HDGF stimulates liver tumorigenesis by enhancing reactive oxygen species generation in mitochondria.

Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) overexpression and uncontrolled reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation are involved in malignant transformation and poor prognosis in various types of cancer. However, the interplay between HDGF and ROS generation has not been elucidated in hepatocellular carcinoma. Here, we first analyzed the profile of HDGF expression and ROS production in newly generated orthotopic hepatomas by ultrasound-guided implantation. In situ superoxide detection showed that HDGF-overexpressing hepatomas had significantly elevated ROS levels compared with adjacent nontumor tissues. Consistently, liver tissues from HDGF-deficient mice exhibited lower ROS fluorescence than those from age- and sex-matched WT mice. ROS-detecting fluorescent dyes and flow cytometry revealed that recombinant HDGF (rHDGF) stimulated the production of superoxide anion, hydrogen peroxide, and mitochondrial ROS generation in cultured hepatoma cells in a dose-dependent manner. In contrast, the inactive Ser103Ala rHDGF mutant failed to promote ROS generation or oncogenic behaviors. Seahorse metabolic flux assays revealed that rHDGF dose dependently upregulated bioenergetics through enhanced basal and total oxygen consumption rate, extracellular acidification rate, and oxidative phosphorylation in hepatoma cells. Moreover, antioxidants of N-acetyl cysteine and MitoQ treatment significantly inhibited HDGF-mediated cell proliferation and invasive capacity. Genetic silencing of superoxide dismutase 2 augmented the HDGF-induced ROS generation and oncogenic behaviors of hepatoma cells. Finally, genetic knockdown nucleolin (NCL) and antibody neutralization of surface NCL, the HDGF receptor, abolished the HDGF-induced increase in ROS and mitochondrial energetics. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated for the first time that the HDGF/NCL signaling axis induces ROS generation by elevating ROS generation in mitochondria, thereby stimulating liver carcinogenesis.

Marine Prostanoids with Cytotoxic Activity from Octocoral Clavularia spp.

Octocoral of the genus Clavularia is a kind of marine invertebrate possessing abundant cytotoxic secondary metabolites, such as prostanoids and dolabellanes. In our continuous natural product study of C. spp., two previously undescribed prostanoids [clavulone I-15-one (1) and 12-O-deacetylclavulone I (2)] and eleven known analogs (3-13) were identified. The structures of these new compounds were elucidated based on analysis of their 1D and 2D NMR, HRESIMS, and IR data. Additionally, all tested prostanoids (1 and 3-13) showed potent cytotoxic activities against the human oral cancer cell line (Ca9-22). The major compound 3 showed cytotoxic activity against the Ca9-22 cells with the IC50 value of 2.11 ± 0.03 µg/mL, which echoes the cytotoxic effect of the coral extract. In addition, in silico tools were used to predict the possible effects of isolated compounds on human tumor cell lines and nitric oxide production, as well as the pharmacological potentials.

Development of the Parental Experience with Care for Children with Serious Illnesses (PRECIOUS) quality of care measure.

BACKGROUND: Parent-reported experience measures are part of pediatric Quality of Care (QoC) assessments. However, existing measures were not developed for use across multiple healthcare settings or throughout the illness trajectory of seriously ill children. Formative work involving in-depth interviews with parents of children with serious illnesses generated 66 draft items describing key QoC processes. Our present aim is to develop a comprehensive parent-reported experience measure of QoC for children with serious illnesses and evaluate its content validity and feasibility. METHODS: For evaluating content validity, we conducted a three-round Delphi expert panel review with 24 multi-disciplinary experts. Next, we pre-tested the items and instructions with 12 parents via cognitive interviews to refine clarity and understandability. Finally, we pilot-tested the full measure with 30 parents using self-administered online surveys to finalize the structure and content. RESULTS: The Delphi expert panel review reached consensus on 68 items. Pre-testing with parents of seriously ill children led to consolidation of some items. Pilot-testing supported feasibility of the measure, resulting in a comprehensive measure comprising 56 process assessment items, categorized under ten subthemes and four themes: (1) Professional qualities of healthcare workers, (2) Supporting parent-caregivers, (3) Collaborative and holistic care, and (4) Efficient healthcare structures and standards. We named this measure the PaRental Experience with care for Children with serIOUS illnesses (PRECIOUS). CONCLUSIONS: PRECIOUS is the first comprehensive measure and has the potential to standardize assessment of QoC for seriously ill children from parental perspectives. PRECIOUS allows for QoC process evaluation across contexts (such as geographic location or care setting), different healthcare workers, and over the illness trajectory for children suffering from a range of serious illnesses.

