Metabolomic profiling of serum and tongue coating of pregnant women with intrahepatic cholestasis in pregnancy.

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is associated with an increased risk of cesarean section and adverse fetal outcomes. Currently, ICP diagnosis depends largely on serum levels of bile acids and lacks sensitivity and specificity for accurate diagnosis. Tongue diagnosis is an important diagnostic tool in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and is used in our clinic as complementary treatment and personalized medicine for ICP. However, the molecular basis of the manifestation of greasy white tongue coatings in ICP remains unknown. In this study, we performed untargeted metabolomic profiling of the serum, tongue coating, and saliva of 66 pregnant women, including 22 with ICP. The metabolomic profiles of the serum and tongue coatings showed marked differences between the two clinical groups. Forty-six differentially abundant metabolites were identified, and their relative concentrations correlated with total bile acid levels. These differential metabolites included bile acids, lipids, microbiota- and diet-related metabolites, and exposomes. Conventional biochemical markers, including serum aminotransferases and bilirubin, were not significantly increased in the ICP group, whereas the total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were significantly increased as early as the first trimester. Our data provide insights into the pathophysiology of ICP and implicate the gut-liver axis and environmental exposure. Tongue coating has the potential to be a non-invasive diagnostic approach. Further studies are required to validate the clinical utility of these findings.

Multi-omics strategies uncover the molecular mechanisms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium deficiency responses in Brassica napus.

BACKGROUND: Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are critical macronutrients in crops, such that deficiency in any of N, P or K has substantial effects on crop growth. However, the specific commonalities of plant responses to different macronutrient deficiencies remain largely unknown. METHODS: Here, we assessed the phenotypic and physiological performances along with whole transcriptome and metabolomic profiles of rapeseed seedlings exposed to N, P and K deficiency stresses. RESULTS: Quantities of reactive oxygen species were significantly increased by all macronutrient deficiencies. N and K deficiencies resulted in more severe root development responses than P deficiency, as well as greater chlorophyll content reduction in leaves (associated with disrupted chloroplast structure). Transcriptome and metabolome analyses validated the macronutrient-specific responses, with more pronounced effects of N and P deficiencies on mRNAs, microRNAs (miRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs) and metabolites relative to K deficiency. Tissue-specific responses also occurred, with greater effects of macronutrient deficiencies on roots compared with shoots. We further uncovered a set of common responders with simultaneous roles in all three macronutrient deficiencies, including 112 mRNAs and 10 miRNAs involved in hormonal signaling, ion transport and oxidative stress in the root, and 33 mRNAs and 6 miRNAs with roles in abiotic stress response and photosynthesis in the shoot. 27 and seven common miRNA-mRNA pairs with role in miRNA-mediated regulation of oxidoreduction processes and ion transmembrane transport were identified in all three macronutrient deficiencies. No circRNA was responsive to three macronutrient deficiency stresses, but two common circRNAs were identified for two macronutrient deficiencies. Combined analysis of circRNAs, miRNAs and mRNAs suggested that two circRNAs act as decoys for miR156 and participate in oxidoreduction processes and transmembrane transport in both N- and P-deprived roots. Simultaneously, dramatic alterations of metabolites also occurred. Associations of RNAs with metabolites were observed, and suggested potential positive regulatory roles for tricarboxylic acids, azoles, carbohydrates, sterols and auxins, and negative regulatory roles for aromatic and aspartate amino acids, glucosamine-containing compounds, cinnamic acid, and nicotianamine in plant adaptation to macronutrient deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings revealed strategies to rescue rapeseed from macronutrient deficiency stress, including reducing the expression of non-essential genes and activating or enhancing the expression of anti-stress genes, aided by plant hormones, ion transporters and stress responders. The common responders to different macronutrient deficiencies identified could be targeted to enhance nutrient use efficiency in rapeseed.

Spin-Resolved Imaging of Antiferromagnetic Order in Fe4 Se5 Ultrathin Films on SrTiO3.

