Sodium nitroprusside improved the quality of Radix Saposhnikoviae through constructed physiological response under ecological stress.

The ecological significance of secondary metabolites is to improve the adaptive ability of plants. Secondary metabolites, usually medicinal ingredients, are triggered by unsuitable environment, thus the quality of medicinal materials under adversity being better. The quality of the cultivated was heavily declined due to its good conditions. Radix Saposhnikoviae, the dried root of Saposhnikovia divaricata (Turcz.) Schischk., is one of the most common botanicals in Asian countries, now basically comes from cultivation, resulting in the market price being only 1/10 to 1/3 of its wild counterpart, so improving the quality of cultivated Radix Saposhnikoviae is of urgency. Nitric oxide (NO) plays a crucial role in generating reactive oxygen species and modifying the secondary metabolism of plants. This study aims to enhance the quality of cultivated Radix Saposhnikoviae by supplementing exogenous NO. To achieve this, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was utilized as an NO provider and applied to fresh roots of S. divaricata at concentrations of 0.03, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mmol/L. This study measured parameters including the activities of antioxidant enzymes, secondary metabolite synthesis enzymes such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC), and chalcone synthase (CHS), as well as the contents of NO, superoxide radicals (O2·-), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), and four secondary metabolites. The quality of Radix Saposhnikoviae was evaluated with antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory effects, and inflammatory factors. As a result, the NO contents in the fresh roots were significantly increased under SNP, which led to a significant increase of O2·-, H2O2, and MDA. The activities of important antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD), were found to increase as well, with their peak levels observed on the 2nd and 3rd days. PAL, ACC, and CHS activities were also significantly enhanced, resulting in the increased secondary metabolite contents of Radix saposhnikoviae in all groups, especially the 0.5 mmol/L SNP. The four active ingredients, prim-O-glucosylcimifugin, cimifugin, 4'-O-ß-D-glucosyl-5-O-methylvisamminol, and sec-O-glucosylhamaudol, increased by 88.3%,325.0%, 55.4%, and 283.8%, respectively, on the 3rd day. The pharmaceutical effects of Radix Saposhnikoviae under 0.5 mmol/L SNP were significantly enhanced. Exogenous SNP can induce the physiological response of S. divaricata under adverse conditions and significantly improve the quality of Radix Saposhnikoviae.

Circular RNA_0000326 accelerates breast cancer development via modulation of the miR-9-3p/YAP1 axis.

Circular RNA (circ)_0000326 has been reported in bladder cancer and cervical cancer and is concerned to be involved with the development of cancerous cells. Whereas, there have been no reports concentrating on the influences of circ_0000326 in breast cancer (BC). Therefore, the latent modulatory mechanisms of circ_0000326 in BC are researched. circ_0000326 expression in BC tissues and correlative cells was evaluated via RT-qPCR, and the relevance between circ_0000326 expression and overall survival and the clinicopathological feature was also investigated. After a series of transfection, the effects of circ_0000326, microRNA-9-3p (miR-9-3p), and Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1) in BC cell growth, invasion, and stemness were studied by CCK-8, flow cytometry, Transwell, and sphere-forming assays. The binding sites and correlation of circ_0000326, miR-9-3p, and YAP1 were certified via starBase website, luciferase reporter assay, and Pearson's χ2 test. The in vivo experiment was evaluated by establishing a subcutaneous tumorigenesis model. High-expressed circ_0000326 in BC tissues and cells was discovered, which was connected with an undesirable prognosis. Silencing of circ_0000326 visibly inhibited MCF-7 and BT549 cell growth, invasion, stemness, meanwhile declining the protein levels of SRY-related high-mobility group box gene 2 (SOX2) and octamer binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4). miR-9-3p was a sponger of circ_0000326, which was negatively regulated by circ_0000326. Moreover, YAP1 was confirmed as a target gene of miR-9-3p. circ_0000326 affected BC cell behaviors via mediating miR-9-3p and YAP1. Furthermore, circ_0000326 silencing prohibited tumor growth of BC in vivo. The research uncovered that circ_0000326 facilitated BC development via mediating the miR-9-3p/YAP1 axis.

Hybrid Au-star@Prussian blue for high-performance towards bimodal imaging and photothermal treatment.

In recent years, branched or star-shaped Au nanostructures composed of core and protruding arms have attracted much attention due to their unique optical properties and morphology. As the clinically adapted nanoagent, prussian blue (PB) has recently gained widespread attention in cancer theranostics with potential applications in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In this article, we propose a hybrid star gold nanostructure（Au-star@PB）as a novel theranostic agent for T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/ photoacoustic imaging（PAI） and photothermal therapy (PTT) of tumors. Importantly, the Au-star@PB nanoparticles function as effective MRI/PA contrast agents in vivo by increasing T1-weighted MR/PAI signal intensity and as effective PTT agents in vivo by decreasing the tumor volume in MCF-7 tumor bearing BALB / c mouse model as well as in vitro by lessening tumor cells growth rate. Interestingly, we found the main photothermal effect of Au-star@PB is derived from Au-star, but not PB. In summary, the hybrid structure of Au-star@PB NPs with good biological safety, significant photostability, dual imaging capability, and high therapeutic efficiency, might offer a novel avenue for the future diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Controlled Ni-catalyzed mono- and double-decarbonylations of α-ketothioesters.

