Microbial bionic nano-aromatic drugs for prevention of depression induced by chronic stress.

Depression is a mood disorder mainly clinically characterized by significant and persistent low spirits. Chronic stress is the leading cause of depression. However, traditional medicine has severe side effects in treating depression, ineffective treatment, and easy recurrence. Therefore, it is of great significance to prevent depression in the environment of chronic stress. In this study, aromatherapy was used for the prevention of depression. To solve the defects of intense volatility and inconvenience in using essential oils, we designed bionic nano-aromatic drugs and adhered them to the wallpaper. Inspired by the moldy wallpaper, we successively prepared the morphology-bionic nano-aromatic drugs, the function-bionic nano-aromatic drugs, and the bionic plus nano-aromatic drugs by referring to the morphology of microorganisms and substances in bacterial biofilms. Bionic nano-aromatic drugs remarkably promoted their adhesion on wallpaper. Molecular dynamics simulation explored its molecular mechanism. The essential oils, which were slowly released from the bionic nano-aromatic drugs, showed excellent biosecurity and depression prevention. These sustainedly released essential oils could significantly increase monoamine neurotransmitters in the brain under a chronic stress environment and had excellent neuroprotection. Besides, the bionic nano-aromatic drugs with simple preparation process and low cost had excellent application potential.

Long-term survivors demonstrate superior quality of life after haploidentical stem cell transplantation to matched sibling donor transplantation.

BACKGROUND: It has been well-documented that haplo-identical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HID-HSCT) can provide outcomes comparable to conventional matched sibling donor (MSD) HSCT, however, little is known about the effects on quality of life (QoL) in long-term survivors. This study is to investigate the differences in longitudinal performance of QoL between HID and MSD HSCT using a comprehensive assessment system. METHODS: This prospective study enrolled consecutive patients who had received allogenic-HSCT (allo-HSCT) between January 2018 and December 2019 in our center. All patients were informed to complete QoL questionnaires including the Mos 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Bone Marrow Transplant (FACT-BMT, version 4), using an online applet, before transplantation and at scheduled time points after transplantation. The linear mixed-effects model was used to analyze the variation trend of different dimensions of both SF-36 and FACT-BMT with different follow-up times. RESULTS: Of the 425 participants, recipients of HID and MSD who survived more than 1 year (n = 230) were included in the final analysis of QoL (median age [range]: 36, [15, 66]). The 3 year overall survival (OS) of HID and MSD was 82.42% and 86.46%, respectively. QoL was assessed using both SF-36 and FACT-BMT and there was longitudinal recovery with clinical significance in the cohort. Compared to MSD-HSCT patients, HID-HSCT recipients demonstrated superior QoL performance in some subscales describing physical and mental wellness. Specifically, the difference in physical performance is more remarkable using FACT-BMT whereas that in mental wellness is more significant using SF36. In the subsequent stratified analysis, patients with a history of aGVHD or CMV reactivation demonstrated inferior QoL. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term survivors of HID HSCT achieved better QoL in some sub-scales compared to MSD HSCT. In addition, SF-36 and FACT-BMT demonstrated different performance thus combination of both improved capacity of the evaluation system.

Evaluation of quality of life and its influencing factors after transplantation of leukemia patients based on SF-36 score: a cohort study.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to clarify the short-term quality of life (QoL) of acute leukemia (AL) patients early after stem cell transplantation (SCT) and related predictors of QoL recovery. METHODS: We investigated adult AL patients who underwent SCT at the Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital after transplantation. Physical/functional and emotional/mental recovery were evaluated using the Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaire to identify its trajectory as well as related predictors for the physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS). The score was also used to establish a QoL prediction model. RESULTS: A total of 326 AL patients responded to our QoL survey. The results revealed the profile of patient follow-up from 2013 to 2015. Along follow-up after transplantation, there was a significant increase in PCS (p = 0.139) and MCS (p = 0.122). On multivariate regression analysis, apart from follow-up, marriage, financial situation, employment situation, and history of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) had clinical significance for both PCS and MCS. A prediction model for patient risk hierarchy estimation was further established. The logistic results revealed that the significant characteristics of patients with high PCS and high MCS were unmarried, without financial burden, reliable on drugs, and with history of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). CONCLUSIONS: This well-established study enabled evaluation of the QoL of AL patients post-HSCT in China. The established prediction model could provide more indications and insights into improvement in quality of life for better medical interventions.

