aging-related injuries in liver and kidney.

Excessive oxidative stress in cumulus granulosa cells induced cell senescence contributes to endometriosis-associated infertility.

Endometriosis an important cause of female infertility and seriously impact physical and psychological health of patients. Endometriosis is now considered to be a public health problem that deserves in-depth investigation, especially the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis-associated infertility. We aimed to illuminate the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis-associated infertility that involve excessive oxidative stress (OS) induced pathological changes of ovary cumulus granulosa cell (GCs). Senescence-associated ß-galactosidase (SA ß-gal) activity in GCs from endometriosis patients, soluble isoform of advanced glycation end products receptor (sRAGE) expression in follicular fluid from endometriosis patients and differentially expressed senescence-associated secretory phenotype factors (IL-1ß, MMP-9, KGF and FGF basic protein) are all useful indexes to evaluate oocyte retrieval number and mature oocyte number. RNA-sequencing and bioinformatics analysis indicated senescent phenotype of endometriosis GCs and aggravated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in endometriosis GCs. Targeting ER stress significantly alleviated OS-induced GCs senescence as well as mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) reduction in GCs. Moreover, melatonin administration rescued OS-enhanced ER stress, cellular senescence, and MMP and ATP abnormities of endometriosis GCs in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, our results indicated excessive reactive oxygen species induces senescence of endometriosis GCs via arouse ER stress, which finally contributes to endometriosis-associated infertility, and melatonin may represent a novel adjuvant therapy strategy for endometriosis-associated infertility.

Efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture on treating depression-related insomnia: a study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Sleep disorders including insomnia occur frequently in depressive patients. Acupuncture is a widely recognised therapy to treat depression and sleep disorders in clinical practice. This multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) is aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of electroacupuncture (EA) in the treatment of depression patients with insomnia. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We describe a protocol for a multicentre RCT. A total of 270 eligible patients in three different healthcare centres in Shanghai will be randomly assigned to one of these three groups: treatment group (EA + standard care), control A group (sham electroacupuncture + standard care) and control B group (standard care). Treatment will be given three times per week for 8 consecutive weeks. The primary outcome is the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The secondary outcomes are sleep parameters recorded in the actigraphy, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score and Self-rating Anxiety Scale score. Daily dose of patients' antidepressant and sedative-hypnotic medication will be recorded in the dairy. All adverse effects will be assessed by the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale. Outcomes will be evaluated at baseline, 4 weeks post-treatment and 8 weeks post-treatment, as well as at 1-month, 3-month and 6-month follow-up. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The trial has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (2017SHL-KY-04). Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals or presented at academic conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03122080; Pre-results.

Hesperetin derivative-12 (HDND-12) regulates macrophage polarization by modulating JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Macrophages show significant heterogeneity in function and phenotype, which could shift into different populations of cells in response to exposure to various micro-environmental signals. These changes, also termed as macrophage polarization, of which play an important role in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Numerous studies have proved that Hesperidin (HDN), a traditional Chinese medicine, extracted from fruit peels of the genus citrus, play key roles in anti-inflammation, anti-tumor, anti-oxidant and so on. However, the role of HDN in macrophage polarization has never been reported. Additional, because of its poor water solubility and bioavailability. Our laboratory had synthesized many hesperidin derivatives. Among them, hesperidin derivatives-12 (HDND-12) has better water solubility and bioavailability. So, we evaluated the role of HDND-12 in macrophage polarization in the present study. The results showed that the expression of Arginase-1 (Arg-1), interleukin-10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) were up-regulated by HDND-12, whereas the expression of inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) was down-regulated in LPS- and IFN-γ-treated (M1) RAW264.7 cells. Moreover, the expression of p-JAK2 and p-STAT3 were significantly decreased after stimulation with HDND-12 in M1-like macrophages. More importantly, when we taken AG490 (inhibitor of JAK2/STAT3 signaling), the protein levels of iNOS were significantly reduced in AG490 stimulation group compare with control in LPS, IFN-γ and HDND-12 stimulation cells. Taken together, these findings indicated that HDND-12 could prevent polarization toward M1-like macrophages, at least in part, through modulating JAK2/STAT3 pathway.

[Design, synthesis and antiproliferative activity in cancer cells of novel dihydropyrazolyl and pyrazolyl artemisinin-phenyl ethers].

