Urotensin II activates the ferroptosis pathway through circ0004372/miR-124/SERTAD4 to promote the activation of vascular adventitial fibroblasts.

Both vascular adventitial fibroblasts (VAFs) and urotensin II (UII) play important roles in vascular remodeling diseases, but the mechanism of UII in VAFs is still unclear. UII inhibited miR-124 expression through up-regulating circ0004372 expression, thereby promoting SERTAD4 expression. UII significantly promoted the generation of ROS, MDA and 4-HNE, reduced the activities of SOD, GST and GR, increased Fe2+ concentration and inhibited GPX4 expression through circ0004372/miR-124/SERTAD4. Both UII and ferroptosis inducer Erastin significantly promoted the expression of α-SMA, Collagen I and TGF-ß1 in VAFs, but circ0004372 siRNA, miR-124 mimics, SERTAD4 siRNA or Ferrostatin-1 significantly inhibited the effect of UII and Erastin on cell activation. When co-transfected with circ0004372 siRNA and miR-124 inhibitors or miR-124 mimics and SERTAD4 overexpression vector, UII still significantly increased the expression of α-SMA, Collagen I and TGF-ß1. After transfection with circ0004372 overexpression vector, miR-124 inhibitors or SERTAD4 overexpression vector and then treating with UII and Ferrostatin-1, the expression of α-SMA, Collagen I and TGF-ß1 was still significant; when the circ0004372 overexpression vector and miR-124 mimics or miR-124 inhibitors and SERTAD4 siRNA were co-transfected and then UII and Ferrostatin-1 were added, the expression of α-SMA, Collagen I and TGF-ß1 was not significantly increased. Therefore, these results indicate that UII promotes the activation of VAFs through the circ0004372/miR-124/SERTAD4/ferroptosis pathway.

LncRNA-MIAT regulates fibrosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) by mediating the expression of miR-29a-3p.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the fibrosis in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). METHOD: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to measure the expression of potentially relevant microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in patients with HCM suffering from fibrosis and patients with HCM free of fibrosis. In addition, the regulatory relationship between lncRNAs and miR-29a was studied using a luciferase assay. Subsequently, area under the receiver-operating characteristics (ROC) curve (AUC) analysis was conducted to predict the diagnostic value of myocardial infarction-associated transcript (MIAT), miR-29a, H19, and MEG3 in patients with HCM. Finally, the predicted regulatory relationship betwe en miR-29a and MIAT was validated by transfecting cells with different plasmids. RESULT: miR-29a and MIAT were differently expressed between the fibrosis (+) HCM group and the fibrosis (-) HCM group, thus establishing a negative relationship between the expression of these two genes. In addition, both MIAT and miR-29a showed the ability to accurately predict the prognosis in patients with HCM. Furthermore, the luciferase activity of wild-type MIAT was evidently suppressed in cells transfected with miR-29a mimics, suggesting that the expression of miR-29a was apparently downregulated in the presence of MIAT. CONCLUSION: The results obtained in this study collectively indicated that the MIAT might be associated with the development of fibrosis (+) HCM via negatively regulating the expression of miR-29a.

Tanshinone IIA attenuates high glucose induced human VSMC proliferation and migration through miR-21-5p-mediated tropomyosin 1 downregulation.

The proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play important roles in the development and progression of diabetes-related vascular complications. Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have been suggested to be involved in the pathogenesis of vascular diseases. This study was designed to investigate the influences of tanshinone IIA, an active compound extracted from Chinese herb Salvia miltiorrhiza, on the proliferation and migration of human aortic VSMCs (HASMCs). cultured in a high glucose medium and the underlying mechanisms related miRNAs. Using a miRNA microarray method, we profiled the miRNA expression signature in human aortic VSMCs (HASMCs) exposed to normal glucose, high glucose with and without Tanshinone IIA. Cell proliferation was measured with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assay. Cell migration was evaluated using transwell migration assay and wound scratch assay. Western blot was used to examine the expression of tropomyosin 1 (TPM1) and miRNA level was quantified by real-time PCR. The results showed that several miRNAs that were highly expressed in the high glucose group were significantly decreased in the high glucose with Tanshinone IIA group compared with the normal glucose group (P < 0.05). Among these miRNAs, miR-21-5p was significantly upregulated in the high glucose group and downregulated after Tanshinone IIA treatment (P < 0.05). The depletion of miR-21-5p in HASMCs resulted in decreased cell proliferation and migration (P < 0.05). Moreover, we found that Tanshinone IIA inhibited proliferation and migration partly through miR-21-5p-mediated TPM1 downregulation (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that Tanshinone IIA is able to protect HASMCs from high glucose-induced proliferation and migration through regulating expression of miRNAs.