Appoptosin interacts with mitochondrial outer-membrane fusion proteins and regulates mitochondrial morphology.

Mitochondrial morphology is regulated by fusion and fission machinery. Impaired mitochondria dynamics cause various diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. Appoptosin (encoded by SLC25A38) is a mitochondrial carrier protein that is located in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Appoptosin overexpression causes overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and caspase-dependent apoptosis, whereas appoptosin downregulation abolishes ß-amyloid-induced mitochondrial fragmentation and neuronal death during Alzheimer's disease. Herein, we found that overexpression of appoptosin resulted in mitochondrial fragmentation in a manner independent of its carrier function, ROS production or caspase activation. Although appoptosin did not affect levels of mitochondrial outer-membrane fusion (MFN1 and MFN2), inner-membrane fusion (OPA1) and fission [DRP1 (also known as DNM1L) and FIS1] proteins, appoptosin interacted with MFN1 and MFN2, as well as with the mitochondrial ubiquitin ligase MITOL (also known as MARCH5) but not OPA1, FIS1 or DRP1. Appoptosin overexpression impaired the interaction between MFN1 and MFN2, and mitochondrial fusion. By contrast, co-expression of MFN1, MITOL and a dominant-negative form of DRP1, DRP1(K38A), partially rescued appoptosin-induced mitochondrial fragmentation and apoptosis, whereas co-expression of FIS1 aggravated appoptosin-induced apoptosis. Together, our results demonstrate that appoptosin can interact with mitochondrial outer-membrane fusion proteins and regulates mitochondrial morphology.

Elevated Inducible Nitric Oxide Levels and Decreased Hydrogen Sulfide Levels Can Predict the Risk of Coronary Artery Ectasia in Kawasaki Disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a vasculitis disease in children that is associated with coronary artery ectasia (CAE). We investigated whether inducible nitric oxide synthase (i-NOS) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) could be used to predict CAE secondary to KD. We enrolled 65 children with KD (35 cases with CAE and 30 cases without CAE), 33 healthy children, and 32 children with fever but without vasculitis disease (febrile group). We measured plasma nitric oxide (NO), total nitric oxide synthase (Total-NOS), i-NOS, constructive nitric oxide synthase (c-NOS) levels, and H2S content in all patients. Plasma NO, Total-NOS, i-NOS, and H2S were higher in KD children than in healthy and febrile children (P < 0.05). The i-NOS level was higher in KD children with CAE compared to those without CAE, while the H2S was lower (both P < 0.05). Using a combination of i-NOS (higher than 10 U/mL) and H2S (lower than 3.31 µmol/L) to predict CAE had 80 % sensitivity and 81 % specificity (P < 0.05). Elevated plasma i-NOS and decreased plasma H2S levels in the acute phase of KD have good predictive value for CAE and may be used to guide appropriate clinical treatment and prevent future cardiovascular complications.

Plasma H2S predicts coronary artery lesions in children with Kawasaki disease.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine whether plasma hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a biomarker for predicting coronary artery lesions (CAL) in children with Kawasaki disease (KD). METHODS: A prospective study was conducted on 50 KD patients and 27 healthy children. Plasma H2 S was analyzed at the acute stage. Plasma H2S was detected using the sensitive electrode method, and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was carried out. RESULTS: Plasma H2S in KD patients at the acute stage was significantly lower than that of controls. CAL patients had reduced plasma H2S at acute stage compared with the non-CAL patients. A plasma H2S cut-off of 31.2 µmol/L provided a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 62.5% for predicting coronary injuries in KD. Optimal specificity and sensitivity were obtained when using plasma H2S to predict CAL in KD children. CONCLUSION: Plasma H2S level in the acute period is a potentially useful biomarker for predicting CAL in KD children.

