From Xiaoke to diabetes mellitus: a review of the research progress in traditional Chinese medicine for diabetes mellitus treatment.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from insulin secretion defects or insulin resistance. The global incidence of DM has been gradually increasing due to improvements in living standards and changes in dietary habits, making it a major non-communicable disease that poses a significant threat to human health and life. The pathogenesis of DM remains incompletely understood till now, and current pharmacotherapeutic interventions are largely inadequate, resulting in relapses and severe adverse reactions.

PKC-ζ mediated reduction of the extracellular vesicles-associated TGF-β1 overcomes radiotherapy resistance in breast cancer.

Background: Radiotherapy is widely applied in breast cancer treatment, while radiotherapy resistance is inevitable. TGF-β1 has been considered to be an endogenous factor for the development of radiotherapy resistance. As a large portion of TGF-β1 is secreted in an extracellular vesicles-associated form (TGF-β1), particularly in radiated tumors.

[Effects of Rehmanniae Radix and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata on proteomics and autophagy in mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus induced by high-fat diet coupled with streptozotocin].

To compare the pancreatic proteomics and autophagy between Rehmanniae Radix-and Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata-treated mice with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM). The T2DM mouse model was established by high-fat diet coupled with streptozotocin(STZ, intraperitoneal injection, 100 mg·kg~(-1), once a day for three consecutive days). The mice were then randomly assigned into a control group, low-(5 g·kg~(-1)) and high-dose(15 g·kg~(-1)) Rehmanniae Radix groups, low-(150 mg·kg~(-1)) and high-dose(300 mg·kg~(-1)) catalpol groups, low-(5 g·kg~(-1)) and high-dose(15 g·kg~(-1)) Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata groups, low-(150 mg·kg~(-1)) and high-dose(300 mg·kg~(-1)) 5-hydroxymethyl furfuraldehyde(5-HMF) groups, and a metformin(250 mg·kg~(-1)) group.

Enhanced electrocatalytic performance of N-doped carbon xerogels obtained through dual nitrogen doping for the oxygen reduction reaction.

The development of high efficiency and low-cost electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is urgently desired for many energy storage and conversion systems. Nitrogen-doped carbon xerogels (NCXs) which have been successfully applied as effective electrocatalysts for the ORR have continued to attract attention due to their competitive price and tunable surface chemistry. A new dual N-doped NCX (NCoNC) electrocatalyst is fabricated as a carbon based catalyst though a facile impregnation of peptone in a precursor and ammonia etching pyrolysis method.

Optimal combination treatment regimens of vaccine and radiotherapy augment tumor-bearing host immunity.

A major obstacle to immunotherapy is insufficient infiltration of effector immune cells into the tumor microenvironment. Radiotherapy greatly reduces tumor burden but relapses often occur. Here we show that the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment was gradually established by recruiting Tregs after radiation.

PPARα Inhibition Overcomes Tumor-Derived Exosomal Lipid-Induced Dendritic Cell Dysfunction.

Dendritic cells (DCs) orchestrate the initiation, programming, and regulation of anti-tumor immune responses. Emerging evidence indicates that the tumor microenvironment (TME) induces immune dysfunctional tumor-infiltrating DCs (TIDCs), characterized with both increased intracellular lipid content and mitochondrial respiration. The underlying mechanism, however, remains largely unclear.

Naringenin Enhances the Antitumor Effect of Therapeutic Vaccines by Promoting Antigen Cross-Presentation.

Dendritic cells (DCs) can internalize and cross-present exogenous Ags to CD8 T cells for pathogen or tumor cell elimination. Recently, growing evidences suggest the possible immunoregulatory role of flavonoids through modulating the Ag presentation of DCs. In this study, we report that naringenin, a grapefruit-derived flavonoid, possesses the ability to increase the Ag cross-presentation in both murine DC line DC2.

Amorphous RuS electrocatalyst with optimized active sites for hydrogen evolution.

Transition metal chalcogenides have attracted much attention as high-performance electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Here, we synthesized an efficient HER electrocatalyst of amorphous ruthenium sulfide (A-RuS), exhibiting an overpotential of 141 mV at the current density of 10 mA cm and a Tafel slope of 65.6 mV dec.