Circ-SATB2 upregulates STIM1 expression and regulates vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and differentiation through miR-939.

The prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD) is a difficult problem to be solved. More and more studies have found that circular RNAs (circRNAs) may play important roles in the development of CHD. Here detection of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) showed that circ-SATB2 and STIM1 were up-regulated in proliferative VSMCs, while miR-939 were down-regulated. Circ-SATB2 and miR-939 did not affect the expression of each other, but circ-SATB2 could promote while miR-939 inhibited the expression of STIM1 (a target gene of miR-939). Circ-SATB2 overexpression could inhibit the expression of SM22-alpha (SM22α, a marker of contractile VSMCs), while the expression of SM22α was promoted by miR-939. STIM1 could promote cell proliferation and migration, and circ-SATB2 had similar effects, but its linear sequence had no such functions. MiR-939 had the opposite effects, could promote cell apoptosis and inhibit cell proliferation and migration, and siRNAs targeting circ-SATB2 had similar effects. When co-transfected with circ-SATB2 over-expression vector and miR-939 mimics or STIM1 siRNAs, the changes of cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration were not significant. Therefore, circ-SATB2 can regulate VSMC phenotypic differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis and migration by promoting the expression of STIM1. This discovery will provide a theoretical reference for exploring the role of circRNA in VSMCs and the pathogenesis of CHD.

CELSR1 Is a Positive Regulator of Endothelial Cell Migration and Angiogenesis.

Cadherin is an epidermal growth factor and laminin-G seven-pass G-type receptor 1 (CELSR1) is a key component of the noncanonical Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway that critically regulates endothelial cell proliferation and angiogenesis. In this study, we examined the biological significance of CELSR1 in endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis. For this, we applied both gain-of-function and loss-of-function approaches. To increase the endogenous expression of CELSR1, we used the transcription activator-like effector (TALE) technology and constructed an artificial TALE-VP64 activator. To knock down the expression of CELSR1, we generated lentivirus containing short hairpin RNA sequences targeting different regions of CELSR1 mRNA. Following up- or down-regulation of CELSR1 in human aortic endothelial cells (HAEC), we assessed in vitro cell proliferation by MTT assay, migration by scratch and transwell migration assays, and angiogenesis by tube formation analysis. We found that CELSR1 was endogenously expressed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and HAEC. When focusing on HAEC, we found that upregulating CELSR1 expression significantly promoted cell growth, while knocking down CELSR1 inhibited the growth (p < 0.05). Using both scratch and transwell migration assays, we observed a positive correlation between CELSR1 expression and cell migratory capability. In addition, CELSR1 upregulation led to higher levels of tube formation in HAEC, while downregulating CELSR1 expression decreased tube formation (p < 0.05). Mechanistically, CELSR1-regulated migration and tube formation was mediated through disheveled segment polarity protein 3 (Dvl3). In conclusion, CELSR1 plays an important role in regulating multiple phenotypes of endothelial cells, including proliferation, migration, and formation of capillary-like structures.

Baicalin increases developmental competence of mouse embryos in vitro by inhibiting cellular apoptosis and modulating HSP70 and DNMT expression.

Scutellaria baicalensis has been effectively used in Chinese traditional medicine to prevent miscarriages. However, little information is available on its mechanism of action. This study is designed specifically to reveal how baicalin, the main effective ingredient of S. baicalensis, improves developmental competence of embryos in vitro, using the mouse as a model. Mouse pronuclear embryos were cultured in KSOM medium supplemented with (0, 2, 4 and 8 µg/ml) baicalin. The results demonstrated that in vitro culture conditions significantly decreased the blastocyst developmental rate and blastocyst quality, possibly due to increased cellular stress and apoptosis. Baicalin (4 µg/ml) significantly increased 2- and 4-cell cleavage rates, morula developmental rate, and blastocyst developmental rate and cell number of in vitro-cultured mouse embryos. Moreover, baicalin increased the expression of Gja1, Cdh1, Bcl-2, and Dnmt3a genes, decreased the expression of Dnmt1 gene, and decreased cellular stress and apoptosis as it decreased the expression of HSP70, CASP3, and BAX and increased BCL-2 expression in blastocysts cultured in vitro. In conclusion, baicalin improves developmental competence of in vitro-cultured mouse embryos through inhibition of cellular apoptosis and HSP70 expression, and improvement of DNA methylation.