A meta-analysis of re-treatment for intravenous immunoglobulin-resistant Kawasaki disease.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the optimal drug therapy for intravenous immunoglobulin-resistant Kawasaki disease. METHODS: Studies regarding drug therapy for intravenous immunoglobulin-resistant Kawasaki disease were selected from medical electronic databases including PubMed, Medline, Elsevier, and Springer Link. The effectiveness in terms of temperature recovery and coronary artery damage was compared between a second intravenous immunoglobulin treatment and glucocorticosteroid treatment for children with intravenous immunoglobulin-resistant Kawasaki disease using meta-analysis with Review Manager 5.3 software. Indices to evaluate the effects were body temperature, biomarker levels, and coronary artery lesions detected by echocardiography. Results are reported as relative risks or odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval and p<0.05. RESULTS: Meta-analysis included 52 patients in the second intravenous immunoglobulin treatment group and 75 patients in the glucocorticosteroid treatment control group from four studies that met our inclusion criteria. Temperatures of patients who received glucocorticosteroid treatment were effectively controlled compared with those who received a second intravenous immunoglobulin treatment (relative risk=0.73, 95% confidence interval: 0.58-0.92, p=0.007). There were no differences, however, in the incidence of coronary artery lesions between the two groups (odds ratio=1.55, 95% confidence interval: 0.57-4.20, p=0.39). CONCLUSIONS: Glucocorticosteroids are more effective in controlling body temperature compared with intravenous immunoglobulin re-treatment in intravenous immunoglobulin-resistant Kawasaki disease children; however, glucocorticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin re-treatment showed no difference in the prevention of coronary artery lesions.

[Treatment of Mild-to-moderate Bronchial Asthma (Heat Wheezing Syndrome) Patients at Acute Onset with Western Medicine Combined Danlong Oral Liquid: a Multi-center, Randomized Double- blinded, Positive-controlled Clinical Trial].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the efficacy and safety of Danlong Oral Liquid (DOL) combined Western medicine (WM) in treating mild-to-moderate bronchial asthma patients (heat wheezing syndrome) at acute onset. METHODS: Totally 480 mild-to-moderate bronchial asthma patients (heat wheezing syndrome) at acute onset were randomly assigned to two groups in the ratio 3:1, the treatment group (360 cases) and the control group (120 cases). All patients received basic WM treatment. Patients in the treatment group took DOL, 10 mL each time, 3 times per day for 7 days in total, while those in the control group took Kechuanning Oral Liquid (KOL) , 10 mL each time, 3 times per day for 7 days in total. Efficacy for asthma symptoms, lung functions and scores of TCM syndrome and/or main symptoms were evaluated. RESULTS: The percentage of clinical control and significant effectiveness of asthma symptoms in the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group (77.36% vs 56.07%, P < 0.01). The percentage of clinical control and significant effectiveness of lung functions in the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group (74.28% vs 50.00%, P < 0.01). The anterior-posterior difference in scores of TCM syndrome was significantly superior in the treatment group than in the control group (-11.26 ± 4.70 vs -9.21 ± 5.09, P < 0.01). The anterior-posterior difference in scores of main symptoms was significantly better in the treatment group than in the control group (-6.58 ± 3.08 vs -5.16 ± 3.45, P < 0.01). The incidence of adverse reactions was significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group [1.73% (6/346 cases) vs 10.17% (12/118 cases) , P < 0.05]. CONCLUSION: DOL combined WM was superior to KOL in treating mild-to-moderate bronchial asthma patients (heat wheezing syndrome) at acute onset.

Expression of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor detected by immunohistochemistry correlating with prognosis and metastasis in colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The potential of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) as a biomarker for colorectal cancer was studied. A prospective, randomized, controlled, clinical trial was conducted in 2013 and 2014 to confirm whether the expression of SLPI correlates with prognosis and metastasis in colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect SLPI expression in colorectal cancer. The expression of SLPI was scored by two pathologists independently. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using a Χ2 test to investigate the influence of SLPI on the pathologic characteristics of colorectal cancer. RESULTS: Compared with normal tissue, SLPI was overexpressed in colorectal cancer tissue. Overexpression of SLPI correlated with different grades (moderate or good differentiation: 2.7% low expression versus 97.3% high expression, low differentiation: 41.7% low expression versus 58.3% high expression), TNM stage (I or II: 4.2% low expression versus 95.8% high expression; III or IV: 19.7% low expression versus 80.3% high expression), lymphatic metastasis (18.6% low expression versus 81.4% high expression) and distal metastasis (86.5% low expression versus 13.5% high expression), but not with patient age or sex (P=0.613, P=0.871). CONCLUSIONS: Upregulated SLPI correlates with aggressive pathologic characteristics of colorectal cancer; SLPI could be used as an indicator of progression and metastasis in patients with colorectal cancer.