Sodium-Glucose Co-Transporter-2 Inhibitor Empagliflozin Attenuates Sorafenib-Induced Myocardial Inflammation and Toxicity.

Environmental antineoplastics such as sorafenib may pose a risk to humans through water recycling, and the increased risk of cardiotoxicity is a clinical issue in sorafenib users. Thus, developing strategies to prevent sorafenib cardiotoxicity is an urgent work. Empagliflozin, as a sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor for type 2 diabetes control, has been approved for heart failure therapy. Still, its cardioprotective effect in the experimental model of sorafenib cardiotoxicity has not yet been reported. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR), immunoblot, and immunohistochemical analyses were applied to study the effect of sorafenib exposure on cardiac SGLT2 expression. The impact of empagliflozin on cell viability was investigated in the sorafenib-treated cardiomyocytes using Alamar blue assay. Immunoblot analysis was employed to delineate the effect of sorafenib and empagliflozin on ferroptosis/proinflammatory signaling in cardiomyocytes. Ferroptosis/DNA damage/fibrosis/inflammation of myocardial tissues was studied in mice with a 28-day sorafenib ± empagliflozin treatment using histological analyses. Sorafenib exposure significantly promoted SGLT2 upregulation in cardiomyocytes and mouse hearts. Empagliflozin treatment significantly attenuated the sorafenib-induced cytotoxicity/DNA damage/fibrosis in cardiomyocytes and mouse hearts. Moreover, GPX4/xCT-dependent ferroptosis as an inducer for releasing high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) was also blocked by empagliflozin administration in the sorafenib-treated cardiomyocytes and myocardial tissues. Furthermore, empagliflozin treatment significantly inhibited the sorafenib-promoted NFκB/HMGB1 axis in cardiomyocytes and myocardial tissues, and sorafenib-stimulated proinflammatory signaling (TNF-α/IL-1ß/IL-6) was repressed by empagliflozin administration. Finally, empagliflozin treatment significantly attenuated the sorafenib-promoted macrophage recruitments in mouse hearts. In conclusion, empagliflozin may act as a cardioprotective agent for humans under sorafenib exposure by modulating ferroptosis/DNA damage/fibrosis/inflammation. However, further clinical evidence is required to support this preclinical finding.

The prognosis of patients with small cell carcinoma of the cervix: a retrospective study of the SEER database and a Chinese multicentre registry.