A method for Ni-catalyzed controlled decarbonylation of α-ketothioesters is described. Mono- and double-decarbonylations, which gave thioesters and thioethers, respectively, were selectively achieved by changing the ligand. A fundamental study of Ni-catalyzed decarbonylation of α-ketothioesters is presented.

Ag-HPBs by a coating-etching strategy and their derived injectable implants for enhanced tumor photothermal treatment.

Herein, we demonstrate a coating-etching strategy to directly synthesize hollow Prussian blue (PB) nanocubes with well-dispersed Ag nanoparticles (denoted as Ag-HPB). The method is accomplished by introduction of PB precursors, K3Fe(CN)6 and Fe3+ into a reaction system containing AgNO3 and ascorbic acid, in which a series reactions contain formation of Ag nanoparticles, coating of PB on the nanoparticles, and diffusion of Ag into the PB frameworks occur. The strategy for preparation of the hollow structured Ag-HPB is intrinsically simple and does not require pre-preparation of any sacrificial templates or toxic etching agents. The obtained Ag-HPB nanocubes possess uniform size (69 nm), well-defined hollow structure, strong near-infrared photothermal conversion capacity, and excellent photoacoustic and magnetic resonance imaging abilities. Furthermore, an injectable photothermal implants are prepared for the first time by mixing the Ag-HPB nanocubes with clinically used biological glue, which significantly enhance photothermal anti-tumor efficacy, showing great potential for clinical tumor treatment.

A Multifunctional PB@mSiO2-PEG/DOX Nanoplatform for Combined Photothermal-Chemotherapy of Tumor.

In this work, we design mesoporous silica-coated Prussian blue nanocubes with PEGyltation to construct multifunctional PB@mSiO2-PEG nanocubes. The PB@mSiO2-PEG nanocubes have good biocompatibility, excellent photothermal transformation capacity, in vivo magnetic resonance and photoacoustic imaging ability. After loading antitumor drug doxorubicin (DOX) in the PB@mSiO2-PEG nanocubes, the constructured PB@mSiO2-PEG/DOX nanoplatforms show an excellent pH-responsive drug release character within 48 h, namely, an ultralow cumulative drug release amount of 3.1% at pH 7.4 and a high release amount of 46.6% at pH 5.0. Upon near-infrared laser irradiation, the PB@mSiO2-PEG/DOX nanoplatforms show an enhanced synergistic photothermal and chemical therapeutic efficacy for breast cancer than solo photothermal therapy or chemotherapy.

Biomechanical evaluation of four different posterior screw and rod fixation techniques for the treatment of the odontoid fractures.

Problems that screw cannot be inserted may occur in screw-rod fixation techniques such as Harms technique. We compared the biomechanical stability imparted to the C-2 vertebrae by four designed posterior screw and rod fixation techniques for the management of odontoid fractures. A three-dimensional finite element model of the odontoid fracture was established by subtracting several unit structures from the normal model from a healthy male volunteer. 4 different fixation techniques, shown as follows: ① C-1 lateral mass and C-2 pedicle screw fixation (Harms technique); ② C-1 lateral mass and unilateral C-2 pedicle screw fixation combined with ipsilateral laminar screw fixation; ③ Unilateral C-1lateral mass combined with ipsilateral C-1 posterior arch, and C-2 pedicle screw fixation; and ④ Unilateral C1 lateral mass screw connected with bilateral C2 pedicle screw fixation was performed on the odontoid fracture model. The model was validated for axial rotation, flexion, extension, lateral bending, and tension for 1.5 Nm. Changes in motion in flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation were calculated. The finite element model of the odontoid fracture was established in this paper. All of the four screw-rod techniques significantly decreased motion in flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation, as compared with the destabilized odontoid fracture complex (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in stability among the four screw techniques. We concluded that the first three fixation techniques are recommended to be used as surgical intervention for odontoid fracture, while the last can be used as supplementary for the former three methods.

[Effect of platelet-rich plasma on cell proliferation and osteogenic activity of pulp stem cells].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of different concentrations of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSC) proliferation and osteogenic differentiation activity so as to provide basis for future application of dental pulp stem cells and PRP in tissue engineering and bone repair therapy. METHODS: hDPSC were isolated and cultivated in vitro. Flow cytometric analysis was carried out to test the expression of STRO-1.hDPSC were cultured in various concentrations of PRP (1%, 5%, 10%, 20%). At the 2nd and 6th day 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) was tested. Osteogenic differentiation of hDPSC was assessed using alkaline phosphatase (ALP) staining and Alizarin Red staining at the 7th and 14th day. RESULTS: Flow cytometric analysis demonstrated that 14.82% of hDPSC were STRO-1 positive. One percent to 20% PRP showed significant effect of promoting hDPSC proliferation. One percent to 10% PRP showed significant effect of promoting hDPSC osteogenic differentiation. CONCLUSIONS: Certain concentrations of PRP can promote hDPSC proliferate and osteogenic differentiate, and this finding suggests future application of dental pulp stem cells and PRP in bone tissue engineering.