Unraveling the magnetic order in iron chalcogenides and pnictides at atomic scale is pivotal for understanding their unconventional superconducting pairing mechanism, but is experimentally challenging. Here, by utilizing spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy, real-space spin contrasts are successfully resolved to exhibit atomically unidirectional stripes in Fe4 Se5 ultrathin films, the plausible closely related compound of bulk FeSe with ordered Fe-vacancies, which are grown by molecular beam epitaxy. As is substantiated by the first-principles electronic structure calculations, the spin contrast originates from a pair-checkerboard antiferromagnetic ground state with in-plane magnetization, which is modulated by a spin-lattice coupling. These measurements further identify three types of nanoscale antiferromagnetic domains with distinguishable spin contrasts, which are subject to thermal fluctuations into short-ranged patches at elevated temperatures. This work provides promising opportunities in understanding the emergent magnetic order and the electronic phase diagram for FeSe-derived superconductors.

Effect of Low-Frequency Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields and Traditional Chinese Medicine Kneading Manipulation on Sternocostal Joint Pain in Perimenopausal Women.

Aim: To investigate the clinical effect of low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMFs) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) kneading manipulation in the treatment of perimenopausal women with sternocostal joint pain. Methods: A total of 80 perimenopausal women with osteoporosis (OP) with sternocostal joint pain were selected as participants in the study. The patients were assigned to either the control or the treatment group, with 40 patients in each group. Patients in the control group were treated with oral Aceclofenac sustained-release tablets, calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 tablets. The treatment group was treated with low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields and TCM kneading manipulation. Numerical rating scale (NRS) scores, bone mineral density (BMD) and blood calcium concentration were measured and recorded before and after treatment in both groups. Results: There were no significant differences in age, disease course, body mass index, smoking history, pretreatment NRS pain score, bone mineral density (BMD), or serum calcium concentration between the two groups (P > .05). There were statistically significant differences in pain levels between the two groups at 3 days and 1, 3 and 6 months after treatment (P < .05). BMD of the femoral neck was significantly different at 6 months after treatment (P = .016 treatment difference from Control at 6 months: 0.055; 95% CI, 0.009 to 0.097). There were significant differences in serum calcium concentration at the third and sixth month of treatment (P < .05 treatment difference from control at 3 days: 0.055; 95% CI: 0.036 to 0.074; treatment difference from Control at 6 months: 0.039; 95% CI: 0.019 to 0.059). Different treatment methods had significant differences in serum calcium levels at the third and sixth month. Conclusion: Low-frequency pulsed electromagnetic field and TCM kneading manipulation can effectively relieve the symptoms of thoracic and costal joint pain in the short term in the perimenopausal period, improve bone density and delay disease progression.

Development of precocious puberty in children: Surmised medicinal plant treatment.

Precocious puberty in children is one of the common endocrine diseases in paediatrics. Epidemiological surveys have shown that the number of children with precocious puberty has significantly increased globally. Precocious puberty negatively affects the physical and mental health of children and may increase the risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity and infertility in adulthood. Therefore, the initiating factors of adolescence have become core issues in the study of sexual development in children. Owing to developments in molecular genetics, many studies have been able to show that precocious puberty is mostly resulted in autosomal inheritance. For instance, makorin ring finger protein 3 gene (MKRN3) may be implicated in familial CPP. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa) is the gold standard for treatment, but its safety still requires long-term evaluation and management. Traditional medicinal plants have been used in clinical treatments and in exploring novel treatment methods. From the collected datas, in Asia, traditional Chinese medicine treatment is based on the principles of nourishing Yin, lowering fire and draining fire from the liver to help precocious children and alleviate or delay the onset of precocious puberty by medicinal plants such as Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bge., Phellodendron amurense Rupr., Rehmannia glutinosa and Poria cocos Wolf. They play an important role in exploring the pharmacological mechanisms of precocious puberty treatment effects and drug development. Therefore, by elucidating the occurrence and development of precocious puberty, this review provides novel and valuable insights of paediatric endocrine therapy accessing the published researches on the effectiveness of traditional herbal medicine in the treatment of precocious puberty and its therapeutic mechanisms.

Virtual screening based on pharmacophore model for developing novel HPPD inhibitors.