BACKGROUND: Small cell carcinoma of the cervix is a rare but poor prognosis pathological type of cervical cancer, for which advice in clinical guidelines is unspecific. We therefore aimed to investigate the factors and treatment methods that affect the prognosis of patients with small cell carcinoma of the cervix. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we collected data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) 18 registries cohort and a Chinese multi-institutional registry. The SEER cohort included females diagnosed with small cell carcinoma of the cervix between Jan 1, 2000, and Dec 31, 2018, whereas the Chinese cohort included women diagnosed between Jun 1, 2006, and April 30, 2022. In both cohorts, eligibility was limited to female patients older than 20 years with a confirmed diagnosis of small cell carcinoma of the cervix. Participants who were lost to follow-up or those for whom small cell carcinoma of the cervix was not the primary malignant tumour were excluded from the multi-institutional registry, and those with an unknown surgery status (in addition to those for whom small cell carcinoma of the cervix was not the primary malignant tumour) were excluded from the SEER data. The primary outcome of this study was overall survival (length of time from the date of first diagnosis until the date of death from any cause, or the last follow-up). Kaplan-Meier analysis, propensity score matching, and Cox-regression analyses were used to assess treatment outcomes and risk factors. FINDINGS: 1288 participants were included in the study; 610 in the SEER cohort and 678 in the Chinese cohort. Both univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis (SEER hazard ratio [HR] 0·65 [95% CI 0·48-0·88], p=0·0058; China HR 0·53 [0·37-0·76], p=0·0005) showed that surgery was associated with a better prognosis. In subgroup analyses, surgery remained a protective factor for patients with locally advanced disease in both cohorts (SEER HR 0·61 [95% CI 0·39-0·94], p=0·024; China HR 0·59 [0·37-0·95]; p=0·029). Furthermore, the protective effect of surgery was observed among patients with locally advanced disease after propensity score matching in the SEER cohort (HR 0·52 [95% CI 0·32-0·84]; p=0·0077). In the China registry, surgery was associated with better outcomes in patients with stage IB3-IIA2 cancer (HR 0·17 [95% CI 0·05-0·50]; p=0·0015). INTERPRETATION: This study provides evidence that surgery improves outcomes of patients with small cell carcinoma of the cervix. Although guidelines recommend non-surgical methods as first-line treatment, patients with locally advanced disease or stage IB3-IIA2 cancer might benefit from surgery. FUNDING: The National Key R&D Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Chaperonin counteracts diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by aiding sirtuin 3 in the control of fatty acid oxidation.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: The mitochondrial chaperonin heat shock protein (HSP) 60 is indispensable in protein folding and the mitochondrial stress response; however, its role in nutrient metabolism remains uncertain. This study investigated the role of HSP60 in diet-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). METHODS: We studied human biopsies from individuals with NAFLD, murine high-fat-diet (HFD; a diet with 60% energy from fat)-induced obesity (DIO), transgenic (Tg) mice overexpressing Hsp60 (Hsp60-Tg), and human HepG2 cells transfected with HSP60 cDNA or with HSP60 siRNA. Histomorphometry was used to assess hepatic steatosis, biochemistry kits were used to measure insulin resistance and glucose tolerance, and an automated home cage phenotyping system was used to assess energy expenditure. Body fat was assessed using MRI. Macrophage infiltration, the lipid oxidation marker 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) and the oxidative damage marker 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were detected using immunohistochemistry. Intracellular lipid droplets were evaluated by Nile red staining. Expression of HSP60, and markers of lipogenesis and fatty acid oxidation were quantified using RT-PCR and immunoblotting. Investigations were analysed using the two-way ANOVA test. RESULTS: Decreased HSP60 expression correlated with severe steatosis in human NAFLD biopsies and murine DIO. Hsp60-Tg mice developed less body fat, had reduced serum triglyceride levels, lower levels of insulin resistance and higher serum adiponectin levels than wild-type mice upon HFD feeding. Respiratory quotient profile indicated that fat in Hsp60-Tg mice may be metabolised to meet energy demands. Hsp60-Tg mice showed amelioration of HFD-mediated hepatic steatosis, M1/M2 macrophage dysregulation, and 4-HNE and 8-OHdG overproduction. Forced HSP60 expression reduced the mitochondrial unfolded protein response, while preserving mitochondrial respiratory complex activity and enhancing fatty acid oxidation. Furthermore, HSP60 knockdown enhanced intracellular lipid formation and loss of sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) signalling in HepG2 cells upon incubation with palmitic acid (PA). Forced HSP60 expression improved SIRT3 signalling and repressed PA-mediated intracellular lipid formation. SIRT3 inhibition compromised HSP60-induced promotion of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα levels), while also decreasing levels of fatty acid oxidation markers. CONCLUSION/INTERPRETATION: Mitochondrial HSP60 promotes fatty acid oxidation while repressing mitochondrial stress and inflammation to ameliorate the development of NAFLD by preserving SIRT3 signalling. This study reveals the hepatoprotective effects of HSP60 and indicates that HSP60 could play a fundamental role in the development of therapeutics for NAFLD or type 2 diabetes.

Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cancer stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin 2 (LECT2) acts as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the antineoplastic mechanism of LECT2, especially its influence on hepatic cancer stem cells (CSCs), remains largely unknown. In The Cancer Genome Atlas cohort, LECT2 mRNA expression was shown to be associated with stage, grade, recurrence, and overall survival in human HCC patients, and LECT2 expression was downregulated in hepatoma tissues compared with the adjacent nontumoral liver. Here, we show by immunofluorescence and immunoblot analyses that LECT2 was expressed at lower levels in tumors and in poorly differentiated HCC cell lines. Using functional assays, we also found LECT2 was capable of suppressing oncogenic behaviors such as cell proliferation, anchorage-independent growth, migration, invasiveness, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatoma cells. Moreover, we show exogenous LECT2 treatment inhibited CSC functions such as tumor sphere formation and drug efflux. Simultaneously, hepatic CSC marker expression was also downregulated, including expression of CD133 and CD44. This was supported by infection with adenovirus encoding LECT2 (Ad-LECT2) in HCC cells. Furthermore, in animal experiments, Ad-LECT2 gene therapy showed potent efficacy in treating HCC. We demonstrate LECT2 overexpression significantly promoted cell apoptosis and reduced neovascularization/CSC expansion in rat hepatoma tissues. Mechanistically, we showed using immunoblot and immunofluorescence analyses that LECT2 inhibited ß-catenin signaling via the suppression of the hepatocyte growth factor/c-MET axis to diminish CSC properties in HCC cells. In summary, we reveal novel functions of LECT2 in the suppression of hepatic CSCs, suggesting a potential alternative strategy for HCC therapy.

Deciphering intratumoral heterogeneity of hepatocellular carcinoma with microvascular invasion with radiogenomic analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The recurrence and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are mainly caused by microvascular invasion (MVI). Our study aimed to uncover the cellular atlas of MVI+ HCC and investigate the underlying immune infiltration patterns with radiomics features. METHODS: Three MVI positive HCC and three MVI negative HCC samples were collected for single-cell RNA-seq analysis. 26 MVI positive HCC and 30 MVI negative HCC tissues were underwent bulk RNA-seq analysis. For radiomics analysis, radiomics features score (Radscore) were built using preoperative contrast MRI for MVI prediction and overall survival prediction. We deciphered the metabolism profiles of MVI+ HCC using scMetabolism and scFEA. The correlation of Radscore with the level of APOE+ macrophages and iCAFs was identified. Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) was applied to distinguish intrahepatic metastasis (IM) and multicentric occurrence (MO). Transcriptome profiles were compared between IM and MO. RESULTS: Elevated levels of APOE+ macrophages and iCAFs were detected in MVI+ HCC. There was a strong correlation between the infiltration of APOE+ macrophages and iCAFs, as confirmed by immunofluorescent staining. MVI positive tumors exhibited increased lipid metabolism, which was attributed to the increased presence of APOE+ macrophages. APOE+ macrophages and iCAFs were also found in high levels in IM, as opposed to MO. The difference of infiltration level and Radscore between two nodules in IM was relatively small. Furthermore, we developed Radscore for predicting MVI and HCC prognostication that were also able to predict the level of infiltration of APOE+ macrophages and iCAFs. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated the interactions of cell subpopulations and distinct metabolism profiles in MVI+ HCC. Besides, MVI prediction Radscore and MVI prognostic Radscore were highly correlated with the infiltration of APOE+ macrophages and iCAFs, which helped to understand the biological significance of radiomics and optimize treatment strategy for MVI+ HCC.

Genomic analysis of cervical carcinoma identifies Alpelisib as a therapeutic option for PIK3CA-mutant cervical carcinoma via the PI3K/AKT pathway.

Cervical carcinoma is a serious type of gynecological cancer that can affect women of all ages. Cervical carcinoma presents challenges for precision medicine, as not all tumors have specific gene mutations or alterations that can be targeted with existing drugs. Nonetheless, there are some promising targets in cervical carcinoma. Herein, genomic mutation data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Catalogue of Somatic Mutations in Cancer were used to identify genomic targets for cervical carcinoma. PIK3CA was the most mutant gene among the promising targets, especially in cervical squamous cell carcinoma, and the mutated genes of cervical carcinoma were enriched in the RTK/PI3K/MAPK and Hippo pathways. In vitro, PIK3CA-mutant cervical cancer cell lines showed higher sensitivity to Alpelisib than cancer cells without the PIK3CA mutation and the normal cells (HCerEpic). Protein-protein networks and co-immunoprecipitation of PIK3CA revealed reduced interaction between p110α and ATR in PIK3CA-mutant cervical cancer cells, which were sensitive to the combination of Alpelisib and cisplatin in vivo. Furthermore, Alpelisib significantly suppressed the proliferation and migration of PIK3CA-mutant cervical cancer cells via inhibition of the AKT/mTOR pathway. Overall, Alpelisib showed antitumor effects and enhance cisplatin efficacy in PIK3CA-mutant cervical cancer cells via PI3K/AKT pathways. Our study demonstrated the therapeutic potential of Alpelisib in PIK3CA-mutant cervical carcinoma, which provides insights into precision medicine in cervical carcinoma.