An aqueous solution method towards SbS thin films for photoanodes.

An aqueous solution approach, integrating atomic layer deposition and chemical vapor deposition, is proposed to grow a high-quality Sb2S3 thin film. The Sb2S3 thin film is uniform and dense with a bandgap of 1.78 eV.

Large-Grained CuBaSnS Films for Photocathodes.

p-Type compounds CuBaSnS (CBTS) are extremely attractive materials for photocathode applications because of their suitable conduction and valence bands, earth-abundant sources, and environmental friendly nature. Herein, an inexpensive and reproducible aqueous solution approach has been developed to synthesize CBTS films with single-crystalline grains as large as micron scale. Because of the large crystalline grains, the as-grown CBTS films show excellent carrier mobility (1.

Naringenin as a potential immunomodulator in therapeutics.

Naringenin, a citrus flavonoid that possesses various biological activities, has emerged as a potential therapeutic agent for the management of a variety of diseases. Studies using cell culture system have shown that naringenin can inhibit inflammatory response in diverse cell types. Moreover, research using various animal models has further demonstrated therapeutic potentials of naringenin in the treatment of several inflammation-related disorders, such as sepsis, fulminant hepatitis, fibrosis and cancer.

Naringenin Ameliorates Radiation-Induced Lung Injury by Lowering IL-1 Level.

Radiation-induced lung injury (RILI) is the main complication of radiotherapy for thoracic malignancies. Since naringenin, a potent immune-modulator, has been found to relieve bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis by restoring the balance of disordered cytokines, we sought to determine whether naringenin would mitigate RILI and to investigate the underlying mechanism. Animals received fractionated irradiation in the thoracic area to induce RILI.

Naringenin Ameliorates Acute Inflammation by Regulating Intracellular Cytokine Degradation.

Ungoverned activation of innate and adaptive immunity results in acute inflammatory disease, such as bacteria-induced endotoxemia and fulminant hepatitis by virus infection. Thus, therapeutic control of inflammation is crucial for clinical management of many human diseases. In murine models of LPS- and Con A-induced liver injury, we found that naringenin, a natural predominant flavanone, is capable of protecting against lethality induced by LPS and preventing inflammation-induced organ injury.

Lysosome-oriented, dual-stage pH-responsive polymeric micelles for β-Lapachone delivery.

β-Lapachone (β-lap), a novel anticancer agent, is bioactivated by NADP(H):quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), an enzyme over-expressed in numerous tumors, including lung, pancreas, breast, and prostate cancers. Fast renal clearance and methemaglobinemia / hemolytic side-effects from the clinical formulation (β-lap-hydroxyl propyl-β-cyclodextrin complex) hindered its clinical translation. Here, we investigated a dual model pH responsive polymers for β-lap delivery.

Single-Molecule Imaging Reveals the Activation Dynamics of Intracellular Protein Smad3 on Cell Membrane.

Smad3 is an intracellular protein that plays a key role in propagating transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signals from cell membrane to nucleus. However whether the transient process of Smad3 activation occurs on cell membrane and how it is regulated remains elusive. Using advanced live-cell single-molecule fluorescence microscopy to image and track fluorescent protein-labeled Smad3, we observed and quantified, for the first time, the dynamics of individual Smad3 molecules docking to and activation on the cell membrane.

Naringenin prevents TGF-β1 secretion from breast cancer and suppresses pulmonary metastasis by inhibiting PKC activation.

Background: Targeting the TGF-β1 pathway for breast cancer metastasis therapy has become an attractive strategy. We have previously demonstrated that naringenin significantly reduced TGF-β1 levels in bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis and effectively prevented pulmonary metastases of tumors. This raised the question of whether naringenin can block TGF-β1 secretion from breast cancer cells and inhibit their pulmonary metastasis.

Is Intracranial Pressure Monitoring of Patients With Diffuse Traumatic Brain Injury Valuable? An Observational Multicenter Study.

Background: Although intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring of patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is recommended by the Brain Trauma Foundation, any benefits remain controversial.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of ICP monitoring on the mortality of and functional outcomes in patients with severe diffuse TBI.