4-Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) is an important target for herbicide design. A multilayered virtual screening workflow was constructed by combining two pharmacophore models based on ligand and crystal complexes, molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD), and biological activity determination to identify novel small-molecule inhibitors of HPPD. About 110, 000 compounds of Bailingwei and traditional Chinese medicine databases were screened. Of these, 333 were analyzed through docking experiments. Five compounds were selected by analyzing the binding pattern of inhibitors with amino acid residues in the active pocket. All five compounds could produce stable coordination with cobalt ion, and form favorable π-π interactions. MD simulation demonstrated that Phe381 and Phe424 made large contributions to the strength of binding. The enzyme activity experiment verified that compound-139 displayed excellent potency against AtHPPD (IC50 = 0.742 µM), however, compound-5222 had inhibitory effect on human HPPD (IC50 = 6 nM). Compound-139 exhibited herbicidal activity to some extent on different gramineous weeds. This work provided a strong insight into the design and development of novel HPPD inhibitor using in silico techniques.

Transcriptional regulation and small compound targeting of ACE2 in lung epithelial cells.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the receptor of COVID-19 pathogen SARS-CoV-2, but the transcription factors (TFs) that regulate the expression of the gene encoding ACE2 (ACE2) have not been systematically dissected. In this study we evaluated TFs that control ACE2 expression, and screened for small molecule compounds that could modulate ACE2 expression to block SARS-CoV-2 from entry into lung epithelial cells. By searching the online datasets we found that 24 TFs might be ACE2 regulators with signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) as the most significant one. In human normal lung tissues, the expression of ACE2 was positively correlated with phosphorylated Stat3 (p-Stat3). We demonstrated that Stat3 bound ACE2 promoter, and controlled its expression in 16HBE cells stimulated with interleukin 6 (IL-6). To screen for medicinal compounds that could modulate ACE2 expression, we conducted luciferase assay using HLF cells transfected with ACE2 promoter-luciferase constructs. Among the 64 compounds tested, 6-O-angeloylplenolin (6-OAP), a sesquiterpene lactone in Chinese medicinal herb Centipeda minima (CM), represented the most potent ACE2 repressor. 6-OAP (2.5 µM) inhibited the interaction between Stat3 protein and ACE2 promoter, thus suppressed ACE2 transcription. 6-OAP (1.25-5 µM) and its parental medicinal herb CM (0.125%-0.5%) dose-dependently downregulated ACE2 in 16HBE and Beas-2B cells; similar results were observed in the lung tissues of mice following administration of 6-OAP or CM for one month. In addition, 6-OAP/CM dose-dependently reduced IL-6 production and downregulated chemokines including CXCL13 and CX3CL1 in 16HBE cells. Moreover, we found that 6-OAP/CM inhibited the entry of SARS-CoV-2 S protein pseudovirus into target cells. These results suggest that 6-OAP/CM are ACE2 inhibitors that may potentially protect lung epithelial cells from SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The Clinical Effect of Blue Light Therapy on Patients with Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility and patient acceptance of applying blue light glasses to treat delayed sleep-wake phase disorder (DSWPD). METHODS: Fifteen patients with DSWPD were collected as the observation group and 15 healthy people as the control group. The patients wore blue light glasses with a continuous radiation wavelength of about 470 nm for 1h to 2h during the period from 06:30 to 09:00 in the morning after waking up, respectively. Assessment of Hamilton Anxiety Scale 14 items (HAMA14), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 24 items (HAMD24), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), and Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) scores before and after 1 week of treatment. Pearson correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the efficacy of patients with sleep-wake phase delay disorder and HAMA14, HAMD24, PSQI, ISI, ESS, MEQ, SL (sleep time), TST (total sleep time), TTiB (total time in bed), SQ (sleep quality), TOA (total arousal time), WASO (wake after sleep onset), AAT (average arousal time), and SE (sleep efficiency percent). Multi-factor logistic regression analysis of factors influencing the efficacy of patients with sleep-wake phase delay disorder. RESULTS: After treatment, PSQI-G scores, number of nighttime awakenings and time of awakening recorded in the sleep diary decreased significantly in the observation group (P < 0.05), and subjective sleep quality and MEQ scores increased (P < 0.05). MEQ score shifted from "moderate night type" to "intermediate type", sleep-wake phase tended to shift forward. The total PSQI score and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Global (PSQI-G) score were significantly lower in the control group after treatment (P < 0.05). By Pearson correlation analysis, the efficacy of patients with sleep-wake phase delay disorder was significantly correlated with HAMA14, HAMD24, PSQI, ISI, ESS, MEQ, SL, TST, TTiB, SQ, TOA, WASO, AAT, and SE. Multifactorial logistic regression analysis revealed that the factors influencing the efficacy of patients with sleep-wake phase delay disorder were PSQI, ISI, ESS, MEQ, SL, TST, TTiB, SQ, TOA, WASO, AAT, and SE. CONCLUSION: Blue light therapy has a positive effect on improving subjective sleep quality, reducing the number of nocturnal awakenings and the duration of nocturnal awakenings, improving daytime function, and shifting the sleep phase forward in patients with DSWPD. Blue light therapy improves subjective sleep quality and daytime function the following day in normal individuals.

