[To explore mechanism of Scabiosa comosa against liver fibrosis based on pharmacodynamics and network pharmacology].

This study aims to systematically elucidate the pharmacodynamics and network pharmacological mechanism of Mongolian medicinal plants Scabiosa comosa, explore their key targets and related pathways, and further clarify the mechanism of the plants in treating liver fibrosis. Wistar rats were assigned into the blank group, carbon tetrachloride-induced liver fibrosis model group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose S. comosa groups. HE staining and Masson staining were performed for the observation of liver tissue under a microscope. Further, Wistar rats were assigned into a control group and a S. comosa group for administration. Seven days later, blood was collected from the abdominal aorta, and different doses of drug-containing serum samples were used to treat hepatic stellate cell-T6(HSC-T6). Flow cytometry was adopted to detect the apoptosis of HSC-T6 cells. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-time of flight-mass spectrometry(UHPLC-TOF-MS) was employed to determine the components in Scabiosa comosa. The target of S. comosa and liver fibrosis were obtained from SwissTargetPrediction and GeneCards, respectively, and the common targets were selected as the anti-liver fibrosis targets. Protein-protein interaction was analyzed via STRING. Gene Ontology(GO) annotation and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG) pathway enrichment were carried out via Metascape. Phosphatidylinosital 3-kinase(PI3 K), protein kinase B(AKT), p-AKT, p38, and p-p38 targets which are involved in the top-ranked PI3 K/AKT and mitogen activated kinase-like protein(MAPK) signaling pathways were selected for validation via Western blot. The HE and Masson staining results showed that Scabiosa alleviated the hyperplasia of connective tissue and the fibrosis. The serum containing Scabiosa significantly promoted the apoptosis of HSC-T6 in a concentration-dependent manner. A total of 76 chemical components were identified by UHPLC-TOF-MS, among which flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, phenols, and fatty acids were the main components. According to the prediction, there were 63 anti-liver fibrosis targets in Scabiosa comosa, the annotated GO terms of which involved biological processes, cell components, and molecular functions. The KEGG pathway enrichment showed that the targets were mainly involved in PI3 K/AKT, epidermal growth factor receptor(EGFR), RAS-associated protein 1(Rap1), hypoxia-inducible factor 1(HIF-1), resistance to audiogenic seizures(Ras), and MAPK signaling pathways. Western blot results showed that compared with the model group, S. comosa down-regulated the protein levels of α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), collagen Ⅰ, PI3 K, AKT, p-AKT, p38, and p-p38 in liver tissue. Compared with the control group, the low-, medium-, and high-dose S. comosa significantly down-regulated the protein levels of α-SMA, collagen Ⅰ, PI3 K, AKT, p-AKT, p38, and p-p38 in HSC-T6. The evidence of pharmacodynamics, network pharmacology, and molecular biology indicated that the plants of S. comosa had significant activity against liver fibrosis, the mechanism of which may involve the regulation of the key targets PI3 K, AKT, and MAPK14 p38 in the PI3 K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways.

Downregulation of human Wnt3 in gastric cancer suppresses cell proliferation and induces apoptosis.

Aberrant activation of Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathways is closely involved in the occurrence and progression of several types of human malignancies. However, as a fundamental component in this cascade, Wnt3 has not been well understood for the expression level and pathogenic mechanism in gastric carcinogenesis. Here, this research was undertaken to elucidate the important role of Wnt3 in gastric cancer. Wnt3 expression in gastric carcinomas and their respective normal tissues was examined by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry. In all cases, Wnt3 expression was significantly elevated in gastric carcinomas compared with normal tissues. Knocking down Wnt3 in MGC-803 gastric cancer cells by small interfering RNAs transfection led to an obvious decrease in both transcript and protein levels. Silence of Wnt3 expression in gastric cancer cells inhibited the expression of ß-catenin and cyclin D1 genes in Wnt/ß-catenin pathway, significantly blocked cellular proliferation, delayed cell cycle, suppressed cell invasion and metastasis, accompanied by a higher apoptosis rate. Together, we conclude that upregulation of Wnt3 plays a crucial role in gastric tumorigenesis by inducing proliferation, migration, and invasion and inhibiting apoptosis of cancer cells, and Wnt3 might be a potential target for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Transgenic nude mouse with green fluorescent protein expression-based human glioblastoma multiforme animal model with EGFR expression and invasiveness.

Previously, we developed an orthotopic xenograft model of human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) with high EGFR expression and invasiveness in Balb/c nu/nu nude mice. Now we also developed the same orthotopic xenograft model in transgenic nude mice with green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression. The present orthotopic xenografts labeled by phycoerythrin fluorescing red showed high EGFR expression profile, and invasive behavior under a bright green-red dual-color fluorescence background. A striking advantage in the present human GBM model is that the change of tumor growth can be observed visually instead of sacrificing animals in our further antitumor therapy studies.

The experiences and feelings of Chinese children living with leukemia: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Leukemia is the most common pediatric malignancy. Many children with leukemia display behavioral and emotional problems. Promoting children's psychological development and quality of life during hospitalization is an important activity carried out by health professionals. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the experiences and feelings of Chinese children with leukemia in the hospital. METHOD: In-depth interviews were conducted with Chinese children with leukemia using a descriptive qualitative research method. The data were analyzed using content analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-nine children with leukemia were interviewed. Almost all children had negative experiences and feelings during the early stage of hospitalization, and there were 3 levels of adaptation that they displayed: inability to adapt to hospitalization, a sense of being compelled to accept hospitalization, and adaptation to hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Three factors are associated with children's psychological distress, including the duration of treatment, children's personality, and age. Children of a younger age, with more extrovert personalities and who were undergoing longer treatment courses, adapted to hospitalization more easily. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings provide information for health professionals to understand children's psychological status during hospitalization and help nurses to plan individualized psychological care for children.