Divergent Synthesis of Cyclopropanated Tetrahydroquinolines by Tandem Functionalization of Quinoline Derivatives.

Here, reported is a new method for divergent synthesis of functionalized tetrahydroquinolines (THQs), featuring a biomedically interesting azabicyclo[4.1.0]heptane core, proceeding with mild conditions, good substrate and functionality tolerance, and operational simplicity. Mechanistic studies suggest that the products are formed via carbonucleophilic 1,4-addition-induced dearomatization of quinolinium salts and intramolecular cyclopropanation with α-halo ketones followed by α-nucleophilic addition with different nucleophiles. The present work lays a foundation to access new N-heterocycles via the dearomative tandem functionalization of azaarenes.

Iridium-catalyzed reductive ß-alkylation of (iso)quinoline derivatives by an in situ enone-trapping strategy.

By employing [IrCp*Cl2]2/Mg(OMe)2/(CH2O)n as an applicable catalyst system, we report a reductive ß-alkylation of (iso)quinolinium salts with cost-effective and readily available ß-chloro ketones, proceeding with good chemoselectivity, mild reaction conditions, and without the need for introduction of a substituent at position-3 of the quinolyl skeleton. Mechanistic investigations suggest that the reaction proceeds via a sequence of hydride transfer-initiated dearomatization of (iso)quinolinium salts, in situ enamine-trapping of enone and a second round of hydride transfer to the coupling adducts. The present work offers an important complement to the synthesis of functionalized (iso)tetrahydroquinolines.

Essential oil from Artemisia argyi alleviated liver disease in zebrafish (Danio rerio) via the gut-liver axis.

The popularity of intensive fish farming has led to the emergence of fish diseases characterized by hepatobiliary syndrome. Artemisia argyi (A. argyi) essential oils have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant effects. However, their alleviating effects and mechanism on liver disease in fish are still unclear. Thus, adult zebrafish were used to construct an animal model to observe histopathological damages, determine biochemical parameters and expression of inflammatory cytokines and mRNAs in the PPAR-γ/NF-κB pathway, and conduct 16 S sequencing of intestinal microbiota. The results found that after treatment with A. argyi essential oil, the histopathological damage caused by ethanol was relieved; the CAT, SOD, and GSH levels were remarkably elevated, while the MDA level was obviously lowered (P < 0.05); the expression levels of IL-10 and IFN-γ mRNAs were enhanced, but the levels of IL-1ß, IL-6, PPAR-γ, NF-κB, and TNF-α mRNAs were reduced (P < 0.05) relative to the EtOH group. A. argyi essential oil remarkably attenuated the damage to intestinal tissue structure, and elevated the levels of Muc2, ZO-1, Claudin-1, and Occludin mRNA (P < 0.05). Sequencing of the gut flora showed that A. argyi essential oil significantly altered the composition of gut microbes compared with the EtOH group. In addition, KEGG and COG analyses also showed significant (P < 0.05) changes in acetate cycling metabolism in the EtOH group, catechol 2, 3-dioxygenase and nitroreductase were significantly increased (P < 0.001), and lipid metabolism and terpenoid synthesis were significantly elevated (P < 0.001) in A. argyi essential oil group. The results indicate that A. argyi essential oil could effectively relieve ethanol-caused histopathological damage of livers by modulating the composition of gut microbiota, thus inhibiting the level of IL-1ß and mRNAs in the PPAR-γ/NF-κB pathway, increasing the IL-10 level, reducing the oxidative stress. This may offer a rationale for further research on the rationality of A. argyi as a substitute for feed antibiotics in aquaculture.

Interactive effects of fluoride and seleno-l-methionine at environmental related concentrations on zebrafish (Danio rerio) liver via the gut-liver axis.