HPV-CCDC106 integration promotes cervical cancer progression by facilitating the high expression of CCDC106 after HPV E6 splicing.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) integration and high expression of HPV oncogenes (E6 and E7) are important mechanisms for HPV carcinogenesis in cervical cancer. However, the relationship between HPV integration and HPV E6 spliced transcripts, as well as the underlying mechanisms of HPV integration in carcinogenesis after HPV E6 splicing remains unclear. We analyzed HPV-coiled-coil domain containing 106 (CCDC106) integration samples to characterize the roles of HPV integration, E6 spliceosome I (E6*I), and high CCDC106 expression in cervical carcinogenesis. We found that E6 was alternatively spliced into the E6*I transcript in HPV-CCDC016 integration samples with low p53 expression, in contrast to the role of E6*I in preventing p53 degradation in cervical cancer cells. In addition, CCDC106 was highly expressed after HPV-CCDC106 integration, and interacted with p53, resulting in p53 degradation and cervical cancer cell progression in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, when E6*I was highly expressed in cervical cancer cells, overexpression of CCDC106 independently degraded p53 and promoted cervical cancer cell progression. In this study, we explored the underlying mechanisms of HPV-CCDC106 integration in HPV carcinogenesis after HPV E6 splicing, which should provide insight into host genome dysregulation in cervical carcinogenesis.

Multi-omics data reveals novel impacts of human papillomavirus integration on the epigenomic and transcriptomic signatures of cervical tumorigenesis.

Integration of human papilloma virus (HPV) DNA into the human genome may progressively contribute to cervical carcinogenesis. To explore how HPV integration affects gene expression by altering DNA methylation during carcinogenesis, we analyzed a multiomics dataset for cervical cancer. We obtained multiomics data by HPV-capture sequencing, RNA sequencing, and Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing from 50 patients with cervical cancer. We detected 985 and 485 HPV-integration sites in matched tumor and adjacent paratumor tissues. Of these, LINC00486 (n = 19), LINC02425 (n = 11), LLPH (n = 11), PROS1 (n = 5), KLF5 (n = 4), LINC00392 (n = 3), MIR205HG (n = 3) and NRG1 (n = 3) were identified as high-frequency HPV-integrated genes, including five novel recurrent genes. Patients at clinical stage II had the highest number of HPV integrations. E6 and E7 genes of HPV16 but not HPV18 showed significantly fewer breakpoints than random distribution. HPV integrations occurring in exons were associated with altered gene expression in tumor tissues but not in paratumor tissues. A list of HPV-integrated genes regulated at transcriptomic or epigenetic level was reported. We also carefully checked the candidate genes with regulation pattern correlated in both levels. HPV fragments integrated at MIR205HG mainly came from the L1 gene of HPV16. RNA expression of PROS1 was downregulated when HPV integrated in its upstream region. RNA expression of MIR205HG was elevated when HPV integrated into its enhancer. The promoter methylation levels of PROS1 and MIR205HG were all negatively correlated with their gene expressions. Further experimental validations proved that upregulation of MIR205HG could promote the proliferative and migrative abilities of cervical cancer cells. Our data provides a new atlas for epigenetic and transcriptomic regulations regarding HPV integrations in cervical cancer genome. We demonstrate that HPV integration may affect gene expression by altering methylation levels of MIR205HG and PROS1. Our study provides novel biological and clinical insights into HPV-induced cervical cancer.

Accuracy of Self-Injection Locking Radar System for Vital Signs Detection During the COVID-19 Pandemic at a Hospital in Taiwan: Measuring Vital Signs Accurately with SIL Radar for Hospital Healthcare.

