Role of MEG3 in Cellular Physiology of Atherosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of the lncRNA MEG3 (MEG3) in opposing the biochemical processes thought to be involved in the development of atherosclerosis (AS). METHODS: Thirty patients with AS and thirty healthy control subjects were enrolled in this study. The expression of MEG3, miR-200b-3p and ABCA1 was analyzed by RT-qPCR in the individuals and the macrophages-derived foam cells. Lipid accumulation was detected by oil red O staining. Cholesterol efflux was measured by ELISA assay in the foam cells. Expression of miR-200b-3p was identified by sequencing. Targeting relationships were determined by dual luciferase assay between MEG3 and miR-200b-3p, miR-200b-3p and ABCA1. RESULTS: In the patients with AS, MEG3 and ABCA1 expression were decreased and miR-200b-3p expression was upregulated. Foam cells transfected with an expression vector (pcDNA3.1) containing MEG3 (pcDNA3.1-MEG3) induced decrease of lipid accumulation and increase of cholesterol efflux compared to cells transfected with control plasmid alone. Foam cells transfected by pcDNA3.1-MEG3 also showed decreased miR-200b-3p and increased ABCA1 expression. Interestingly, co-expression of miR-200b-3p partially prevented these effects of MEG3 expression. CONCLUSION: Expression of MEG3 is downregulated in the patients with AS and foam cells. Overexpressed MEG3 may act as an anti-atherosclerotic factor by reducing lipid accumulation and accelerating cholesterol efflux through the miR-200b-3p/ABCA1 axis.

Construction and Validation of a Novel Prognosis Model in Colon Cancer Based on Cuproptosis-Related Long Non-Coding RNAs.

Colon cancer (CC) is one of the most common (6%) malignancies and leading cause of cancer-associated death (more than 0.5 million) worldwide, which demands reliable prognostic biomarkers. Cuproptosis is a novel modality of regulated cell death triggered by the accumulation of intracellular copper. LncRNAs have been reported as prognostic signatures in different types of tumors. However, the correlation between cuproptosis-related lncRNAs (CRLs) and CC remains unclear. Data of CC patients were downloaded from public databases. The prognosis-associated CRLs were identified by co-expression analysis and univariate Cox. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator were utilized to construct the CRLs-based prognostic signature in silico for CC patients. CRLs level was validated in human CC cell lines and patient tissues. ROC curve and Kaplan-Meier curve results revealed that high CRLs-risk score was associated with poor prognosis in CC patients. Moreover, the nomogram revealed that this model possessed a steady prognostic prediction capability with C-index as 0.68. More importantly, CC patients with high CRLs-risk score were more sensitive to eight targeted therapy drugs. The prognostic prediction power of the CRLs-risk score was further confirmed by cell lines, tissues and two independent CC cohorts. This study constructed a novel ten-CRLs-based prognosis model for CC patients. The CRLs-risk score is expected to serve as a promising prognostic biomarker and predict targeted therapy response in CC patients.

A Novel m7G-Related Gene Signature Predicts the Prognosis of Colon Cancer.

Colon cancer (CC), one of the most common malignancies worldwide, lacks an effective prognostic prediction biomarker. N7-methylguanosine (m7G) methylation is a common RNA modification type and has been proven to influence tumorigenesis. However, the correlation between m7G-related genes and CC remains unclear. The gene expression levels and clinical information of CC patients were downloaded from public databases. Twenty-nine m7G-related genes were obtained from the published literature. Via unsupervised clustering based on the expression levels of m7G-related genes, CC patients were divided into three m7G clusters. Based on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the above three groups, CC patients were further divided into three gene clusters. The m7G score, a prognostic model, was established using principal component analysis (PCA) based on 15 prognosis-associated m7G genes. KM curve analysis demonstrated that the overall survival rate was remarkably higher in the high-m7G score group, which was much more significant in advanced CC patients as confirmed by subgroup analysis. Correlation analysis indicated that the m7G score was associated with tumor mutational burden (TMB), PD-L1 expression, immune infiltration, and drug sensitivity. The expression level of prognosis-related m7G genes was further confirmed in human CC cell lines and samples. This study established an m7G gene-based prognostic model (m7G score), which demonstrated the important roles of m7G-related genes during CC initiation and progression. The m7G score could be a practical biomarker to predict immunotherapy response and prognosis in CC patients.