Selenium-associated differentially expressed microRNAs and their targeted mRNAs across the placental genome in two U.S. birth cohorts.

Selenium is an important micronutrient for foetal development. MicroRNAs play an important role in the function of the placenta, in communication between the placenta and maternal systems, and their expression can be altered through environmental and nutritional cues. To investigate the associations between placental selenium concentration and microRNA expression in the placenta, our observational study included 393 mother-child pairs from the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (NHBCS) and the Rhode Island Child Health Study (RICHS). Placental selenium concentrations were quantified using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and microRNA transcripts were measured using RNA-seq. We fit negative binomial additive models for assessing the association between selenium and microRNAs. We used the microRNA Data Integration Portal (mirDIP) to predict the target mRNAs of the differentially expressed microRNAs and verified the relationships between miRNA and mRNA targets in a subset of samples using existing whole transcriptome data (N = 199). We identified a non-monotonic association between selenium concentration and the expression of miR-216a-5p/miR-217-5p cluster (effective degrees of freedom, EDF = 2.44 and 2.08; FDR = 3.08 × 10-5) in placenta. Thirty putative target mRNAs of miR-216a-5p and/or miR-217-5p were identified computationally and empirically and were enriched in selenium metabolic pathways (driven by selenoprotein coding genes, TXNRD2 and SELENON). Our findings suggest that selenium influences placental microRNA expression. Further, miR-216a-5p and its putative target mRNAs could be the potential mechanistic targets of the health effect of selenium.

[Mechanism of extract of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Chuanxiong Rhizoma on SIRT1 autophagy pathway of endothelial cell senescence induced by hydrogen peroxide].

This study aims to explore the effect of extract of Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma, and Chuanxiong Rhizoma(hereinafter referred to as GNS) on the SIRT1-autophagy pathway of endothelial cell senescence induced by hydrogen peroxide(H_2O_2). To be specific, vascular endothelial cells were classified into the blank control group(control), model group(model), model + DMSO group(DMSO), resveratrol group(RESV), and GNS low-dose(GNS-L), medium-dose(GNS-M), and high-dose(GNS-H) groups. They were treated with H_2O_2 for senescence induction except the control. After intervention of cells in each group with corresponding drugs for 24 h, cell growth status was observed under an inverted microscope, and the formation of autophagosome under the transmission electron microscope. In addition, the changes of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3ß(LC3 B) were detected by immunofluorescence staining. The autophagy flux was tracked with the autophagy double-labeled adenovirus(mRFP-GFP-LC3) fusion protein. Dansylcadaverine(MDC) staining was employed to determine the autophagic vesicles, and Western blot the expression of sirtuin 1(SIRT1), ubiquitin-binding protein p62, and LC3Ⅱ. After H_2O_2 induction, cells demonstrated slow growth, decreased adhesion ability, raised number of SA-ß-gal-stained blue ones, a certain number of autophagosomes with bilayer membrane and secondary lysosomes in the cytoplasm, and slight rise of autophagy flux level. Compared with the model group, GNS groups showed improved morphology, moderate adhesion ability, complete and smooth membrane, decreased SA-ß-gal-stained blue cells, many autophagosomes, autophagic vesicles, and secondary lysosomes in the cytoplasm, increased autophagolysosomes, autophagy flux level, and fluorescence intensity of LC3 B and MDC, up-regulated expression of SIRT1 and LC3Ⅱ, and down-regulated expression of p62, suggesting the improvement of autophagy level. GNS can delay the senescence of vascular endothelial cells. After the intervention, the autophagy flux and related proteins SIRT1, LC3Ⅱand p62 changed significantly, and the autophagy level increased significantly. However, EX527 weakened the effect of Chinese medicine in delaying vascular senescence. GNS may delay the senescence of vascular endothelial cells through the SIRT1 autophagy pathway.