BACKGROUND Self-injection locking (SIL) radar uses continuous-wave radar and an injection-locked oscillator-based frequency discriminator that receives and demodulates radar signals remotely to monitor vital signs. This study aimed to compare SIL radar with traditional electrocardiogram (ECG) measurements to monitor respiratory rate (RR) and heartbeat rate (HR) during the COVID-19 pandemic at a single hospital in Taiwan. MATERIAL AND METHODS We recruited 31 hospital staff members (16 males and 15 females) for respiratory rates (RR) and heartbeat rates (HR) detection. Data acquisition with the SIL radar and traditional ECG was performed simultaneously, and the accuracy of the measurements was evaluated using Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS To analyze the results, participates were divided into 2 groups (individual subject and multiple subjects) by gender (male and female), or 4 groups (underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity) by body mass index (BMI). The results were analyzed using mean bias errors (MBE) and limits of agreement (LOA) with a 95% confidence interval. Bland-Altman plots were utilized to illustrate the difference between the SIL radar and ECG monitor. In all BMI groups, results of RR were more accurate than HR, with a smaller MBE. Furthermore, RR and HR measurements of the male groups were more accurate than those of the female groups. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that non-contact SIL radar could be used to accurately measure HR and RR for hospital healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monthly runoff prediction based on variational modal decomposition combined with the dung beetle optimization algorithm for gated recurrent unit model.

Highly accurate monthly runoff forecasts play a pivotal role in water resource management and utilization. This article proposes a coupling of variational modal decomposition (VMD) and the dung beetle optimization algorithm (DBO) with the gated recurrent unit (GRU) to establish a new monthly runoff forecasting model: the VMD-DBO-GRU. Initially, historical runoff data are decomposed via VMD. Subsequently, the parameters of the GRU are optimized using the DBO, and the decomposed monthly runoff components are inputted into the GRU neural network. Finally, the predictions for each component are consolidated to provide monthly runoff predictions. The model is then validated using monthly runoff data from the Ansha reservoir in Fujian, collected from 1980 to 2020. The results demonstrate a higher prediction accuracy of the VMD-DBO-GRU model compared to BP, SVM, GRU, VMD-GRU, DBO-GRU, and EMD-GRU models, providing a new alternative for conducting monthly runoff prediction.

Novel treatment for refractory rheumatoid arthritis with total glucosides of paeony and nobiletin codelivered in a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system.

Patients with refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RA) remain a substantial clinical problem, while the overexpression of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) on their lymphocytes may contribute to resistance to anti-rheumatic drugs. This study aims to develop a novel treatment for refractory RA consisting of the combination of total glucosides of paeony (TGPs) and the P-gp inhibitor nobiletin (N), which are codelivered in a self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery system (SNEDDS). Based on the solubility, compatibility, and pseudoternary phase diagram tests, a nano-SNEDDS formulation composed of capryol 90-cremophor EL35-tcranscutol HP (CET) to codeliver TGP and N was developed, and this formulation increased the bioavailability of TGP by 435.04% (indicated with paeoniflorin). A modified adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) rat model was verified for the overexpression of P-gp in lymphocytes and resistance to methotrexate (MTX) treatment at the reported anti-inflammatory dosage. CET formulation not only increased the solubility and permeability of TGP but also inhibited the function and expression of P-gp, leading to enhanced bioavailability and intracellular concentration in the lymphocytes of AIA rats and consequently boosting the anti-arthritic effects of TGP. Moreover, TGP and N coloaded CET reduced the expression of P-gp in AIA rats partly by inhibiting the phosphorylated AKT and HIF-1α pathways. In summary, TGP-N coloaded SNEDDS is a novel and effective treatment for refractory RA.

Hepatoma-derived growth factor participates in concanavalin A-induced hepatitis.