Early versus the traditional start of oral intake following esophagectomy for esophageal cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Nil by mouth is considered the standard of care during the first days following esophagectomy. However, with the routine implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery, early oral intake is more likely to be the preferred mode of nutrition following esophagectomy. The present study aims to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of early oral intake following esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. METHODS: Comprehensive literature searches were conducted using PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Weighted mean differences (WMD) and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated as the effect sizes for continuous and dichotomous variables, respectively. RESULTS: Fourteen studies with a total of 1947 patients were included. Length of hospital stay (WMD = - 3.94, CI: - 4.98 to - 2.90; P < 0.001), the time to first flatus (WMD = - 1.13, CI: - 1.25 to - 1.01; P < 0.001) and defecation (WMD = - 1.26, CI: - 1.82 to - 0.71; P < 0.001) favored the early oral intake group. There was no statistically significant difference in mortality (OR = 1.23, CI: 0.45 to 3.36; P = 0.69). Early oral intake also did not increase the risk of pneumonia and overall postoperative complications. CONCLUSIONS: Current evidence indicates early oral intake following esophagectomy seems to be safe and effective. It may be the preferred mode of nutrition following esophagectomy. However, more high-quality studies are still needed to further validate this conclusion.

A Method for the Analysis of African Swine Fever by Viral Metagenomic Sequencing.

In 2018, there was an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in China, which spread to other provinces in the following 3 years and severely damaged China's pig industry. ASF is caused by the African swine fever virus (ASFV). Given that the genome of the African swine fever virus is very complex and whole genome information is currently inadequate, it is important to efficiently obtain virus genome sequences for genomic and epidemiological studies. The prevalent ASFV strains have low genetic variability; therefore, whole genome sequencing analysis provides a basis for the study of ASFV. We provide a method for the efficient sequencing of whole genomes, which requires only a small number of tissues. The database construction method was selected according to the genomic types of ASFV, and the whole ASFV genome was obtained through data filtering, host sequence removal, virus classification, data assembly, virus sequence identification, statistical analysis, gene prediction, and functional analysis. Our proposed method will facilitate ASFV genome sequencing and novel virus discovery.

Comprehensive genome and transcriptome analysis of the dermatophyte Trichophyton schoenleinii reveals the candidate pathogenic genes.

BACKGROUND: Trichophyton schoenleinii is an anthropophilic dermatophyte that causes tinea favosa. Nowadays, it remains an important pathogen in some regions of the world, mainly epidemic in Africa and West Asia. Despite the medical importance of T. schoenleinii infections, a high-quality reference genome for T. schoenleinii is still unavailable, neither its transcriptomic profile. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to improve understanding of the underlying pathogenic mechanism of T. schoenleinii, and to define the candidate pathogenic genes of T. schoenleinii. METHODS: Comprehensive genomic analysis of T. schoenleinii was carried out by Illumina and PacBio sequencing platforms. Transcriptome profiles of T. schoenleinii cultured in vitro in two media containing either keratin or soy protein were determined using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. RESULTS: Here, we present the first draft genome sequence of T. schoenleinii strain T2s, which consists of 11 scaffolds containing 7474 predicted genes. Transcriptome analysis showed that genes involved in keratin hydrolysis have higher expression in T. schoenleinii grown in keratin medium, including genes encoding proteases, cysteine dioxygenase and acetamidase. Other genes with higher expression include genes encoding the components of the pH-responsive signal transduction pathways and transcription factors, many of which may play a role in pathogenicity. CONCLUSION: In summary, this study provides new insights into the pathogenic mechanism of T. schoenleinii and highlights candidate genes for further development of novel targets in disease diagnosis and treatment of tinea favosa.

A study on intervention strategies for patients′ stereotyping of nurses / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:To explore strategies of improving patients' stereotyping of nurses, by analyzing patients′ stereotypes of nurses.Methods:The phenomenological analysis method in qualitative research was used to conduct semi-structured interviews with 12 inpatients by objective sampling method.Results:The patients′ stereotype of nurses could be summarized into three topics, it mainly consisted of three aspects: patients′ cognition of the role of nurses, patients′ stereotype of nurse-patient relationship and factors affecting nurse-patient relationship from patients′ perspective, among which factors affecting nurse-patient relationship included doctors′ attitude towards nurses, public opinion effect of media reports and patients′ negative psychological experience.Conclusions:The prejudice of patients to the relationship between nurses and patients is not optimistic, it is suggested to improve patients′ stereotyping of nurses by reconstructing the ideal role of nurses, building harmonious trusting relationships and providing friendly support from the "others".