Mitochondrial Protection and Against Glutamate Neurotoxicity via Shh/Ptch1 Signaling Pathway to Ameliorate Cognitive Dysfunction by Kaixin San in Multi-Infarct Dementia Rats.

Multi-infarct dementia (MID), a prominent subtype of vascular dementia (VD), is responsible for at least 15 to 20 percent of dementia in the elderly. Mitochondrial dysfunctions and glutamate neurotoxicity due to chronic hypoperfusion and oxidative stress were regarded as the major risk factors in the pathogenesis. Kaixin San (KXS), a classic prescription of Beiji Qianjin Yaofang, was applied to treatment for "amnesia" and has been demonstrated to alleviate the cognitive deficit in a variety of dementias, including MID. However, little is known whether mitochondria and glutamate are associated with the protection of KXS in MID treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of KXS in improving the cognitive function of MID rats through strengthening mitochondrial functions and antagonizing glutamate neurotoxicity via the Shh/Ptch1 signaling pathway. Our data showed that KXS significantly ameliorated memory impairment and hippocampal neuron damage in MID rats. Moreover, KXS improved hippocampal mitochondrial functions by reducing the degree of mitochondrial swelling, increasing the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), and elevating the energy charge (EC) and ATP content in MID rats. As expected, the concentration of glutamate and the expression of p-NMDAR1 were significantly reduced by KXS in the brain tissue of MID rats. Furthermore, our results showed that KXS noticeably activated the Shh/Ptch1 signaling pathway which was demonstrated by remarkable elevations of Ptch1, Smo, and Gli1 protein levels in the brain tissue of MID rats. Intriguingly, the inhibition of the Shh signaling pathway with cyclopamine significantly inhibited the protective effects of KXS on glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells. To sum up, these findings suggested that KXS protected MID rats from memory loss by rescuing mitochondrial functions as well as against glutamate neurotoxicity through activating Shh/Ptch1 signaling pathway.

Deeply Infiltrating iRGD-Graphene Oxide for the Intensive Treatment of Metastatic Tumors through PTT-Mediated Chemosensitization and Strengthened Integrin Targeting-Based Antimigration.

A limited infiltration and the subsequent low effective drug concentration result in poor chemotherapeutic outcomes against tumors, and even further promote tumor resistance and metastatic. Herein, iRGD-modified graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets (IPHG) are developed for the intensive treatment of metastatic tumors using focus-specific penetrated delivery together with photothermal therapy-mediated chemosensitization and photothermal therapy-strengthened integrin targeting-based antimigration. In vitro and in vivo data verified the mechanism of the tumor-selective infiltration of IPHG is based on a rigid 2D structure-associated advantage regarding hemodynamics and endothelial contact, followed by iRGD-endowed transendothelial and intratumoral transport. Once IPHG-DOX-penetrated 4T1 tumors are exposed to near-infrared irradiation, hyperthermia stress and photothermal therapy-elevated effective drug concentrations result in chemosensitization and prominent tumor suppression. Meanwhile, the specific binding of iRGD to integrins and photothermal therapy leads to the synergistic perturbation of cytoskeleton remodeling and subsequent impairment of cell motility and metastasis. The tailored design of IPHG validates a promising paradigm for drug delivery to combat tumor resistance and metastasis resulting from poor target access for single chemotherapy.

TRIM29 alters bioenergetics of pancreatic cancer cells via cooperation of miR-2355-3p and DDX3X recruitment to AK4 transcript.

TRIM29 is dysregulated in pancreatic cancer and implicated in maintenance of stem-cell-like characters of pancreatic cancer cells. However, the exact mechanisms underlying oncogenic function of TRIM29 in pancreatic cancer cells remain largely unclarified. Using a global screening procedure, the current study found that adenylate kinase 4 (AK4) was profoundly reduced by TRIM29 knockdown. In addition, our data demonstrated that TRIM29 knockdown altered bioenergetics and suppressed proliferation and invasion of pancreatic cancer cells via downregulation of AK4 at the posttranscriptional level. The current study demonstrated that upregulation of microRNA-2355-3p (miR-2355-3p) upregulated AK4 expression via facilitating DDX3X recruitment to the AK4 transcript, and TRIM29 knockdown thereby destabilized the AK4 transcript via miR-2355-3p downregulation. Collectively, our study uncovers posttranscriptional stabilization of the AK4 transcript by miR-2355-3p interaction to facilitate DDX3X recruitment. Regulation of AK4 by TRIM29 via miR-2355-3p thereby provides additional information for further identification of attractive targets for therapy with pancreatic cancer.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Preconditioning Protects Against Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Inhibiting Mitochondrial Apoptosis and Energy Metabolism Disturbance.