The CELSR1 polymorphisms rs6007897 and rs4044210 are associated with ischaemic stroke in Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Recently, CELSR1 was identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) as a susceptibility gene for ischaemic stroke (IS) in Japanese individuals. AIM: The goal was to examine whether CELSR1 variants are associated with IS in the Chinese Han population. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This study genotyped two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of CELSR1, rs6007897 and rs4044210, in a Chinese sample of 569 IS cases and 581 controls and assessed their genotype and allele associations with IS. RESULTS: The results showed that rs6007897 and rs4044210 variants of CELSR1 were significantly (p < 0.01) associated with IS. These associations remained after adjustment for age, gender, smoking status, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia. In addition, a significant association was observed of rs6007897 and rs4044210 of CELSR1 with large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), a sub-type of IS (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Taken together, the present study has proven for the first time that CELSR1 is a susceptibility gene for IS in the Chinese Han population, especially for LAA.

Nemo-like kinase (NLK) inhibits the progression of NSCLC via negatively modulating WNT signaling pathway.

Nemo-like kinase (NLK), an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine kinase, is a critical regulator of various cancers. NLK expression was evaluated by Western blot in 8 paired fresh non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissues and immunohistochemistry (IHC) on 83 paraffin-embedded slices. NLK was lowly expressed in NSCLC and significantly associated with NSCLC histological differentiation, clinical stage, lymph node status, and Ki-67. Multivariate analysis indicated that low NLK expression was an independent prognostic factor for NSCLC patients' low survival rate. In vitro, after the release of NSCLC cell line A549 from serum starvation, the expression of NLK was downregulated, whereas the cell-cycle-related proteins were upregulated. In addition, we used RNA interference to knock down NLK expression, then observed its effects on NSCLC's growth in vitro. Western blot analyses indicated that deletion of NLK was positively correlated with cell-cycle-related proteins. The present investigation demonstrated that suppression of NLK expression resulted in significant promotion of proliferation in NSCLC cells. And flow cytometry further indicated that loss of NLK promoted cell proliferation by facilitating S-phase and mitotic entry. Besides, the transcription activity of ß-catenin/TCF in A549 cells was remarkably enhanced when NLK was knocked down, which suggested that NLK participated in NSCLC cell proliferation via medulating Wnt signaling pathway. Based on these findings, we can provide a potential strategy for NSCLC therapy.

PRDM16 rs2651899 variant is a risk factor for Chinese common migraine patients.

OBJECTIVE: Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 3 loci in or near PRDM16 (1p36.32, rs2651899), LRP1 (12q13.3, rs11172113) and TRPM8 (2q37.1, rs10166942) in the population-based Women's Genome Health Study (WGHS) of migraine, and 2 loci in or near TRPM8 and LRP1 were repeated in European GWAS study. To evaluate whether the same variants are related to migraine in Chinese population, we investigated migraine with aura (MA) and migraine without aura (MO) patients of Chinese Han ethnicity in mainland China. METHODS: A case-control study in a cohort of 207 migraine cases and 205 ethnically matched controls was conducted by using the dual-color fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) probes analysis. RESULTS: The genotypes of all polymorphisms in 2 groups followed the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. We found significant differences in allele distribution of rs2651899 variant in PRDM16 between MO patients and control subjects (P = .049, OR = 1.335, 95%CI 1.001-1.782), and there were no difference between MA patients and controls in the frequency of genotype and allele. Also, no significant differences in genotypic and allelic distributions between MA or MO patients and controls were observed in the polymorphisms of rs10166942 of TRPM8 and rs11172113 of LRP1, and there was no significant difference comparing male with female in all loci. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that rs2651899 variant in PRDM16 plays a potential role in Chinese MO migraine susceptibility, and gender may not play a role.

Ru-Ni Alloy Nanoparticles Loaded on N-Doped Amphiphilic Mesoporous Hollow Carbon@silica Spheres as Catalyst for the Hydrogenation of α-Pinene to cis-Pinane.