Tumor-derived neomorphic mutations in ASXL1 impairs the BAP1-ASXL1-FOXK1/K2 transcription network

Additional sex combs-like 1 (ASXL1) interacts with BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) deubiquitinase to oppose the polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1)-mediated histone H2A ubiquitylation. Germline BAP1 mutations are found in a spectrum of human malignancies, while ASXL1 mutations recurrently occur in myeloid neoplasm and are associated with poor prognosis. Nearly all ASXL1 mutations are heterozygous frameshift or nonsense mutations in the middle or to a less extent the C-terminal region, resulting in the production of C-terminally truncated mutant ASXL1 proteins. How ASXL1 regulates specific target genes and how the C-terminal truncation of ASXL1 promotes leukemogenesis are unclear. Here, we report that ASXL1 interacts with forkhead transcription factors FOXK1 and FOXK2 to regulate a subset of FOXK1/K2 target genes. We show that the C-terminally truncated mutant ASXL1 proteins are expressed at much higher levels than the wild-type protein in ASXL1 heterozygous leukemia cells, and lose the ability to interact with FOXK1/K2. Specific deletion of the mutant allele eliminates the expression of C-terminally truncated ASXL1 and increases the association of wild-type ASXL1 with BAP1, thereby restoring the expression of BAP1-ASXL1-FOXK1/K2 target genes, particularly those involved in glucose metabolism, oxygen sensing, and JAK-STAT3 signaling pathways. In addition to FOXK1/K2, we also identify other DNA-binding transcription regulators including transcription factors (TFs) which interact with wild-type ASXL1, but not C-terminally truncated mutant. Our results suggest that ASXL1 mutations result in neomorphic alleles that contribute to leukemogenesis at least in part through dominantly inhibiting the wild-type ASXL1 from interacting with BAP1 and thereby impairing the function of ASXL1-BAP1-TF in regulating target genes and leukemia cell growth.

Development of a Dual Fluorescent Microsphere Immunological Assay for Detection of Pseudorabies Virus gE and gB IgG Antibodies.

Pseudorabies, also known as Aujezsky's disease, is an acute viral infection caused by pseudorabies virus (PRV). Swine are one of the natural hosts of pseudorabies and the disease causes huge economic losses in the pig industry. The establishment of a differential diagnosis technique that can distinguish between wild-type infection and vaccinated responses and monitor vaccine-induced immunoglobulin G(IgG) is crucial for the eventual eradication of pseudorabies. The aim of this study was to develop a rapid dual detection method for PRV gE and gB protein IgG antibodies with high specificity and sensitivity. PRV gE codons at amino acid residues (aa) 52-238 and gB codons at aa 539-741 were expressed to obtain recombinant PRV gE and gB proteins via a pMAL-c5x vector. After purification with Qiagen Ni-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) agarose affinity chromatography, the two proteins were analyzed via SDS-PAGE and immunoblotting assays. Two single fluorescent-microsphere immunoassays (FMIAs) were established by coupling two recombinant proteins (gE and gB) to magnetic microbeads, and an effective dual FMIA was developed by integrating the two single assays. Optimal serum dilution for each assay, correlation with other common swine virus-positive sera, and comparison with ELISA for two PRV antigens were tested for validation. Compared with ELISA, the specificity and sensitivity were 99.26% and 92.3% for gE IgG antibody detection, and 95.74% and 96.3% for the gB IgG antibody detection via dual FMIA. We provide a new method for monitoring PRV protective antibodies in vaccinated pigs and differentiating wild-type PRV infection from vaccinated responses simultaneously.

Insights into the evolutionary history and epidemiological characteristics of the emerging lineage 1 porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses in China.