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy is considered a safe and feasible method that to provide neuroprotection against ischemic stroke. However, the therapy mechanisms of HBO have not been fully elucidated. We hypothesized that the mechanism underlying the protective effect of HBO preconditioning (HBO-PC) against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury was related to inhibition of mitochondrial apoptosis and energy metabolism disorder. To test this hypothesis, an ischemic stroke model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats. HBO-PC involved five consecutive days of pretreatment before MCAO. In additional experiments, X chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) and second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (SMAC) shRNA and NC plasmids were intraventricularly injected into rat brains after MCAO (2 h). After 24 h, all rats underwent motor function evaluation, which was assessed by modified Garcia scores. TTC staining for the cerebral infarct and cerebral edema, and TUNEL staining for cell apoptosis, were also analyzed. Reactive oxygen species and antioxidative enzymes in rat brains were detected, as well as mitochondrial complex enzyme activities, ATP levels, and Na+/K+ ATPase activity. Western blot was used to detect apoptotic proteins including Bcl-2, Bax, caspase-3, caspase-9, cyc-c, XIAP, and SMAC. HBO-PC remarkably reduced the infarct volume and improved neurological deficits. Furthermore, HBO-PC alleviated oxidative stress and regulated the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. Moreover, HBO-PC inhibited the decrease in ATP levels, mitochondrial complex enzyme activities, and Na+/K+ ATPase activity to maintain stable energy metabolism. XIAP knockdown weakened the protective effect of HBO, whereas SMAC knockdown strengthened its protective effect. The effects of HBO-PC can be attributed to inhibition of ischemia/hypoxia-induced mitochondrial apoptosis and energy metabolism disturbance. The action of HBO-PC is related to the XIAP and SMAC signaling pathways.

Four new polyynes from Codonopsis pilosula collected in Yunnan province, China.

Choushenpilosulynes D-G (1-4): four new polyynes were isolated from the roots of Codonopsis pilosula (Campanulaceae) cultivated in Yunnan province, China. Their structures were identified by spectroscopic methods. Bioactive evaluation showed that choushenpilosulynes E (2) and F (3) demonstrated potent inhibitory effect on lipid formation induced by 100 µM oleic acid stimulation. In addition, choushenpilosulyne F (3) uncovered inhibitory activity against the expression of human 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) and squalene monooxygenase (SQLE) gene transcript in HepG2 cells.

DeepYY1: a deep learning approach to identify YY1-mediated chromatin loops.

The protein Yin Yang 1 (YY1) could form dimers that facilitate the interaction between active enhancers and promoter-proximal elements. YY1-mediated enhancer-promoter interaction is the general feature of mammalian gene control. Recently, some computational methods have been developed to characterize the interactions between DNA elements by elucidating important features of chromatin folding; however, no computational methods have been developed for identifying the YY1-mediated chromatin loops. In this study, we developed a deep learning algorithm named DeepYY1 based on word2vec to determine whether a pair of YY1 motifs would form a loop. The proposed models showed a high prediction performance (AUCs$\ge$0.93) on both training datasets and testing datasets in different cell types, demonstrating that DeepYY1 has an excellent performance in the identification of the YY1-mediated chromatin loops. Our study also suggested that sequences play an important role in the formation of YY1-mediated chromatin loops. Furthermore, we briefly discussed the distribution of the replication origin site in the loops. Finally, a user-friendly web server was established, and it can be freely accessed at http://lin-group.cn/server/DeepYY1.

Trans-arterial chemoembolization combined with Jinlong capsule for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis in a Chinese population.