N-doped mesoporous carbon spheres (NHMC@mSiO2 ) encapsulated in silica shells were prepared by emulsion polymerization and domain-limited carbonization using ethylenediamine as the nitrogen source, and Ru-Ni alloy catalysts were prepared for the hydrogenation of α-pinene in the aqueous phase. The internal cavities of this nanomaterial are lipophilic, enhancing mass transfer and enrichment of the reactants, and the hydrophilic silica shell enhances the dispersion of the catalyst in water. N-doping allows more catalytically active metal particles to be anchored to the amphiphilic carrier, enhancing its catalytic activity and stability. In addition, a synergistic effect between Ru and Ni significantly enhances the catalytic activity. The factors influencing the hydrogenation of α-pinene were investigated, and the optimum reaction conditions were determined to be as follows: 100 °C, 1.0 MPa H2 , 3 h. The high stability and recyclability of the Ru-Ni alloy catalyst were demonstrated through cycling experiments.

Effect of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ agonist on angiotensin converting enzyme 2 mRNA expression in monocyte-derived macrophages of essential hypertensive patients.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPAR-γ) agonist on the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) mRNA expression in monocyte-derived macrophages of essential hypertensive patients. METHODS: Totally 57 essential hypertensive patients were randomly divided into three groups: conventional treatment group (n=18), telmisartan group (n=19), and benazepril group (n=20); 20 patients with normal blood pressure were also selected as the control group. Monocyte-derived macrophages were isolated from blood samples of patients in all four groups. The expression of ACE2 mRNA in monocyte-derived macrophages was detected by RT-PCR before treatment and 4 and 12 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: Four and 12 weeks after treatment, the systolic pressure and diastolic pressure of telmisartan group and benazepril group were significantly lower than that of the conventional treatment group (all P<0.01), and the systolic pressure and diastolic pressure of telmisartan group were significantly lower than that of the benazepril group(both P<0.01) .The expression of ACE2 mRNA in monocyte-derived macrophages were significantly lower in essential hypertensive patients than that in control group (P<0.01). After having been treated for 4 weeks and 12 weeks, the expression of ACE2 mRNA in monocyte-derived macrophages of hypertensive patients in telmisartan and benazepril groups were significantly higher than that in conventional treatment group (all P<0.01), and the expression of ACE2 mRNA in telmisartan group was significantly higher than that in benazepril group (both P<0.01). CONCLUSION: PPAR-γ agonist could increase the ACE2 mRNA expression in monocyte-derived macrophages of essential hypertensive patients.

Baicalin inhibits oxidative injures of mouse uterine tissue induced by acute heat stress through activating the Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Heat stress effect the physiological functions of body, and reproductive system is one of the most sensitive. It's imperative to find out suitable measures to alleviate harmful effects of heat stress. Baicalin is well-known with its antioxidative property. To examine whether Baicalin could reduce oxidative injures of uterine tissue in heat-stressed mice. The mice were divided into four groups: control (Con), Baicalin (Bai), heat stress (H) and heat stress plus Baicalin (H + Bai). The oxidative damage of uterine tissue was detected by ELISA, H&E staining, tunnel assay and immunohistochemical staining. The protein/mRNA expressions of Keap1/Nrf2 related factors were detected by Western blot or QPCR. The results showed that mice heat-stressed at 41 °C for 2 h induced macroscopic changes, significantly increased MDA content and reduced activities of antioxidant enzymes including SOD, CAT and GSH-Px of the uterine tissue. Compared with Con group, heat stress up-regulated caspase-3 and caspase-9, enhanced the apoptosis of endometrial epithelial and glandular epithelial cells, improved the HO-1 mRNA/protein and NQO1 protein expressions, while down-regulated the mRNA/protein of Keap1. Compared with H group, antioxidant enzyme activities, Nrf2 protein and Nrf2, NQO1 and GCLC mRNA expressions were significantly increased in the H + Bai group. While the uterine epithelial cells apoptosis, MDA contents, caspase-3, caspase-9 and Keap1 protein and HO-1 mRNA expressions were decreased in the H + Bai group of mice compared with that in H group. Briefly, acute heat stress causes oxidative injures and apoptosis of mouse uterine tissue and Baicalin protects uterine tissue from the damages possibly through Keap1/Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Baicalin enhances the thermotolerance of mouse blastocysts by activating the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and preventing mitochondrial dysfunction.