Inhibition of autophagy via activation of PI3K/Akt pathway contributes to the protection of ginsenoside Rb1 against neuronal death caused by ischemic insults.

Lethal autophagy is a pathway leading to neuronal death caused by transient global ischemia. In this study, we examined the effect of Ginsenoside Rb1 (GRb1) on ischemia/reperfusion-induced autophagic neuronal death and investigated the role of PI3K/Akt. Ischemic neuronal death in vitro was induced by using oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) in SH-SY5Y cells, and transient global ischemia was produced by using two vessels occlusion in rats. Cellular viability of SH-SY5Y cells was assessed by MTT assay, and CA1 neuronal death was evaluated by Hematoxylin-eosin staining. Autophagic vacuoles were detected by using both fluorescent microscopy in combination with acridine orange (AO) and Monodansylcadaverine (MDC) staining and transmission electronic microscopy. Protein levels of LC3II, Beclin1, total Akt and phosphor-Akt at Ser473 were examined by western blotting analysis. GRb1 inhibited both OGD and transient ischemia-induced neuronal death and mitigated OGD-induced autophagic vacuoles in SH-SY5Y cells. By contrast, PI3K inhibitor LY294002 counteracted the protection of GRb1 against neuronal death caused by either OGD or transient ischemia. LY294002 not only mitigated the up-regulated protein level of phosphor Akt at Ser473 caused by GRb1, but also reversed the inhibitory effect of GRb1 on OGD and transient ischemia-induced elevation in protein levels of LC3II and Beclin1.

Bowen's disease of the vulva and perianal area in a SLE patient successfully treated with Photodynamic therapy: A case report.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a non-invasive treatment modality for superficial skin cancers. It has the advantage of greater tolerance and providing better cosmetic outcomes than conventional treatment methods. Because of the rarity of extensive Bowen's disease located in the genital area, evidence of efficacy for therapies is mainly based on case reports and clinical experience. This report presents a case of a 32-year-old female with Bowen's disease of the vulva and perianal area with systemic lupus erythematosus successfully treated by 5-aminolaevulinic acid PDT. There was no evidence of recurrence after five-years of follow-up.

Occurrence, distribution and risk assessment of antibiotics and pesticides in mariculture area around Liaodong Peninsula.

Mariculture stands as a pivotal enterprise aimed at enhancing the quality of human existence. However, the utilization of antibiotics and pesticides in the mariculture process poses threats to both the environment and human well-being. Therefore, it is of great significance to investigate the occurrence, distribution and risk of antibiotics and pesticides in mariculture areas. In this study, 11 kinds of antibiotics and 12 kinds of pesticides were screened in four mariculture areas around Liaodong Peninsula in China. The pollution characteristics of pollutants were investigated in three different mariculture stages. The pollution in the reproduction stage was the most serious, indicating that mariculture may have a potential impact on the surrounding seawater. Health risk assessment results indicate that the pollutants have a significant risk to human health, therefore it is necessary to strengthen the control of chemicals used in mariculture in future.

The Molecular Mechanism of Radix Paeoniae Rubra.-Cortex Moutan. Herb Pair in the Treatment of Atherosclerosis: A Work Based on Network Pharmacology and In Vitro Experiments.