The newly emerged lineage 1 porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses (PRRSVs) (especially the NADC30-like and NADC34-like viruses) have posed a direct threat to the Chinese pig industry since 2013. The phylogenetic, epidemic, and recombinant properties of these viruses have not yet systematically analysed in China. This report presents regular surveillance and field epidemiological studies for PRRSV across China from 2007 to 2019. From over 4,000 detected clinical samples, 70 open reading frame five sequences and four complete genomes of lineage 1 viruses were successfully obtained. Combined with global data, we conducted an extensive and systematic molecular phylogeny analysis using a maximum likelihood tree. The Chinese lineage 1 viruses were clustered, and their temporal and spatial distribution was further explored. Multiple viral introductions of lineage 1 virus from the United States to China were detected, and some became endemic in China. There are three sub-lineage 1 clusters: lineage 1.5 (NADC34-like), lineage 1.6 and New Intro cluster (NADC30-like). These viruses show high genetic diversity and a wide distribution in China, with Henan Province showing the highest diversity. Moreover, Chinese lineage 1 viruses have developed an endemic NADC30-like cluster. The demographic feature of this cluster showed a more or less constant population expansion history with a recent decreasing trend. Moreover, the genome recombination of Chinese lineage 1 with two dominant clusters (Chinese HP-PRRSVs: lineage 8.7 and VR2332-like: lineage 5.1) was frequently detected, both of which have commercial vaccine strains available. Furthermore, recombination hotspots were discovered near NSP9 and ORF2-4 regions of the genome. Overall, these findings provide important insights into the evolution and geographical diversity of Chinese lineage 1 PRRSV. These results will facilitate the development of programmes for the control and prevention of the emerging lineage 1 viruses in China.

Analysis of the Effect of Nine Consecutive Years' Intensive Management and Number of Times Achieving the Target Control on Endpoint Events in T2DM Patients in Sanlitun Community Health Service Center in Beijing.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of intensive management and achieving the target control more than 3 times on endpoint events during 9 consecutive years' annual assessment in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients in the Sanlitun Community Health Service Center in Beijing, including blood glucose, blood pressure, lipids profiles, and the joint target control. METHODS: In Beijing Community Diabetes Study (BCDS), 224 patients with T2DM from the Sanlitun Community Health Service Center were enrolled in 2008. All patients were randomly assigned to the intensive management group (n = 113) and the standard management group (n = 113) and the standard management group (. RESULTS: During the nine-year follow-up, the abscission number was 35 (14.29%), among which 14 (12.39%) was in the intensive management group and 21 (18.92%) was in the standard management group. The incidence of diabetic retinopathy (6 cases, 5.41%) and diabetic nephropathy (13 cases, 11.71%) in the standard management group was significantly higher than that in the intensive management group (1 case, 0.88%; 5 cases, 4.42%), respectively (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences on the other endpoint events between the two groups (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences on the other endpoint events between the two groups (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences on the other endpoint events between the two groups (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences on the other endpoint events between the two groups (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences on the other endpoint events between the two groups (. CONCLUSIONS: The intensive management can effectively reduce the occurrence of microvascular complications. The incidence of all-cause death and the other endpoint events decreased in T2DM patients who achieved the joint target control more than 3 times during the nine-year management, which improved survival time and life quality. This trial is registered with ChiCTR-TRC-13003978 and ChiCTR-OOC-15006090.

Onychomycosis caused by Pichia guilliermondii: A case report and mini-review.

Onychomycosis has been reported to be mainly caused by dermatophytes. Recently, more attention has been paid to yeast for its increasing morbidity, especially the candida specices. Here we reported a fingernail infection caused by Pichia guilliermondii, the sexual reproduction period of Candida guilliermondii. Itraconazole was used for three courses, and the patient achieved improvement without any significant side-effects. This might be the first onychomycosis case of Candida guilliermondii.

Effects of clean intermittent self-catheterization on late bladder dysfunction after radical hysterectomy in cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the benefits of clean intermittent self-catheterization in women who have late bladder dysfunction caused by radical hysterectomy in cervical cancer. METHODS: Thirty women who underwent radical hysterectomy with late bladder dysfunction were recruited. A nursing intervention program focusing on clean intermittent self-catheterization and a drinking plan was implemented. We recorded urinary times during the day and night, post-voiding residual urine volume, positive catheter specimen of urine rate, and quality of life instruments for patients with cervical cancer . RESULTS: All patients were able to satisfactorily manage clean intermittent self-catheterization following video-based operational training. Bladder function was significantly increased after 3-month intervention compared with before the intervention. Urinary times during the day and night, and post-voiding residual urine volume were greatly decreased post-intervention compared with pre-intervention. The rate of a positive catheter specimen of urine test significantly decreased over time. There was significant improvement in quality of life in five dimensions between weeks 1 and 12 following the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Patients are able to learn the technique of clean intermittent self-catheterization without any difficulty. This technique is effective together with a drinking plan to decrease late bladder dysfunction caused by radical hysterectomy in cervical cancer.