To explore potent anticancer agent based on artemisinin scaffold, a series of 10-O-phenyl ethers derivatives containing dihydropyrazolyl or pyrazolyl moiety have been designed and synthesized. Their structures were determined by LC-MS and ¹H-NMR date. Inhibitory effects of the target compounds in human breast cancer MCF-7, MCF/Adr, MDA-MB-231 cells and prostate cell line PC-3 were determined by MTT assay. Those derivatives displayed good antiproliferative activity against the tested cancer cells. Particularly, target compounds exhibited significant cytotoxicity against drug-resistance cells MCF/Adr, which was worthy for further investigation.

Therapeutic efficacy of neuromuscular electrical stimulation and electromyographic biofeedback on Alzheimer's disease patients with dysphagia.

To study the therapeutic effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation and electromyographic biofeedback (EMG-biofeedback) therapy in improving swallowing function of Alzheimer's disease patients with dysphagia.A series of 103 Alzheimer's disease patients with dysphagia were divided into 2 groups, among which the control group (n = 50) received swallowing function training and the treatment group (n = 53) received neuromuscular electrical stimulation plus EMG-biofeedback therapy. The mini-mental state scale score was performed in all patients along the treatment period. Twelve weeks after the treatment, the swallowing function was assessed by the water swallow test. The nutritional status was evaluated by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) as well as the levels of hemoglobin and serum albumin. The frequency and course of aspiration pneumonia were also recorded.No significant difference on mini-mental state scale score was noted between 2 groups. More improvement of swallowing function, better nutritional status, and less frequency and shorter course of aspiration pneumonia were presented in treatment group when compared with the control group.Neuromuscular electrical stimulation and EMG-biofeedback treatment can improve swallowing function in patients with Alzheimer's disease and significantly reduce the incidence of adverse outcomes. Thus, they should be promoted in clinical practice.

Ischemic or toxic injury: A challenging diagnosis and treatment of drug-induced stenosis of the sigmoid colon.

A 48-year-old woman was admitted with 15-mo history of abdominal pain, diarrhea and hematochezia, and 5-mo history of defecation difficulty. She had been successively admitted to nine hospitals, with an initial diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease with stenotic sigmoid colon. Findings from computed tomography virtual colonoscopy, radiography with meglumine diatrizoate, endoscopic balloon dilatation, metallic stent implantation and later overall colonoscopy, coupled with the newfound knowledge of compound Qingdai pill-taking, led to a subsequent diagnosis of ischemic or toxic bowel disease with sigmoid colon stenosis. The patient was successfully treated by laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy, and postoperative pathological examination revealed ischemic or toxic injury of the sigmoid colon, providing a final diagnosis of drug-induced sigmoid colon stenosis. This case highlights that adequate awareness of drug-induced colon stenosis has a decisive role in avoiding misdiagnosis and mistreatment. The diagnostic and therapeutic experiences learnt from this case suggest that endoscopic balloon expansion and colonic metallic stent implantation as bridge treatments were demonstrated as crucial for the differential diagnosis of benign colonic stenosis. Skillful surgical technique and appropriate perioperative management helped to ensure the safety of our patient in subsequent surgery after long-term use of glucocorticoids.

Identification and biochemical characterization of DC07090 as a novel potent small molecule inhibitor against human enterovirus 71 3C protease by structure-based virtual screening.

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a serious, highly contagious disease. HFMD caused by Enterovirus 71 (EV71), results in severe complications and even death. The pivotal role of EV71 3Cpro in the viral life cycle makes it an attractive target for drug discovery and development to treat HFMD. In this study, we identified novel EV71 3Cpro inhibitors by docking-based virtual screening. Totally 50 compounds were selected to test their inhibitory activity against EV71 3Cpro. The best inhibitor DC07090 exhibited the inhibition potency with an IC50 value of 21.72 ± 0.95 µM without apparent toxicity (CC50 > 200 µM). To explore structure-activity relationship of DC07090, 15 new derivatives were designed, synthesized and evaluated in vitro enzyme assay accordingly. Interestingly, four compounds showed inhibitory activities against EV71 3Cpro and only DC07090 inhibited EV71 replication with an EC50 value of 22.09 ± 1.07 µM. Enzyme inhibition kinetic experiments showed that the compound was a reversible and competitive inhibitor. The Ki value was determined to be 23.29 ± 12.08 µM. Further molecular docking, MD simulation and mutagenesis studies confirmed the binding mode of DC07090 and EV71 3Cpro. Besides, DC07090 could also inhibit coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) replication with an EC50 value of 27.76 ± 0.88 µM. Therefore, DC07090 represents a new non-peptidyl small molecule inhibitor for further development of antiviral therapy against EV71 or other picornaviruses.