Fluoride (F) is a ubiquitous aquatic environmental pollutant and co-exists with other pollutants to form combined pollution. Selenium (Se) is beneficial at low levels yet toxic at high levels and can interact with some metals. However, the interactive effects of F and Se on the liver in fish remains enigmatic. In this study, zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to F (80 mg/L) and dietary seleno-l-methionine (Se-Met, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 µg/g dry weight) alone or in combination for 90 d. The results indicated that co-treatment to F and Se-Met attenuated the histopathological damage, oxidative stress, and inflammatory in the liver, compared with the F treatment alone. Meanwhile, dietary Se-Met treatment improved F-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction, increased the transcripts of tight junction proteins (ZO-1, Claudin-1 and Occludin), and restored the homeostasis of intestinal microbiota. Moreover, dietary Se-Met ameliorated F-induced intestinal and liver inflammation by inhibiting lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels and transcripts of TLR4 and p65 in the intestine and liver. This study manifested that Se-Met alleviates F-induced liver and intestinal injury when both co-occur at specific concentrations, and that the gut-liver axis pathway may serve as a mechanistic base for these alleviative effects.

Alleviating effects of essential oil from Artemisia vulgaris on enteritis in zebrafish via modulating oxidative stress and inflammatory response.

Artemisia vulgaris (A. vulgaris) is a traditional Chinese medicine widely distributed in China and contains many bioactive compounds with pharmacological effects. However, the anti-inflammatory effects and mechanism of essential oil from A. vulgaris on enteritis in fish are still unclear. In this study, in order to elucidate the underlying mechanism of essential oil from A. vulgaris on zebrafish enteritis, zebrafish were used for establishing animal models to observe the histopathological changes of intestines, determine the activities of immune-related enzymes and oxidative stress indicators, and the mRNA expression of genes in MyD88/TRAF6/NF-KB signaling pathways. The results showed that different doses of A. vulgaris essential oil could effectively alleviate zebrafish enteritis in a dose- and time-dependent manner by improving the intestinal histopathological damage, decreasing the intestinal oxidative stress, repairing the intestinal immune ability, changing the expression levels of IL-1ß, IL-10 and genes in MyD88/TRAF6/NF-κB pathway. In addition, co-treatment with oxazolone and MyD88 inhibitor could alleviate the morphological damage, the induction of oxidative stress, and the levels of immune-related enzymes and the mRNA expression of genes in MyD88/TRAF6/NF-κB signaling pathway. Moreover, essential oil from A. vulgaris had more significantly therapeutic effects on enteritis of male zebrafish than that of female zebrafish. This result will clarify the therapeutic effect and anti-inflammatory mechanism of essential oil from A. vulgaris on zebrafish enteritis, and provide a theoretical basis for further research on the rationality of A. vulgaris to replace feed antibiotics.

Sex-specific effects of fluoride and lead exposures on histology, antioxidant physiology, and immune system in the liver of zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Fluoride and Pb are both toxic to organisms; however, their combination effects and the corresponding toxic mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, male and female zebrafish (1:1) were evaluated to understand the effects of F and Pb alone and combined on growth, tissue microstructure, oxidative stress, and immune system functions of the liver. Four different groups and two exposure periods were compared: control group (C group), 80 mg/L fluoride group (F group), 60 mg/L lead group (Pb group), and 80 mg/L fluoride + 60 mg/L lead group (F + Pb group) for 45 and 90 days. The results indicated that F and Pb reduced growth performances; F + Pb treatment inhibited the growth performance traits of male zebrafish more than those of female zebrafish. Histopathological examination revealed large areas with focal necrosis, hepatocytes with karyolysis, and pycnotic nuclei in zebrafish exposed to F and Pb. The oxidative balance indices in the liver in the F and Pb groups were disturbed. F + Pb co-exposure aggravated oxidative stress in a time-dependent manner. The most serious oxidative stress was observed in the male zebrafish of the F + Pb group. Moreover, F and Pb exposure of male zebrafish increased pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines expression, which was decreased after 90 days of exposure. These results demonstrated that both F and Pb could damage the liver via downstream alterations in the activities of immune-related enzymes and in the levels of immune-related genes. F and Pb showed synergistic or additive effects. Male zebrafish were found to be more sensitive to F and Pb than female zebrafish.