Heat stress causes oxidative damage and induces excessive cell apoptosis and thus affects the development and/or even causes the death of preimplantation embryos. The effects of baicalin on the developmental competence of heat-stressed mouse embryos were investigated in this experiment. Two-cell embryos were cultured in the presence of baicalin and subjected to heat stress (42 °C for 1 h) at their blastocyst stage followed by continuous culture at 37 °C until examination. The results showed that heat stress (H group) increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, apoptosis and even embryo death, along with reductions in both mitochondrial activity and membrane potential (ΔΨm). Both heat stress (H group) and inhibition of the ERK1/2 signaling pathway (U group) led to significantly reduced expression levels of the genes c-fos, AP-1 and ERK2, and the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and c-Fos, along with significantly increased c-Jun mRNA expression and phosphorylation levels. These negative effects of heat stress on the ERK1/2 signaling pathway were neutralized by baicalin treatment. To explore the signal transduction mechanism of baicalin in improving embryonic tolerance to heat stress, mitochondrial quality and apoptosis rate in the mouse blastocysts were also examined. Baicalin was found to up-regulate the expression of mtDNA and TFAM mRNA, increased mitochondria activity and ΔΨm, and improved the cellular mitochondria quality of mouse blastocysts undergoing heat stress. Moreover, baicalin decreased Bax transcript abundance in blastocyst, along with an increase in the blastocyst hatching rate, which were negatively affected by heat stress. Our findings suggest that baicalin improves the developmental capacity and quality of heat-stressed mouse embryos via a mechanism whereby mitochondrial quality is improved by activating the ERK1/2 signaling pathway and inducing anti-cellular apoptosis.

Glutamine switches vascular smooth muscle cells to synthetic phenotype through inhibiting miR-143 expression and upregulating THY1 expression.

AIMS: Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are involved in the pathogenesis of many human cardiovascular diseases. They modulate their phenotype from "contractile" to "synthetic" in response to changes in local environmental cues. How glutamine regulates the differentiation of VSMCs and the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. MAIN METHODS: Here, we explored the effects of various doses of glutamine (0 mM, 1 mM, 2 mM, and 4 mM) on the proliferation, migration, and phenotypic switch of human VSMCs in vitro. Glutamine dose-dependently enhanced VSMC proliferation, and markedly increased VSMC migration. KEY FINDINGS: Notably, glutamine promoted the phenotypic switch of VSMCs towards a synthetic phenotype, as evidenced by significantly decreased expression of contractile markers myosin heavy chain 11 (MYH11) and calponin while increased expression of synthetic markers collagen I and vimentin. Importantly, these changes upon glutamine treatments were attenuated after additional treatments with glutamine metabolism inhibitor BPTES. Additionally, glutamine downregulated miR-143 expression, and miR-143 inactivation alone resulted in enhanced proliferation, migration, and promoted the synthetic phenotype of VSMCs. Moreover, Thy-1 cell surface antigen (THY1) was validated as a downstream target of miR-143, and THY1 expression was upregulated by glutamine in VSMCs. Furthermore, either miR-143 overexpression or THY1 silencing abolished the effect of glutamine on proliferation, migration, and phenotypic switch of VSMCs, supporting a novel glutamine-miR-143-THY1 pathway in modulating VSMC functions. SIGNIFICANCE: This study demonstrated a novel mechanism of glutamine in modulation of VSMC phenotypic switch by targeting miR-143 and THY1, and provides significant insight on targeted therapy of patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Low Serum Uric Acid Levels Promote Hypertensive Intracerebral Hemorrhage by Disrupting the Smooth Muscle Cell-Elastin Contractile Unit and Upregulating the Erk1/2-MMP Axis.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a catastrophic stroke with high mortality, and the mechanism underlying ICH is largely unknown. Previous studies have shown that high serum uric acid (SUA) levels are an independent risk factor for hypertension, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and ischemic stroke. However, our metabolomics data showed that SUA levels were lower in recurrent intracerebral hemorrhage (R-ICH) patients than in ICH patients, indicating that lower SUA might contribute to ICH. In this study, we confirmed the association between low SUA levels and the risk for recurrence of ICH and for cardiac-cerebral vascular mortality in hypertensive patients. To determine the mechanism by which low SUA effects ICH pathogenesis, we developed the first low SUA mouse model and conducted transcriptome profiling of the cerebrovasculature of ICH mice. When combining these assessments with pathological morphology, we found that low SUA levels led to ICH in mice with angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertension and aggravated the pathological progression of ICH. In vitro, our results showed that p-Erk1/2-MMP axis were involved in the low UA-induce degradation of elastin, and that physiological concentrations of UA and p-Erk1/2-specific inhibitor exerted a protective role. This is the first report describing to the disruption of the smooth muscle cell (SMC)-elastin contractile units in ICH. Most importantly, we revealed that the upregulation of the p-Erk1/2-MMP axis, which promotes the degradation of elastin, plays a vital role in mediating low SUA levels to exacerbate cerebrovascular rupture during the ICH process.