Radix Paeoniae Rubra. (Chishao, RPR) and Cortex Moutan. (Mudanpi, CM) are a pair of traditional Chinese medicines that play an important role in the treatment of atherosclerosis (AS). The main objective of this study was to identify potential synergetic function and underlying mechanisms of RPR-CM in the treatment of AS. The main active ingredients, targets of RPR-CM and AS-related genes were obtained from public databases. A Venn diagram was utilized to screen the common targets of RPR-CM in treating AS. The protein-protein interaction network was established based on STRING database. Biological functions and pathways of potential targets were analyzed through Gene Ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analyses. Cytoscape was used to construct the drug-compound-target-signal pathway network. Molecular docking was performed to verify the binding ability of the bioactive ingredients and the target proteins. The endothelial inflammation model was constructed with human umbilical vein endothelial cells stimulated with ox-LDL, and the function of RPR-CM in treating AS was verified by CCK-8 assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and qPCR. In this study, 12 active components and 401 potential target genes of RPR-CM were identified, among which quercetin, kaempferol and baicalein were considered to be the main active components. A total of 1903 AS-related genes were identified through public databases and four GEO datasets (GSE57691, GSE72633, GSE6088 and GSE199819). There are 113 common target genes of RPR-CM in treating AS. PPI network analysis identified 17 genes in cluster 1 as the core targets. Bioinformatics analysis showed that RPR-CM in AS treatment was associated with multiple downstream biological processes and signal pathways. PTGS2, JUN, CASP3, TNF, IL1B, IL6, FOS, STAT1 were identified as the core targets of RPR-CM, and molecular docking showed that the main bioactive components of RPR-CM had good binding ability with the core targets. RPR-CM extract significantly inhibited the levels of inflammatory factors TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, MCP-1, VCAM-1 and ICAM-1 in HUVECs, and inhibited endothelial inflammation. This study revealed the active ingredients of RPR-CM, and identified the key downstream targets and signaling pathways in the treatment of AS, providing theoretical basis for the application of RPR-CM in prevention and treatment of AS.

Research progress on elemental mercury (Hg0) removal in flue gas using non-thermal plasma technology.

Elemental mercury (Hg0) removal is a crucial target for mercury pollution control in flue gas. This article focuses on Hg0 removal in flue gas using corona discharge (CD) and dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) technologies, and provides a mechanistic perspective on the development and influencing factors of non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology for Hg0 removal. The influence factors include reactor configurations, power supplies, energy density, residence time, oxidation methods, gas composition, and the synergy between NTP and catalysis/adsorption, etc. This study reveals that the use of a pulsating electrical power supply significantly increases electron densities in both CD and DBD systems, thereby ensuring high energy efficiency and economic viability. Cl2 proves to be more effective than HCl as a chlorine source for Hg0 removal. NO significantly reduces Hg0 oxidation efficiency, while the effects of SO2 and H2O remain unclear. Energy density distribution is closely related to plasma devices, power supplies, and overall reactor configurations. Direct oxidation proves to be more effective than indirect oxidation for Hg0 removal. The combination of NTP with adsorption/catalysis technologies shows significantly better Hg0 removal efficiency compared to using NTP alone. This study can provide theoretical support for enhancing Hg0 removal mechanisms and optimizing process control parameters in industrial applications of NTP technology.

Evaluating the psychometric properties of the simplified Chinese version of PROMIS-29 version 2.1 in patients with hematologic malignancies.

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29-item Profile version 2.1 (PROMIS-29 V2.1) is a widely utilized self-reported instrument for assessing health outcomes from the patients' perspectives. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the PROMIS-29 V2.1 Chinese version among patients with hematological malignancy. Conducted as a cross-sectional, this research was approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of the Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (registration number QTJC2022002-EC-1). We employed convenience sampling to enroll eligible patients with hematological malignancy from four tertiary hospitals in Tianjin, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Anhui province in China between June and August 2023. Participants were asked to complete a socio-demographic information questionnaire, the PROMIS-29 V2.1, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G). We assessed the reliability, ceiling and floor effects, structural, convergent discriminant and criterion validity of the PROMIS-29 V2.1. A total of 354 patients with a mean age of 46.93 years was included in the final analysis. The reliability of the PROMIS-29 V2.1 was affirmed, with Cronbach's α for the domains ranging from 0.787 to 0.968. Except sleep disturbance, the other six domains had ceiling effects, which were seen on physical function (26.0%), anxiety (37.0%), depression (40.4%), fatigue (18.4%), social roles (18.9%) and pain interference (43.2%), respectively. Criterion validity was supported by significant correlations between the PROMIS-29 V2.1 and FACT-G scores, as determined by the Spearman correlation test (P < 0.001). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) indicated a good model fit, with indices of χ2/df (2.602), IFI (0.960), and RMSEA (0.067). The Average Variance Extracted (AVE) values for the seven dimensions of PROMIS-29 V2.1, ranging from 0.500 to 0.910, demonstrated satisfactory convergent validity. Discriminant validity was confirmed by ideal √AVE values. The Chinese version of the PROMIS-29 V2.1 profile has been validated as an effective instrument for assessing symptoms and functions in patients with hematological malignancy, underscoring its reliability and applicability in this specific patient group.