Erzhu Qinggan Jiedu Recipe improves the clinical outcome of hepatocellular cancer after surgical resection: a case-control retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: This study retrospectively reviewed the recurrence rate and survival time of primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients after treatment with Erzhu Qinggan Jiedu Recipe (ESQJR), explored the impact of Chinese medicine in reducing tumour recurrence and prolonging survival time, and explored an effective prevention treatment for the recurrence of HCC. AIM: To explore the impact of Chinese medicine in reducing tumor recurrence and prolonging survival time, and explore an effective prevention treatment for the recurrence of HCC. METHODS: A total of 137 patients who underwent HCC resection from May 2004 to January 2018 was included in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups, with 68 patients in the Western medicine group and 69 patients in the Western medicine plus ESQJR group. The relapse rate, overall survival period, and disease-free survival period before and after treatment were analysed. Indices including alpha-fetoprotein, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and Karnofsky performance score were obtained for analysis and comparison. RESULTS: There was no significant difference among patient clinical parameters between the two groups. Compared with the Western medicine group, the Western medicine plus ESQJR group had a reduced cumulative recurrence rate, prolonged overall survival time and disease-free survival time and improved clinical symptoms, including quality of life and liver function. CONCLUSION: ESQJR effectively improved long-term survival in resected HCC patients. ESQJR has the potential to be used as an adjuvant therapy with significant beneficial effects for treating HCC.

Sesamin attenuates histological alterations, oxidative stress and expressions of immune-related genes in liver of zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to fluoride.

Sesamin is the main lignan in sesame and is reported to have many benefits and medicinal properties. However, its protective effects against fluoride-induced damage in the liver of zebrafish have not been elucidated. Our previous studies found that fluoride exposure caused damage to the liver of zebrafish. In the study, the effects of sesamin on oxidative stress and immune damage in liver of zebrafish exposed to fluoride were measured. The results indicated that fluoride exposure damaged the microstructures of liver, increased significantly the oxidative stress, decreased remarkably the activities of ACP, AKP, and LZM, and affected obviously the expressions of immune-related genes. Treatment with sesamin remarkably attenuated fluoride-induced liver damage in a dose-dependent manner, indicated by the histopathological observation. Furthermore, sesamin treatment also significantly inhibited the production of ROS and oxidative stress, such as the decrease of lipid peroxidation level and the increase of CAT and SOD activities in liver. Sesamin treatment reversed the activities of immune-related enzymes and the expressions of immune-related genes in liver exposed to fluoride. These findings suggested that sesamin could protect the liver from fluoride-induced immune damage by oxidative stress downstream-mediated changes in reversing the activities of immune-related enzymes and the expressions of immune-related genes. Taken together, sesamin plays an important role in maintaining hepatic health and preventing liver from toxic damage caused by fluoride.

Baicalin Is Curative Against Rotavirus Damp Heat Diarrhea by Tuning Colonic Mucosal Barrier and Lung Immune Function.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have indicated that rotavirus (RV) is a causative factor for diarrhea and gastroenteritis in pediatric and neonatal settings. Baicalin has many functions, including antibacterial, antiinflammatory, and antihypertensive activities. However, the immunological mechanism of RV-induced diarrhea with heat-dampness syndrome (RV-DH) remains unclear. AIMS: The aim of this study is to explore the role of baicalin in RV-DH diarrhea and its underlying mechanism. METHODS: A mouse model of pediatric RV-DH diarrhea was established and treated with baicalin. The concentrations of cytokines were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), while protein expression levels were determined by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Flow cytometry was used to detect the frequency of lymphocytes. RESULTS: The concentrations of interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, RVvb, and secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and colonic mucosa were significantly increased in the RV-DH group. Decreased expression of occludin, claudin-1, and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) indicated loss of tight junction function and disturbances in intestinal mucosal permeability in the RV-DH group. Flow cytometry analysis showed a high rate of CD8+ lymphocytes and low amount of CD4+ lymphocytes in the RV-DH group. Treatment of RV-DH mice with baicalin significantly reduced the duration of diarrhea and ameliorated the symptoms and pathological and immunological changes. Furthermore, baicalin inhibited STAT1 and activated STAT3 signaling pathways. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate the curative and immunoregulatory properties of baicalin and have direct practical and clinical relevance for the treatment of RV-DH enteritis in humans.