ROS-induced NLRP3 inflammasome priming and activation mediate PCB 118- induced pyroptosis in endothelial cells.

Growing epidemiological evidence has shown that exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) is harmful to the cardiovascular system. However, how PCB 118-induced oxidative stress mediates endothelial dysfunction is not fully understood. Here, we explored whether and how PCB 118 exposure-induced oxidative stress leads to NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent pyroptosis in endothelial cells. As expected, PCB 118 was cytotoxic to HUVECs and induced caspase-1 activation and cell membrane disruption, which are characteristics of pyroptosis. Moreover, PCB 118-induced pyroptosis may have been due to the activation of the NLRP3 infammasomes. PCB 118 also induced excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) in HUVECs. The ROS scavenger (±)-α-tocopherol and the NFκB inhibitor BAY11-7082 reversed the upregulation of NLRP3 expression and the increase in NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by PCB 118 exposure in HUVECs. Additionally, PCB 118-induced oxidative stress and pyroptosis were dependent on Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activation and subsequent cytochrome P450 1A1 upregulation, which we confirmed by using the AhR selective antagonist CH 223191. These data suggest that PCB 118 exposure induces NLRP3 inflammasome activation and subsequently leads to pyroptosis in endothelial cells in vitro and in vivo. AhR-mediated ROS production play a central role in PCB 118-induced pyroptosis by priming NFκB-dependent NLRP3 expression and promoting inflammasome activation.

Countermeasure research on cultivation of humanistic care ability of nursing interns / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective:Through analyzing the influencing factors of nursing humanistic care ability, this paper discusses the countermeasures of cultivating the humanistic care ability of nursing interns.Methods:Nursing interns between September 2018 and April 2019 in Dalian Maternal and Child Health Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University were chosen, two questionnaires were conducted at the beginning of the internship and at the end of the internship after the cultivation of humanistic care ability, 344 of them participated in the initial survey, 331 people took part in the end of the survey.Results:The overall average score of nursing interns at early stage of nursing interns was 181.31±22.81, while the score at the final stage was 187.73±18.23, the difference was statistically significant ( t value was 4.03, P<0.05); the score of each dimension which included understanding, courage and patience was 71.66±8.83, 59.49±9.59, 56.59±5.33 respectively, lower than the standard of foreign countries which were respectively 80.22±7.56, 65.25±11.57, 63.11±4.19. The abilities of humanistic care of Chinese nursing interns were lower than those at abroad. Gender (X 1) , relationship with mother (X 3) and relationship with classmates (X 4) are influential factors of humanistic care abilities for nursing interns ( t value was 2.448, 2.784, 3.189, P<0.05). Conclusions:The implementation of cultivating humanistic care abilities for nursing interns can be based on creating medical humanities atmosphere in hospital, improving teachers′ humanistic are abilities and strengthening nurse′ professional identity and sense of responsibility.

Ginsenoside Rg1 Suppresses Type 2 PRRSV Infection via NF-κB Signaling Pathway In Vitro, and Provides Partial Protection against HP-PRRSV in Piglet.

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is a huge threat to the modern pig industry, and current vaccine prevention strategies could not provide full protection against it. Therefore, exploring new anti-PRRSV strategies is urgently needed. Ginsenoside Rg1, derived from ginseng and notoginseng, is shown to exert anti-inflammatory, neuronal apoptosis-suppressing and anti-oxidant effects. Here we demonstrate Rg1-inhibited PRRSV infection both in Marc-145 cells and porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) in a dose-dependent manner. Rg1 treatment affected multiple steps of the PRRSV lifecycle, including virus attachment, replication and release at concentrations of 10 or 50 µM. Meanwhile, Rg1 exhibited broad inhibitory activities against Type 2 PRRSV, including highly pathogenic PRRSV (HP-PRRSV) XH-GD and JXA1, NADC-30-like strain HNLY and classical strain VR2332. Mechanistically, Rg1 reduced mRNA levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1ß, IL-8, IL-6 and TNF-α, and decreased NF-κB signaling activation triggered by PRRSV infection. Furthermore, 4-week old piglets intramuscularly treated with Rg1 after being challenged with the HP-PRRSV JXA1 strain display moderate lung injury, decreased viral load in serum and tissues, and an improved survival rate. Collectively, our study provides research basis and supportive clinical data for using Ginsenoside Rg1 in PRRSV therapies in swine.