Hepatitis is an important health problem worldwide. Novel molecular targets are in demand for detection and management of hepatitis. Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) has been delineated to participate in hepatic fibrosis and liver carcinogenesis. However, the relationship between hepatitis and HDGF remains unclear. This study aimed to elucidate the role of HDGF during hepatitis using concanavalin A (ConA)-induced hepatitis model. In cultured hepatocytes, ConA treatment-elicited HDGF upregulation at transcriptional level and promoted HDGF secretion while reducing intracellular HDGF protein level and cellular viability. Similarly, mice receiving ConA administration exhibited reduced hepatic HDGF expression and elevated circulating HDGF level, which was positively correlated with serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. By using HDGF knockout (KO) mice, it was found the ConA-evoked cell death was prominently alleviated in KO compared with control. Besides, it was delineated HDGF ablation conferred protection by suppressing the ConA-induced neutrophils recruitment in livers. Above all, the ConA-mediated activation of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)/interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß)/interleukin-6 (IL-6)/cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inflammatory signaling was significantly abrogated in KO mice. Treatment with recombinant HDGF (rHDGF) dose-dependently stimulated the expression of TNF-α/IL-1ß/IL-6/COX-2 in hepatocytes, further supporting the pro-inflammatory function of HDGF. Finally, application of HDGF antibody not only attenuated the ConA-mediated inflammatory cascade in hepatocytes, but also ameliorated the ConA-induced hepatic necrosis and AST elevation in mice. In summary, HDGF participates in ConA-induced hepatitis via neutrophils recruitment and may constitute a therapeutic target for acute hepatitis.

Coordination Polymer Derived Porous Carbon Activated in Situ by the ZnCl2 Dot: Capacitances Greatly Enhanced by Redox-Activity Additives in Electrolytes.

Herein, a 1D zinc coordination polymer [Zn(bibp)Cl2]∞ (CP-2-ZX) was assembled from the reaction of 4,4'-bis(imidazol-1-yl)-biphenyl (bibp) with ZnCl2. Through a calcination-thermolysis strategy, sponge-like highly porous carbon AC-Zn-CP was prepared by employing the coralloid sample of CP-2-ZX as the precursor. For comparisons, a series of activated carbon (AC-n) was obtained by the similar heating process on the mixture of bibp with ZnCl2 at different mass ratios. The results illustrate that the atomically dispersed ZnCl2 dot in the 1D chain of CP-2-ZX has an in situ activation effect on the generation of AC-Zn-CP, which can greatly promote the porosity and achieve high-efficiency utilization of ZnCl2. Therefore, the atomically dispersed activating agent provides a new method for environmentally friendly production of porous carbon materials. Significantly, the AC-Zn-CP electrode displays specific capacitance of 215 F g-1 in 3 M KOH solution, which will be largely promoted to 1419 F g-1 in the redox active electrolyte of K3[Fe(CN)6]/KOH. AC-Zn-CP also shows remarkable cycling stability (the capacity retention is 89.0% after 5000 cycles). Moreover, the fabricated symmetric supercapacitor owns a high energy density of 34.8 Wh kg-1 at 785.5 W kg-1. So, the AC-Zn-CP∩K3[Fe(CN)6] system has wide application prospects in supercapacitors.

Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of cervical cancer with different histological types: A population-based cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The prognostic impact and treatment responses among cervical cancer patients with different histological types remains inconclusive. To determine the prognostic effects of different histologic types, we identified 39,088 patients with a diagnosis of cervical cancer between 2004 and 2016 from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. METHODS: Variables related to the prognosis of cervical cancer were evaluated using log-rank method and univariate/multivariate Cox models before and after propensity score matching. RESULT: Of the 36,310 patients, Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) was the most common histological type (n = 27,043, 74.5%), followed by adenocarcinoma (AC, n = 7755, 21.4%) and adenosquamous carcinoma (ASC, n = 1512, 4.1%). Compared to SCC patients, patients with AC (HR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.09-1.20, P < 0.01) and ASC (HR = 1.28, 95%CI = 1.18-1.40, P < 0.01) showed significantly poorer prognosis. Subgroup analyses indicated that the differences in prognosis between AC and SCC were only observed in stage II and III patients (P < 0.01). In patients with concurrent chemoradiotherapy, survival rates of patients with AC were significantly worse compared with similar patients with SCC (HR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.03-1.27; P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The prognostic impact of histologic types among patients with cervical cancer depends on tumor stages and therapeutic approaches. Tailored treatment and follow-up planning need to be developed across patients with different histological types and stages.