The PFOS disturbed immunomodulatory functions via nuclear Factor-κB signaling in liver of zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Excessive perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) in natural water ecosystem has the potential to detrimentally affect immune system, but little is known of such effects or underlying mechanisms in fish. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of PFOS on growth performance, organizational microstructure, activities of immune-related enzymes and expressions of immune-related genes in male zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to different concentrations of 0, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.08 mg/L of PFOS for 7, 14, and 21 days or cotreatment with PFOS and PDTC to investigate the effects of PFOS on immune system and the potential toxic mechanisms caused by PFOS. The results indicated that PFOS accumulated in livers after exposure, and remarkably elevations were found in three exposure groups compared with the control group at three stages. The growth of the adult zebrafish in the experiments was significantly inhibited, the microstructures of liver were serious damaged. The ROS levels were remarkably increased. The activities of ACP, AKP, and lysozyme were obviously decreased, while the activities of MPO and NF-κB were significantly increased. The expressions of immune-related mRNA were significantly affected. After co-treatment with PFOS and PDTC, the growth inhibition, the morphological damage, the ROS induction, and the expressions of immune-related mRNA were reversed. Taken together, the results indicated that PFOS can significantly inhibit the growth, disturb the immune system by changing the normal structure of liver, the activities of immune-related enzymes, and a series of gene transcriptions involved in immune regulation in liver of male zebrafish. PFOS-induced pro-inflammatory effect of hepatocytes was observed, and the involvement of NF-κB signaling pathway was participated in its action mechanism. These findings provide further evidence that PFOS interferes with the immune regulation of liver of male zebrafish under in vivo conditions.

Cangju Qinggan Jiangzhi Decoction Reduces the Development of NonAlcoholic Steatohepatitis and Activation of Kupffer Cells.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is defined as lipid accumulation with hepatic injury, inflammation and early to moderate fibrosis. Kupffer cells play a crucial role in promoting hepatic inflammation, which further facilitates the development of NASH. Here we investigated the effects of Cangju Qinggan Jiangzhi decoction (CQJD) on high fat diet (HFD) and methionine-choline deficient (MCD) induced mouse NASH pathogenesis. METHODS: Mouse NASH models were developed by HFD and MCD diet. The treated mice were divided into three groups: the control group (n = 10), the low-dose CQJD treatment group (n = 10) and the high-dose CQJD treatment group (n = 10). The hepatic injury, inflammation, and apoptotic molecules were evaluated by H&E staining, immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR. Kupffer cells were isolated from control mice and CQJD-treated mice after stimulation by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and/or palmitic acid. The level of the inflammatory cytokines TNFα, IL1ß, and CCL2 was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: The HFD-fed mice displayed significant metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative stress-related alterations due to hepatic lipid accumulation. CQJD treatment largely normalized the hepatic injury, lowered the ALT/AST level, and reduced the severity of liver inflammation, as revealed by the decreased inflammatory cytokines levels. In vitro, CQJD blocked the activation of LPS- or palmitic acid-primed Kupffer cells in a dose-dependent manner. In the MCD diet-induced NASH mice, similar therapeutic effects of CQJD were also observed. CONCLUSION: CQJD ameliorates mouse nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. The reduction in liver injury and inflammation induced by CQJD is associated with reduced activation of Kupffer cells. Our results suggest that CQJD is a promising therapeutic strategy in clinical steatohepatitis.

Quantitative succinylome analysis in the liver of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease rat model.