Successful Treatment of Eczema-Like Mucormycosis in a Child by Combination of Intravenous Drip and Percutaneous Injection Amphotericin B.

We report a case of eczema-like cutaneous mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus arrhizus. A 4-year-old child was presented to our hospital with a history of gradually enlarging papule and plaque in the periumbilical area for nearly 4 years since 2 weeks after his birth, and it has been misdiagnosed as eczema for nearly 3 years. Based on histopathology examination, the fungus culture test and DNA sequencing, it was revealed that R. arrhizus should be the responsible fungus for skin infection. The patient was successfully cured by combination of intravenous drip and percutaneous injection amphotericin B for nearly 3 months, and no recrudescence was seen during a follow-up of 6-month observation.

A special issue to mark the 90th Anniversary of College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University / 浙江大学学报（英文版）（B辑：生物医学和生物技术）

The College of Life Sciences (CLS) remains one of the most prestigious-and the oldest-colleges in Zhejiang University. This special issue, which includes 16 reviews contributed by our alumni and faculties, is dedicated to mark the 90th Anniversary of CLS. The reviews provide a glimpse of current progresses in the areas of life sciences such as biochemical processes and their association with diseases (Ding et al., 2019; Hu et al., 2019; Jin et al., 2019; Nie and Yi, 2019), cancer biology (Feng, 2019; Huang et al., 2019; Leonard and Zhang, 2019; Zhu F et al., 2019), plant and environmental microbiology (Li et al., 2019; Yang et al., 2019; Zhu XR et al., 2019), cell cycle (Gao and Liu, 2019; Zhang et al., 2019), RNA biology (Gudenas et al., 2019; Luo et al., 2019), and protein structural biology (Yang and Tang, 2019).

Secondary metabolites from Corynespora cassiicola J9, an endophytic fungus associated with Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC / 药学学报

Chemical investigation on the rice culture of Corynespora cassiicola J9, an endophyte inhabiting in Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC. resulted in isolation of eight compounds, including a new depsidone derivative, corynether C (1), and seven analogues, corynether B (2), corynetherlactone A (3), corynether A (4), diaryl ether (5), corynesidone C (6), corynesidone D (7), and corynesidone A (8). Their structures were deduced based on 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and HR-ESI-MS data. All of the isolated compounds were evaluated for inhibitory activities against Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel by the leaf spray assay. Unfortunately, none of them showed inhibitory effects.

Profiling analysis of 17ß-estradiol-regulated lncRNAs in mouse thymic epithelial cells.

Thymus is the primary organ for T cell differentiation and maturation. Many studies have demonstrated that estrogen plays a crucial role in thymic epithelial cell (TEC) proliferation during thymic involution. LncRNAs are involved in various biological processes; however, estrogen-mediated lncRNA expression in TECs has not been yet reported. To address this question, the mouse medullary thymic epithelial cell line 1 (MTEC1) was treated with 17ß-estradiol (E2). By using CCK8 assay and flow cytometry, we found that E2 was able to inhibit viability and proliferation of MTEC1 cells. The expression profiles of lncRNAs in MTEC1 cells with or without E2 treatment were then measured by RNA-Seq, and a total of 962 lncRNAs and 2,469 mRNAs were shown to be differentially expressed. The reliability of RNA-Seq was confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. Correlation analysis was conducted to investigate the potential function of lncRNAs. According to gene ontology (GO) analysis, differentially expressed lncRNAs were mainly related to cell proliferation, cell cycle and cell apoptosis. KEGG pathway analysis indicated that these lncRNAs were associated with several pathways, namely immunological activity, metabolism and cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction. In conclusion, our study provided a novel direction for studying the relationship between lncRNAs and E2 in the thymus.