Alkylation of isobutane and isobutene catalyzed by trifluoromethanesulfonic acid-taurine deep eutectic solvents in polyethylene glycol.

Conventional acidic catalysts for isobutane and isobutene alkylation exhibit low alkylate selectivity. Herein, we employed an acidic deep eutectic solvent, consisting of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid and taurine, in polyethylene glycol as the catalyst. Its high conversion rate and selectivity, as well as recyclability, make it suitable for alkylate gasoline preparation.

Effect of Comprehensive Therapy based on Chinese Medicine Patterns on Self-Efficacy and Effectiveness Satisfaction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of comprehensive therapy based on Chinese medicine (CM) patterns on self-efficacy and satisfaction with its effectiveness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: A total of 216 patients were randomly divided into the trial group (n =108) and the control group (n=108) based on the stratified and block randomization design. Patients in the trial group were treated with conventional Western medicine combined with Bufei Jianpi Granules (), Bufei Yishen Granules (), and Yiqi Zishen Granules () according to the CM patterns respectively, and patients in the control group were treated with conventional Western medicine. The COPD Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES) and the Effectiveness Satisfaction Questionnaire for COPD (ESQ-COPD) were employed in a 6-month treatment and in further 6 month follow-up visit. RESULTS: Among the 216 patients, 191 patients (97 in the trial group and 94 in the control group) fully completed the study. After 12-month treatment and follow-up, the mean scores of the trial group all continued to increase over time, which were significantly higher than those of the control group (P <0.05), and the improvement in the following trial group domain: negative affect domain (12.13%), intense emotional arousal domain (12.21%), physical exertion domain (11.72%), weather/environmental domain (13.77%), behavioral risk domain (7.67%) and total score (10.65%). The trial group also exhibited significantly higher mean scores in the ESQ-COPD (P <0.05) and the improvement in the following domain: capacity for life and work domain (30.59%), clinical symptoms domain (53.52%), effect of therapy domain (35.95%), convenience of therapy domain (35.54%), and whole effect domain (52.47%). CONCLUSIONS: Bufei Jianpi Granules, Bufei Yishen Granules and Yiqi Zishen Granules can improve the self-efficacy and satisfaction of COPD patients.

The Associations of PMF1, ICAM1, AGT, TRIM65, FBF1, and ACOX1 Variants With Leukoaraiosis in Chinese Population.

Background: Leukoaraiosis (LA) is shown as white matter hyperintensities on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging brain scans. Together with candidate gene association studies (CGAS), multiple genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have reported large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to be associated with LA in European populations. To date, no replication studies have been reported in independent Chinese samples. Methods: Here, we performed a candidate gene association study comprising 220 Chinese subjects with LA and 50 controls. Thirty-nine polymorphisms on 32 risk genes were selected from previous studies, and they were genotyped through matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). Genetic association analysis was firstly performed in all subjects with LA. Then, the same analysis was conducted in the six random sampling cohorts of 50 LA patients, respectively. Data analyses on the associations of SNPs with LA risk were evaluated through Pearson's χ2 and multivariate logistic regression tests. Results: We found that eight polymorphisms in six genes (PMF1, ICAM1, TRIM65, AGT, FBF1, and ACOX1) were significantly associated with LA in the genetic association tests. Except for those eight gene variants, 24 other polymorphisms were not found to be significantly associated with LA in general genetic model, dominant model, recessive model, or multiplicative model. Among those eight polymorphisms, rs2984613 in PMF1 showed significant association with LA in the cohort of 220 LA subjects, and such significant association remained in both general genetic model (OR: 0.262, 95% CI: 0.091-0.752, p adj = 0.030) and recessive model (OR: 0.323, 95% CI: 0.119-0.881, p adj = 0.038) when controlling for clinical variables. Seven other significant variants (rs5498 in ICAM1, rs699 in AGT, rs2305913 in FBF1, rs1135640 in ACOX1, and rs3760128, rs7214628, and rs7222757 in TRIM65) were identified in those six random sampling tests that were conducted in the adjusted cohorts of 50 LA patients. In addition, except for rs699 which showed detrimental effect and represented a risk variant for LA, seven other polymorphisms seemed to exert protective effects on LA and to reduce the risk of LA. It is necessary to confirm these associations in an independent cohort. Conclusions: This first replication study on multiple genes in an independent Chinese population did not replicate any risk polymorphisms for LA other than rs 699 in AGT but revealed the significantly negative associations of PMF1, ICAM1, TRIM65, FBF1, and ACOX1 polymorphisms with LA. It not only supported the strong ethnic differences in the genetics of LA but also indicated that those six identified genes may be involved in Chinese white matter lesions. Larger scales of CGAS and GWAS are necessary to confirm and decipher those ethnic-Han specific risk genes for LA in China.