BACKGROUND: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a clinical frequent disease. However, its pathogenesis still needs further study, especially the mechanism at the molecular level. The recent identified novel protein post-translational modification, lysine succinylation was reported involved in diverse metabolism and cellular processes. In this study, we performed the quantitative succinylome analysis in the liver of NAFLD model to elucidate the regulatory role of lysine succinylation in NAFLD progression. METHODS: Firstly, experimental model of NAFLD was induced by carbon tetrachloride injection and supplementary high-lipid and low-protein diet. Then series histochemical and biochemical variables were determined. For the quantitative succinylome analysis, tandem mass tags (TMT)-labeling, highly sensitive immune-affinity purification, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry techniques were applied. Bioinformatics analysis including gene ontology annotation based classification; Wolfpsort based subcellular prediction; function enrichment; protein-protein interaction network construction and conserved succinylation site motifs extraction were performed to decipher the differentially changed succinylated proteins and sites and p-value < 0.05 was selected as threshold. RESULTS: Totally, 815 succinylation sites on 407 proteins were identified, of which 243 succinylation acetylation sites on 178 proteins showed changed succinylation level with the threshold fold change > 1.5. Theses differentially changed succinylated proteins were involved in diverse metabolism pathways and cellular processes including carbon metabolism, amino acid metabolism, fat acid metabolism, binding and catalyzing, anti-oxidation and xenobiotics metabolism. Besides, these differentially changed succinylated proteins were prominently localized to cytoplasm and mitochondria. Moreover, 8 conserved succinylation site motifs were extracted around the succinylation sites. CONCLUSIONS: Protein succinylation was an extensive post-translation modification in rat. The changed succinylation level in diverse proteins may disturb multiple metabolism pathways and promote non-alcoholic fatty liver disease development. This study provided a basis for further characterization of the pathophysiological role of lysine succinylation in NAFLD progression, which laid a foundation for the innovation of novel NAFLD drugs and therapies.

Design of a terahertz photonic crystal transmission filter containing ferroelectric material.

The ferroelectric material KTaO3 (KTO) has a very high refractive index, which is advantageous to the photonic crystal (PC) design. KTO polycrystalline crystal has a high extinction coefficient. In this work, we perform a theoretical study of the transmission properties of a PC bandpass filter made of polycrystalline KTO at terahertz (THz) frequencies. Our results show that the defect modes of usual PC narrowband filters no longer exist because of the existence of the high loss. We provide a new PC structure for the high-extinction materials and show that it has defect modes in its transmittance spectra, providing a possible bandpass filter design in the THz region.

[Distribution of Syndrome Types of Chinese Medicine in Acute Infectious Diarrhea].

OBJECTIVE: To observe syndrome types of Chinese medicine (CM) and distribution features of acute infectious diarrhea patients. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed in 465 acute infectious diarrhea patients. The distribution of CM syndrome and syndrome types in different seasons and genders were analyzed. RESULTS: Lack of appetite [381 (81.94%)], fatigue [350 (75.27%)], abdominal pain [338 (72.69%)], tenesmus [325 (69.89%)], anal scorching hot [276 (59.35%)], nausea [25 (55.48%)], diarrhea [249 (53.55%)], short yellow-urine [240 (51.61%)], thirsty [210 (45.16%)], and abdominal distention [206 (44.30%)] were most often seen. The syndrome distribution were sequenced as intestinal damp heat syndrome [268 (57.63%)], dyspeptic retention in intestine and stomach syndrome [106 (22.80%)], cold-damp invading exterior syndrome [47 (10.11%)], Pi-Wei qi deficiency syndrome [23 (4.95%)], cold-damp disturbing Pi syndrome [21 (4.52%)]. The incidence ratio of intestinal damp heat syndrome was the highest in autumn (P < 0.01), while that of cold-damp invading exterior syndrome was the highest in winter (P < 0.01). Cold-damp disturbing Pi syndrome was more often seen in females than in males (P < 0.01), and its incidence ratio was the highest in autumn (P < 0.05). The incidence ratio of dyspeptic retention in intestine and stomach syndrome was the highest in winter (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Intestinal damp heat syndrome was the most often seen in acute infectious diarrhea. Incidence ratios of in- testinal damp heat syndrome and cold-damp disturbing Pi syndrome were higher in autumn, while those of cold-damp invading exterior syndrome and dyspeptic retention in intestine and stomach syndrome were higher in winter. Cold-damp disturbing Pi syndrome was more often seen in females.

Baseline factors associated with treatment response in patients infected with hepatitis C virus 1b by stratification of IL28B polymorphisms.