Profiles and transplacental transfer of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in maternal and umbilical cord blood: A birth cohort study in Zhoushan, Zhejiang Province, China.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) can pass through the placental barrier and pose health risks to fetuses. However, exposure and transplacental transfer patterns of emerging PFAS remain unclear. Here, 24 PFAS were measured in paired maternal whole blood (n = 228), umbilical cord whole blood (n = 119) and serum (n = 120). Orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was used to differentiate PFAS between different matrices. The transplacental transfer (TPT) of PFAS was calculated using cord to maternal whole blood concentration ratios. PFOS and PFOA were still the dominant PFAS in maternal samples. The emerging PFAS had higher TPT than PFOS and PFOA. Moreover, PFAS with the same chain length but different functional groups and C-F bonds showed different TPT, such as PFOS and PFOSA (C8, median: 0.090 vs. 0.305, p < 0.05) and PFHxS and 4:2 FTS (C6, median: 0.220 vs. 1.190, p < 0.05). A significant sex difference in 4:2 FTS (median: boys 1.250, girls 1.010, p < 0.05) were found. Furthermore, we observed a significant U-shaped trend for the TPT of carboxylates with increasing carbon chain length. PFAS showed a compound-specific transfer through placental barrier and a compound-specific distribution between different matrices in this study.

DNA-hosted fluorescent gold nanoclusters: sequence-dependent formation.

Various DNAs were employed as hosts to investigate the sequence-dependent formation of fluorescent Au nanoclusters (Au NCs) in aqueous solution. By comparison among hairpin DNAs (HP-DNAs) with a pristine stem segment and varied loop sequences, we found that the emission behavior of the HP-DNA-hosted Au NCs is dependent on the loop sequences. The most efficient host to produce fluorescent Au NCs is the cytosine loop. However, relative to the cytosine and guanine loops, the loop composed of thymine as well as adenine produces Au NCs with a much weaker emission. Additionally, the emission behavior of Au NCs hosted by the single-stranded DNAs (ss-DNAs) with an identical base composition to the corresponding HP-DNAs still exhibits a cytosine-rich dependence. The fully matched DNAs seem to be less efficient than the corresponding loop and ss-DNA structures. Furthermore, the emission properties of HP-DNA-hosted Au NCs can be modulated by the loop length. The sequence-dependent formation of fluorescent Au NCs is believed to be caused by differences in binding nucleophilicity of the DNA heterocyclic nitrogen and exocyclic keto groups to the hydrolyzed Au(III) species. This work demonstrates the role of sequence in producing Au NCs that could serve as promising fluorescent nanoprobes in biosensing and DNA-hosted Au nanomaterials.

Highly thymine-dependent formation of fluorescent copper nanoparticles templated by ss-DNA.

Double-stranded DNAs (ds-DNAs) have been identified as efficient templates favoring the formation of fluorescent copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs). Herein, we have tried to synthesize fluorescent Cu NPs using single-stranded DNAs (ss-DNAs) as templates and to identify the critical DNA sequences. By comparing the results using homopolymer DNAs, hairpin DNAs, and pristine ss-DNAs as templates, we found that DNA thymine base plays a dominant role in producing red-emissive fluorescent Cu NPs on ss-DNA templates. The thymine-dependent growth of the fluorescent Cu NPs is confirmed by Hg2+ mediated T­T base pair in comparison with the other non-specific metal ions, which could be developed into a practical sensor for turn-on fluorescence detection of Hg2+ with a high selectivity. The mechanism is briefly discussed according the DNA sequence-dependent formation of fluorescent Cu NPs. This work demonstrates the sequence role in producing fluorescent Cu NPs that could serve as promising fluorescent nanoprobes in biosensing and DNA-hosted Cu nanomaterials.