Methods: Data were collected on patients with severe diffuse TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score on admission <9 and Marshall Class II-IV) treated from January 2012 to December 2013 in 24 hospitals (17 level I trauma centers and 7 level II trauma centers) in 9 Chinese provinces.

A dual character of flavonoids in influenza A virus replication and spread through modulating cell-autonomous immunity by MAPK signaling pathways.

Flavonoids are well known as a large class of polyphenolic compounds, which have a variety of physiological activities, including anti-influenza virus activity. The influenza A/WSN/33 infected A549 cells have been used to screen anti-influenza virus drugs from natural flavonoid compounds library. Unexpectedly, some flavonoid compounds significantly inhibited virus replication, while the others dramatically promoted virus replication.

Establishment of an orthotopic transplantation tumor model in nude mice using a drug-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line with a high expression of c-Kit.

The resistance of ovarian cancer to platinum-based chemotherapy is a critical issue in the clinical setting. The present study aimed to establish animal models to replicate this clinical condition, as well as to investigate the resistance mechanisms of ovarian cancer. A cisplatin (DDP)-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line, SKOV3/DDP, was screened, validated and injected subcutaneously into the neck of female nude mice.

Methodologies for the establishment of an orthotopic transplantation model of ovarian cancer in mice.

This study used different methods to establish an animal model of orthotopic transplantation for ovarian cancer to provide an accurate simulation of the mechanism by which tumor occurs and develops in the human body. We implanted 4T1 breast cancer cells stably-transfected with luciferase into BALB/c mice by using three types of orthotopic transplantation methodologies: (1) cultured cells were directly injected into the mouse ovary; (2) cell suspension was initially implanted under the skin of the mouse neck; after tumor mass formed, the tumor was removed and ground into cell suspension, which was then injected into the mouse ovary; and (3) a subcutaneous tumor mass was first generated, removed, and cut into small pieces, which were directly implanted into the mouse ovary. After these models were established, in vivo luminescence imaging was performed.

Polymeric micelles for enhanced lymphatic drug delivery to treat metastatic tumors.

Polymeric micelles have been proven to be a promising nano-sized system for drug delivery. Understanding its in vivo behaviors at the whole body, tissue and cellular levels is critical for translating this drug delivery system into clinical practice. In this study, the 14.

Vitamin C induces periodontal ligament progenitor cell differentiation via activation of ERK pathway mediated by PELP1.

The differentiation of periodontal ligament (PDL) progenitor cells is important for maintaining the homeostasis of PDL tissue and alveolar bone. Vitamin C (VC), a water-soluble nutrient that cannot be biosynthesized by humans, is vital for mesenchymal stem cells differentiation and plays an important role in bone remodeling. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the function and mechanism of VC in PDL progenitor cells osteogenic differentiation at the molecular level.

Chrysin promotes osteogenic differentiation via ERK/MAPK activation.

The effect of the anti-inflammatory flavonoid chrysin on osteogenesis was determined in preosteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. Results demonstrated that chrysin could induce osteogenic differentiation in the absence of other osteogenic agents. Chrysin treatment promoted the expression of transcription factors (Runx2 and Osx) and bone formation marker genes (Col1A1, OCN, and OPN) as well as enhanced the formation of mineralized nodules.

Naringenin decreases invasiveness and metastasis by inhibiting TGF-β-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer cells.

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) promotes cellular motility, invasiveness and metastasis during embryonic development and tumorigenesis. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathway is a key regulator of EMT. A lot of evidences suggest that this process is Smad3-dependent.

An anti-PSMA bivalent immunotoxin exhibits specificity and efficacy for prostate cancer imaging and therapy.

Prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is overexpressed on prostate tumor cells and the neovascular endothelia various solid tumors. A bivalent immunotoxin generated by fusing a fold-back single-chain diabody derived from the Fv fragments of an anti-PSMA monoclonal antibody with a truncated diphtheria toxin (DT) containing the activity and translocation domains [A-dmDT390-scfbDb(PSMA)] might be suitable for targeted therapy of tumors that overexpress PSMA. In this study, a PSMA-positive and a PSMA-negative prostate cancer cell lines were treated with immunotoxin A-dmDT390-scfbDb(PSMA) in order to study the tumor targeting specificity and therapeutic potential of the immunotoxin.