Although the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs12979860 in the IL28B gene is a better predictor of sustained virological response to treatment of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) than other baseline factors, some CHC patients with the favorable C allele cannot achieve a sustained virological response when treated with peginterferon plus ribavirin. The aim of this study was to examine baseline factors as predictors of rapid virological response (RVR) and complete early virological response (cEVR) to peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin treatment in Chinese CHC patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1b, with emphasis on the difference between the rs129860 CC and CT/TT genotypes. A total of 337 treatment-naïve patients participated in this study. All patients were treated with peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin at standard dosage. Serum samples from all patients were collected at baseline, week 4, and week 12 for testing of laboratory parameters, and IL28B genotypes were determined. Multivariate analysis showed that among rs12979860 CC genotype patients, glucose level and aspartate amino transferase (AST) activity were inversely associated with RVR, while abnormal platelet count and allergy inversely associated with cEVR. Among rs12979860 CT genotype patients, age below 40 years and short infection duration were associated with RVR, while age below 40 years, short infection duration, high body mass index (BMI), and no history of allergies were associated with cEVR. The baseline factors associated with the response to CHC treatment may depend on the IL28B genotype. Refinement of the baseline predictors based on IL28B genotypes may be useful for management of HCV infection.

Fluoride-induced apoptosis and expressions of caspase proteins in the kidney of carp (Cyprinus carpio).

The study was conducted to investigate oxidative stress, apoptosis, and protein expressions of caspase-3, 8, and 9 in kidney of the carp juveniles exposed to 0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 mg L(-1) of fluoride (in the form of NaF) for 90 days. The results showed that dose- and time-dependent decrease of SOD and GSH and dose- and time-dependent increase of MDA were observed in the carp juveniles, which suggested that fluoride induced oxidative damage accompanied with morphological changes and significant apoptosis in fish exposed to fluoride, especially in the higher doses. Fluoride exposure also significantly elevated the protein expressions of caspase-3, 8, and 9. In conclusion, these results indicate that chronic exposure to fluoride causes oxidative stress, damages the kidney structure, and results in renal apoptosis by caspase-dependent pathway.

A randomized, open-label clinical study of combined pegylated interferon Alfa-2a (40KD) and entecavir treatment for hepatitis B "e" antigen-positive chronic hepatitis B.

BACKGROUND: Treatment with pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) alfa-2a (40KD) results in hepatitis B "e" antigen (HBeAg) seroconversion 6 months after treatment in up to 36% of HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B patients. This study explored the efficacy of a novel combination of peg-IFN alfa-2a and entecavir (ETV), a potent nucleoside analogue. METHODS: In total, 218 treatment-naive Chinese HBeAg-positive patients were randomized to peg-IFN alfa-2a (180 µg/week) for 48 weeks, either as monotherapy (n = 72), or with 24 weeks of ETV (0.5 mg/daily) added at week 13 (ETV add-on, n = 73), or pretreatment with a 24-week course of ETV, starting peg-IFN alfa-2a at week 21 (ETV pretreatment, n = 73). The primary endpoint was reduction in quantitative HBeAg from baseline to 24 weeks posttreatment. RESULTS: Significant reductions in HBeAg from baseline were achieved in all treatment groups 24 weeks posttreatment; reductions were comparable across treatment arms (shown as log10 Paul Ehrlich international units [PEIU]/mL): monotherapy: -1.4 (SD, 1.8); ETV add-on: -1.6 (SD, 1.8); ETV pretreatment: -1.3 (SD, 1.7). Rates of HBeAg seroconversion were similar across treatment groups posttreatment (monotherapy: 22 [31%]; ETV add-on: 18 [25%]; ETV pretreatment: 19 [26%]). Significantly greater reductions of hepatitis B virus DNA were achieved with ETV add-on while on treatment, but were not sustained posttreatment. Safety profiles were comparable between treatment groups; adverse events were experienced by 62 (86%) monotherapy, 65 (89%) ETV add-on, and 58 (81%) ETV pretreatment patients. CONCLUSIONS: Neither ETV add-on nor ETV pretreatment demonstrated superiority compared with 48 weeks of peg-IFN alfa-2a monotherapy. The optimal treatment strategy using nucleos(t)ide analogues and peg-IFN alfa-2a remains to be determined. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT00614471.