Cytotoxic and chemosensitization effects of Scutellarin from traditional Chinese herb Scutellaria altissima L. in human prostate cancer cells.

Scutellaria altissima L. is a common traditional Chinese medicine used to treat inflammation in some countries. Scutellarin, an active major flavone glycoside isolated from the traditional Chinese medicine Scutellaria altissima L., has been shown to offer various beneficial biochemical effects on cerebrovascular diseases and inflammation. However, the antiproliferative effects of Scutellarin in prostate cancer and the underlying mechanism are not fully elucidated. In the present study, we aimed to ascertain whether Scutellarin inhibits cancer cell growth and to further explore the molecular mechanism. Scutellarin enhanced the sensitivity of prostate cancer cells to cisplatin. MTT assays revealed that cell viability was significantly decreased in the prostate cancer cells treated with Scutellarin. Flow cytometric analysis indicated that Scutellarin suppressed cell proliferation by promoting G2/M arrest and inducing apoptosis. We employed western blotting to delineate the underlying mechanisms involved in the G2/M arrest and apoptosis. Comet assay and γH2AX immunocytochemistry were used to detect levels of DNA damage in PC3 cells exposed to Scutellarin and/or cisplatin. Our data revealed that Scutellarin significantly induced prostate cancer cell apoptosis by activating the caspase cascade. An increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential and cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase were accompanied by the apoptosis induction. Additionally, Scutellarin altered the protein expression of cell cycle and apoptosis regulatory genes by downregulating Cdc2, cyclin B1 and Bcl-2 and upregulating caspase-3, caspase-9 and Bax in prostate cancer cells. Furthermore, Scutellarin sensitized PC3 cells to cisplastin treatment in a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, our data confirmed the cytotoxicity of Scutellarin against prostate cancer PC3 cells and provide new findings in regards to Scutellarin sensitizing prostate cancer cells to chemotherapy. Our findings suggest that Scutellarin has potential to be used as a novel antineoplastic therapeutic candidate for prostate cancer patients.

Puerarin ameliorates heat stress-induced oxidative damage and apoptosis in bovine Sertoli cells by suppressing ROS production and upregulating Hsp72 expression.

Puerarin, a bioactive isoflavone glucoside extracted from radix Puerariae, has been proven to possess many biological activities. However, the role of puerarin in protecting bovine Sertoli cells (bSCs) under heat stress conditions remains to be clarified. The present study aimed to explore the possible protective mechanism of puerarin for primary cultured bSCs subjected to heat stress. Bovine Sertoli cells were treated with 15 µM of puerarin before they were exposed to 42 °C for 1 hour. The dose of puerarin (15 µM) was determined on the basis of cell viability. The results showed that puerarin treatment suppressed the production of reactive oxygen species and decreased the oxidative damage of the bSCs subjected to heat stress, as indicated by changes in superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activities and malondialdehyde content. Moreover, puerarin treatment also suppressed the initiation of mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway, as revealed by changes in Bax to Bcl-2 ratio, mitochondrial membrane potential, cytochrome C release, caspase-3 activation, and apoptotic rate compared with the heat stress group. In addition, puerarin treatment increased Hsp72 expression in the bSCs with no apparent cellular cytotoxicity compared with the control group. Furthermore, increased Hsp72 was detected in the heat stress plus puerarin group compared with the heat stress group. In conclusion, puerarin attenuates heat stress-induced oxidative damage and apoptosis of bSCs by suppressing reactive oxygen species production and upregulating Hsp72 expression.