CONTEXT: Jinlong capsule (JLC) is an animal-derived traditional Chinese medical preparation for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its clinical efficacy is still not well investigated. OBJECTIVE: This study summarizes the efficacy and safety of JLC combined with trans-arterial chemoembolization (TACE) for patients with HCC. METHODS: The databases PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMBASE, Medline, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database and Chinese Biological Medicine Database were systematically searched from the date of their inception until February 2020. Jinlong capsule, trans-arterial chemoembolization, and hepatocellular carcinoma were the key terms searched. Randomized controlled trials and high-quality prospective cohort trials comparing the combined use of JLC and TACE versus TACE for HCC were included. Data were pooled using random or fixed effect models depending on heterogeneity. RESULTS: Data from 19 articles with 1,725 HCC patients were analysed. Compared with TACE treatment alone, the combination of TACE and JLC significantly prolonged patients' 6-36 month overall survival (p < 0.05), and markedly improved the overall response rate (RR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.24-1.52, p < 0.00001) and disease control rate (RR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.06-1.17, p < 0.0001) of patients. The liver function, quality of life, and immune function of patients were significantly improved; the partial adverse events related to TACE were also effectively relieved after the combination treatment. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis suggests that the combination of TACE and JLC is more effective in the treatment of HCC than treatment with TACE alone.

A new approach to removing and recovering phosphorus from livestock wastewater using dolomite.

Recovering phosphorus from livestock wastewater could partly mitigate the global phosphorus resource crisis. Crystallization is a promising method for removing phosphorus from wastewater, but the costs of calcium- and magnesium-containing reagents are increasing. Cheap, available, efficient materials are required to replace conventional calcium and magnesium reagents. Here, we describe a new approach to removing and recovering phosphorus from livestock wastewater of a large pig farm, containing a high phosphorus concentration. The effects of the pH, stirring speed, stirring time, and extract dose (containing calcium and magnesium) on phosphorus removal from livestock wastewater were investigated. The product was characterized by X-ray diffractometry, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Under optimized conditions (pH 9.0, stirring speed 200 r/m, stirring time 600 s, Ca 207.62 mg/L, Mg 122.86 mg/L), 92% of the phosphorus was removed from livestock wastewater. The product was mainly the hydroxyapatite (Ca5(PO4)3OH) precursor amorphous calcium phosphate but also contained 1.65% (by mass) magnesium ammonium phosphate (MgNH4PO4·6H2O) crystals. The cost of dolomite to treat 1 m3 of high-phosphorus wastewater was 0.20 yuan (45.9%, 25.9%, and 75.9% lower than for pure MgCl2, MgSO4, and CaCl2, respectively) in 2019. Using dolomite to provide calcium and magnesium effectively decreases the crystallization process cost and should encourage the use of crystallization to remove phosphorus from wastewater.

Cinnamaldehyde suppresses NLRP3 derived IL-1ß via activating succinate/HIF-1 in rheumatoid arthritis rats.

Cinnamaldehyde (CA) is an essential component of cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia Presland), which is often used as a flavoring condiment in beverages, pastries, perfumes, etc. Cinnamon is also used as herbal medicine in China and Southeast Asia to treat rheumatoid arthritis. However, the molecular mechanism is unclear. In this study, we aim to investigate its anti-inflammatory effects against Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) using activated macrophages (Raw246.7) in vitro and adjuvant arthritis rats (AA) in vivo. The results demonstrated that CA significantly reduced synovial inflammation in AA rats, possibly due to suppression of the expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines, especially the IL-1ß. Further investigation found that CA also suppressed the activity of HIF-1α by inhibiting the accumulation of succinate in cytoplasm. As we know, the reduction of HIF-1α nucleation slows down IL-1ß production, because HIF-1α activates the expression of NLRP3, which is involved in the assembly of inflammasome and processing of IL-1ß. In addition, CA also inhibited the expression of the succinate receptor GPR91, which in turn inhibited the activation of HIF-1α. In conclusions, our results suggested that CA might be a potential therapeutic compound to relieve rheumatoid arthritis progress by suppressing IL-1ß through modulating succinate/HIF-1α axis and inhibition of NLRP3.

Periplanetols A-F, phenolic compounds from Periplaneta americana with potent COX-2 inhibitory activity.

Six new compounds, periplanetols A - F (1-4, 6 and 7), a compound isolated from natural origin for the first time (5), and nine known ones (8-16) were isolated from the 70% ethanol extract of the whole bodies of Periplaneta americana. Their structures including absolute configurations were unambiguously identified by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses and computational methods. Biological evaluation toward COX-2 inhibition revealed that compounds 1, 2, and 10 could inhibit COX-2 activity with the IC50 values of 768.0 nM, 617.7 nM, and 599.5 nM respectively, indicating their potential in developping novel agents against inflammation related disorders.