Combined Effects of Fluoride and Dietary Seleno-L-Methionine at Environmentally Relevant Concentrations on Female Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Liver: Histopathological Damages, Oxidative Stress and Inflammation.

Fluoride, a global environmental pollutant, is ubiquitous in aquatic environments and coexists with selenium, which can cause complex effects on exposed organisms. However, data on the interaction of fluoride and selenium remain scarce. In this study, female zebrafish (Danio rerio) were exposed to fluoride (80 mg/L sodium fluoride) and/or dietary selenomethionine (Se-Met) for 30, 60 and 90 days, the effects on the liver of zebrafish were investigated. The results indicated that an increase in fluoride burden, inhibited growth and impaired liver morphology were recorded after fluoride exposure. Furthermore, fluoride alone caused oxidative stress and inflammation in the liver, as reflected by the increase in ROS and MDA contents, the reduction of anti-oxidative enzymes, the altered immune related enzymes (ACP, AKP, LZM and MPO) and the expression of IL-6, IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-10 and TGF-ß. In contrast, co-exposure to fluoride and Se-Met decreased fluoride burden and restored growth. Furthermore, dietary Se-Met alleviated oxidative stress, inflammation and impaired morphology in liver trigger by fluoride. However, dietary Se-Met alone increased the activities of SOD and CAT. These results demonstrate that the protective effect of dietary Se-Met against chronic fluoride toxicity at a certain level.

Multi-target mechanism of Naoshuantong capsule for treatment of Ischemic stroke based on network pharmacology and molecular docking.

BACKGROUND: Naoshuantong capsule (NST capsule) is a classic Chinese patent medicine, which can treat ischemic stroke (IS) and has good clinical efficacy. However, its pharmacological mechanism remains to be further explored in the treatment of IS. METHODS: The bio-active components and potential targets of NST Capsules were obtained by ETCM and TCMSP databases. In addition, the related targets of IS were collected by Genecard, OMIM, DrugBank, TTD and DisGeNET databases. NST-IS common target was obtained by Venn platform. PPI network of NST-IS common target and the composition - target network diagram of NST Capsule were constructed by Cytoscape3.8.1. Finally, AutoDock was used for molecular docking. RESULTS: 265 targets were predicted from 32 active compounds in NST Capsule, 109 common targets were identified between NST Capsule and IS. The top 10 key targets of PPI network were ALB, TNF, TP53, VEGFA, CASP3, MYC, etc. Enrichment analysis showed that NST capsules treated IS mainly through lipid and atherosclerosis, fluid shear stress and atherosclerosis signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: Through the methods of network pharmacology and molecular docking, this study clarified that NST capsules play a role in the treatment of IS, which is multi-target, multi-channel and multi-component regulation. This study further explored the pharmacological mechanism of NST capsule in the treatment of IS, which can provide some references for the subsequent research in the pharmacological mechanism of NST capsule.

Sesamin alleviated fluoride - induced thyroid endocrine disruption in zebrafish (Danio rerio).

Previous studies have indicated that fluoride could induce the damage of thyroid. However, the effects of sesamin on thyroid endocrine function in zebrafish exposed to fluoride have not been clarified. This study was designed to investigate the alleviating effects of sesamin on thyroid endocrine disruption in zebrafish induced by fluoride. The results showed that sesamin significantly improved growth performance in adults exposed to fluoride; decreased significantly the mortality rate, increased remarkably the hatching rate and body length, and alleviated the phenomenon of spinal curvature, yolk cyst and pericardial cyst to varying degrees in fluoride-exposed embryos and larvae. Sesamin alleviated remarkably the damage of thyroid tissues in fluoride-exposed adults. Moreover, sesamin obviously reduced oxidative stress and improved the imbalance of thyroid hormones in fluoride-exposed adults or larvae. In addition, sesamin reversed the expression of endocrine-related genes of thyroid in fluoride-exposed adults or larvae. This indicates that sesamin can affects the thyroid tissue structure, hormone levels, and the expression of endocrine-related genes of thyroid, thus alleviating the thyroid endocrine disorder induced by fluoride and improving the growth and development. This study also demonstrates that sesamin can be a promising novel treatment for thyroid endocrine disorder caused by fluoride.