Cu(OTf)2/NBS-Mediated Tandem Reaction of 1-Cinnamyl Alcohol-o-Carboranes via Ring Opening of Oxetane with Arenes: An Alternative Approach for the Synthesis of C-Alkenyl-o-Carboranes.

The Cu(OTf)2/NBS-mediated tandem reaction of 1-cinnamyl alcohol-o-carboranes for the synthesis of C-alkenyl-o-carboranes has been developed. Mechanism studies demonstrated that the Cu(OTf)2-promoted ring opening of oxetane with electron-rich arenes as soft nucleophiles was involved and was the key step for the transformation. This work provided an alternative strategy for the synthesis of C-alkenyl-o-carboranes, which has an important reference for the synthesis of o-carborane derivatives with diversity.

Meta-analysis of the association between periodontal disease, periodontal treatment and carotid intima-media thickness.

Periodontal disease is a major threat to oral health and would further contribute to systemic diseases without timely control. We aimed to evaluate the relation between periodontal disease, periodontal treatment and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) based on available epidemiological and clinical evidence. PubMed and Scopus were searched for relevant studies through May 2021. Observational studies reporting risk estimates with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) for the association between periodontal disease (including periodontitis and gingivitis) and risk of increased CIMT (defined as CIMT value that exceeded the cut-off value of clinical and prognostic significance), as well as interventional studies providing mean values with standard deviations of CIMT before and after periodontal intervention, were included. Random-effect models for meta-analysis were used to calculate the summary effect estimates with 95% CIs. A total of 406 citations were retrieved from electronic databases and 45 full-text articles were screened, leaving 11 articles using ultrasound to measure CIMT with 8744 participants included. Pooled results of seven cross-sectional studies involving 8558 participants indicated that compared to those without periodontitis, patients with periodontitis and those with severe periodontitis had an odds ratio of 1.42 (95% CI: 1.16, 1.75) and 1.70 (95% CI: 1.24, 2.33) for increased CIMT, respectively. Although publication bias was detected in these results, odds ratios corrected by the trim-and-fill method were still statistically significant. Results of four non-randomized controlled trials with 186 patients suggested that periodontal intervention may help reduce CIMT in patients with periodontal disease in the short term. Periodontitis, especially severe periodontitis, was significantly associated with the risk of increased CIMT. Periodontal intervention might help slow the progression of carotid intima-media thickening in patients with periodontal disease in the short term.

Old Key Opens the Lock in Carborane: The in Situ NHC-Palladium Catalytic System for Selective Arylation of B(3,6)-H Bonds of o-Carboranes via B-H Activation.

An efficient in situ Pd-NHC catalytic system for regioselective arylation of B(3,6)-H bonds of o-carborane has been developed for the first time. A series of symmetric and unsymmetric 3,6-diaryl-o-carboranes anchored with active groups have been synthesized with moderate to good yields under mild conditions. This work offers an efficient protocol for selective activation of B(3,6)-H bonds and has important value in design coupling reactions for selective functionalization of o-carboranes.

LINC00565 promotes proliferation and inhibits apoptosis of gastric cancer by targeting miR-665/AKT3 axis.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have shown that long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) is involved in gastric cancer (GC). A relevant microarray containing gastric cancer-related lncRNAs was downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. METHODS: qRT-PCR was used to analyze LINC00565 and AKT3 expression in tumor tissues and cell lines. Proliferative, colony formation and apoptotic abilities of GC cells after transfection of sh-LINC00565 were determined by CCK-8, colony formation assay and flow cytometry, respectively. RIP was enrolled to detect the interaction between LINC00565, AKT3 and miR-665. Dual luciferase assay was used to confirm the relation between miR-665 and LINC00565 and AKT3. RESULTS: Expression level of LINC00565 in GC tissue was highly expressed in GC, which was negatively correlated to prognosis of GC patients. The results showed that knockdown of LINC00565 decreased proliferative and colony formation abilities, and induced apoptosis of GC cells. Pearson analysis showed that LINC00565 was positively correlated with AKT3. Besides, AKT3 was significantly up-regulated in GC. In addition, knockdown of LINC00565 down-regulated AKT3. In order to explore the mechanism, we found that miR-665 could bind to LINC00565 by bioinformatics. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay and RIP assay both verified the binding relationship between miR-665 and AKT3. Finally, rescue experiments were carried out to explore whether AKT3 could reverse the anti-cancer effect of low-level LINC00565 on GC development. CONCLUSION: In summary, the expression of LINC00565 is upregulated in GC. LINC00565 can be used as the sponge of miR-665 to up-regulate the expression of AKT3, thus promoting the progression of GC.

Catalytic Oxidative Dehydrogenative Coupling of Cage B-H/B-H Bonds for Synthesis of Bis(o-carborane)s.

An efficient and succinct protocol for synthesis of bis(o-carborane) connected by a B-B bond via palladium catalyzed oxidative dehydrogenative coupling of cage B-H/B-H bonds was developed for the first time. A series of bis(o-carborane)s connected by B(4)-B(4)' and B(4)-B(5)' bonds was synthesized with moderate to good yields. This work opens the door for miscellaneous applications of bis(o-carborane) in related disciplines and has important value in design and synthesis of different kinds of biscarboranes.

A functional variant at miR-520a binding site in PIK3CA alters susceptibility to colorectal cancer in a Chinese Han population.

An increasing body of evidence has indicated that polymorphisms in the miRNA binding site of target gene can alter the ability of miRNAs to bind their target genes and modulate the risk of cancer. We aimed to investigate the association between a miR-520a binding site polymorphism rs141178472 in the PIK3CA 3'-UTR and the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) in a Chinese Han population. The polymorphism rs141178472 was analyzed in a case-control study, including 386 CRC patients and 394 age- and sex-matched controls; the relationship between the polymorphism and the risk of colorectal cancer was examined. Individuals carrying the rs141178472 CC genotype or C allele had an increased risk of developing CRC (CC versus TT, OR (95% CI): 1.716 (1.084-2.716), P = 0.022; C versus T, OR (95% CI): 1.258 (1.021-1.551), P = 0.033). Furthermore, the expression of PIK3CA was detected in the peripheral blood mononucleated cell of CRC patients, suggesting that mRNA levels of PIK3CA might be associated with SNP rs141178472. These findings provide evidence that a miR-520a binding site polymorphism rs141178472 in the PIK3CA 3'-UTR may play a role in the etiology of CRC.