Liver X receptors conserve the therapeutic target potential for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic multi-system autoimmune disease with extremely complex pathogenesis. Significantly altered lipid paradox related to the inflammatory burden is reported in RA patients, inducing 50% higher cardiovascular risks. Recent studies have also demonstrated that lipid metabolism can regulate many functions of immune cells in which metabolic pathways have altered. The nuclear liver X receptors (LXRs), including LXRα and LXRß, play a central role in regulating lipid homeostasis and inflammatory responses. Undoubtedly, LXRs have been considered as an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of RA. However, there are some contradictory effects of LXRs agonists observed in previous animal studies where both pro-inflammatory role and anti-inflammatory role were revealed for LXRs activation in RA. Therefore, in addition to updating the knowledge of LXRs as the prominent regulators of lipid homeostasis, the purpose of this review is to summarize the effects of LXRs agonists in RA-associated immune cells, to explore the underlying reasons for the contradictory therapeutic effects of LXRs agonists observed in RA animal models, and to discuss future strategy for the treatment of RA with LXRs modulators.

Dioscin ameliorates murine ulcerative colitis by regulating macrophage polarization.

Restoring immune balance by targeting macrophage polarization is a potentially valuable therapeutic strategy for ulcerative colitis (UC). Dioscin is a steroidal saponin with potent anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and hypolipidemic effects. This study examined the protective effect of Dioscin on UC in mice and explored the underlying mechanisms. Mice were induced colitis by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and concurrently treated with Dioscin oral administration. RAW264.7 cells were skewed to M1 macrophage polarization by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon-γ (INF-γ) in vitro, and received Dioscin treatment. The results showed that Dioscin ameliorated colitis in mice, reduced macrophage M1 polarization, but markedly promoted M2 polarization in mice colon. Dioscin inhibited mammalian target rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1)/hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) signaling and restrained glycolysis in RAW264.7; however, it activated mammalian target rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) signal and facilitated fatty acid oxidation (FAO). The modulation of mTORs signaling may inhibit M1, but promote M2 polarization. Furthermore, the effect of Dioscin on M2 polarization was neutralized by the FAO inhibitor Etomoxir and the mTORC2 inhibitor JR-AB2-011. In parallel, the inhibitory effect of Dioscin on M1 polarization was mitigated by the mTORC1 agonist L-leucine. Both JR-AB2-011 and L-leucine blocked the therapeutic effect of Dioscin in mice with UC. Therefore, Dioscin ameliorated UC in mice, possibly by restraining M1, while skewing M2 polarization of macrophages. Regulation of mTORC1/HIF-1α and mTORC2/PPAR-γ signals is a possible mechanism by which Dioscin inhibited aerobic glycolysis and promoted FAO of macrophages. In summary, Dioscin protected mice against DSS-induced UC by regulating mTOR signaling, thereby adjusting macrophage metabolism and polarization.

The diagnostic and clinicopathological value of trefoil factor 3 in patients with gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic value of Trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) and the correlation between TFF3 expression and clinicopathological features in patients with gastric cancer (GC). METHODS: PubMed, The Cochrane, EMbase, and Web of Science were retrieved comprehensively to collect relevant literature. The search ended on 31 May 2020. All data were analyzed using PubMed, The Cochrane, EMbase, and Web of Science were retrieved to collect relevant articles. All data from the included studies were subjected to meta-analysis using Stata 12.0 software. RESULTS: Seventeen studies involved 4654 subjects were included. For the diagnostic value of TFF3 for GC, the sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were 0.71, 0.80, and 0.80, respectively. For the clinicopathological value of TFF3, tissue TFF3 expression showed a higher risk of lymph node metastasis (OR 2.20, 95% CI 1.75-2.78, p < 0.001) and muscularis propria invasion (≥T2) (1.51, 1.13-2.03, p = 0.006), as well as worse TNM stage (2.26, 1.63-3.12, p < 0.001) and histological type (1.72, 1.34-2.20, p < 0.001), while no apparent relationship was found for serous membrane invasion (T4), venous invasion, and peritoneal metastasis. CONCLUSION: TFF3 may be a promising biomarker for GC, and the TFF3 expression is likely to be involved in the invasion, metastasis, and differentiation of GC.