[Treatment of upper respiratory infection by fangfeng tongsheng granule: a randomized controlled study].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of Fangfeng Tongsheng Granule (FTG) in the treatment of upper respiratory infection (superficial cold and interior heat syndrome, exterior and interior excess syndrome). METHODS: A randomized, double-blinded, multi-centered, placebo-parallel-controlled clinical trial was adopted. Totally 324 patients were enrolled and assigned to two groups, 216 patients in the treatment group and 108 patients in the control group. Those in the treatment group took FTG at the daily dose of 3 g, twice per day, the therapeutic course being 3 days. Those with axillary temperature more than 37 degrees C took one more time before medication. Those in the control group took simulated agent granules the same dose and dosage as the treatment group. The effect of Chinese medical syndrome (ECMS), the rate of temperature-dropping-to-normal (RT), the time of temperature-dropping-to-normal (TT), the curative effect of single symptom (CESS) and adverse reactions were observed. RESULTS: Totally 203 completed the trial in the treatment group and 101 in the control group. In the treatment group, the cured-effective rate was 55.67% (113/ 101), the total effective rate was 93.10% (189/101), the ECMS score decreased by 9.24 +/- 4.46, while they were 5.94% (6/101), 36.63% (37/101), and 3.27 +/- 3.29, respectively in the control group (P < 0.01). The RT was 87.50% (98/112) in the treatment group and 58.49% (31/53) in the control group (P < 0.01). The TT in the treatment group was superior to that of the control group (P < 0.01). As for CESS, all of the three primary symptoms and nine secondary symptoms were improved more obviously in the treatment group than in the control group. The integral decreased obviously, showing statistical difference (P < 0.01). The decrease was more obvious in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.01). There was no adverse event related to FTG. CONCLUSION: FTG was effective and safe in treating upper respiratory infection (superficial cold and interior heat syndrome, exterior and interior excess syndrome).

Inhibition of secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) promotes the PUMA-mediated apoptosis and chemosensitivity to cisplatin in colorectal cancer cells.

BACKGROUND: Aberrant expression of Secretory Leukocyte Protease Inhibitor (SLPI) has been associated with human cancer growth and its suppression was identified as a potential target for anti-cancer drugs, particularly in colorectal cancer. However, the underlying mechanism by which SLPI affected the development of drug resistance in CRC remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the role of SLPI in the p53-up-regulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA)-mediated CRC cells' apoptosis and their chemosensitivity to Cisplatin. METHODS: A series of qRT-PCR and western blot analyses were performed to characterize the expressions of SLPI, PUMA, and Akt in CRC lines. Tunel, transwell, and CCK-8 analyses were monitored to define the impacts of the siRNA-mediated knockdown of SLPI on CRC cell development. Furthermore, in vivo development of CRC was evaluated in nude mice infected with siSLPI or Cisplatin alone or both, and Ki67 and caspase-3 immunohistochemistry assay was monitored on multiple tissue microarray from the same cohort. RESULTS: Our results showed that SLPI inhibition strongly promoted the expressions of the pro-apoptotic protein PUMA, cleaved-caspase3 and Bax and reduced the cell viability of HT29 and HT116 cell lines in vitro. In addition, siSLPI knockdown effectively suppressed both Akt and FoxO3 proteins and improved the sensitivity to cisplatin chemotherapy. Xenograft tumor assay revealed a lowered growth in mice treated with Cisplatin, while combined treatment of siSLPI achieved more significant anticancer effects than Cisplatin alone. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings demonstrated that suppression of SLPI might repress the growth of human colorectal cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. These results suggested SLPI as a novel resistance factor to Cisplatin, and a combination of Cisplatin and SLPI inhibitor be beneficial for colorectal cancer therapy.