Crystal structure and characterization of monascin from the extracts of Monascus purpureus-fermented rice.

We present a novel solid form of monascin, an azaphilonoid derivative extracted from Monascus purpureus-fermented rice. The crystal structure, CHO, was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and belongs to the orthorhombic space group P222. To gain insight into the electronic properties of the short contacts in the crystalline state of monascin, we utilized the Experimental Library of Multipolar Atom Model 2 (ELMAM2) database to transfer the electron density of monascin in its crystalline state.

Molecular Insights into Water-Chloride and Water-Water Interactions in the Supramolecular Architecture of Aconine Hydrochloride Dihydrate.

Despite the previous preparation of aconine hydrochloride monohydrate (AHM), accurate determination of the crystal's composition was hindered by severely disordered water molecules within the crystal. In this study, we successfully prepared a new dihydrate form of the aconine hydrochloride [CHNOCl·2(HO), aconine hydrochloride dihydrate (AHD)] and accurately refined all water molecules within the AHD crystal. Our objective is to elucidate both water-chloride and water-water interactions in the AHD crystal.

The bound polyphenols of foxtail millet (Setaria italica) inner shell inhibit breast cancer by promoting lipid accumulation-induced autophagic death.

Foxtail millet is a traditional excellent crop with high nutritional value in the world, belong to cereals. The bran of foxtail millet is rich in polyphenol that has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumorigenic effects. Previously, we extracted bound polyphenols from the inner shell of foxtail millet bran (BPIS).

Supramolecular structure, in vivo biological activities and molecular-docking-based potential cardiotoxic exploration of aconine hydrochloride monohydrate as a novel salt form.

Despite the high profile of aconine in WuTou injection, there has been no preparative technology or structural studies of its salt as the pharmaceutical product. The lack of any halide salt forms is surprising as aconine contains a tertiary nitrogen atom. In this work, aconine was prepared from the degradation of aconitine in Aconiti kusnezoffii radix (CaoWu).

Construction of EVA/chitosan based PEG-PCL micelles nanocomposite films with controlled release of iprodione and its application in pre-harvest treatment of grapes.

A novel nanocomposite poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (EVA) film with controlled in vitro release of iprodione (ID) was prepared. Chitosan (CS) was used as the reinforcement which enhances the water and oxygen permeability of films. ID loaded poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-PCL) (IPP) micelles were used as the drug carrier which endows the films with antifungal and controlled release ability.

Optimization of the traditional processing method for precision detoxification of CaoWu through biomimetic linking kinetics and human toxicokinetics of aconitine as toxic target marker.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: CaoWu (Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix), well known for its high toxicity leading to fatal ventricular arrhythmias, is detoxified by HeZi (Terminalia Chebula Retz) decoction to prepare ZhiCaoWu (Aconiti Kusnezoffii Radix Preparata) as one part of ingredients of NaRu-3 pill which is used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Aconitine (AC) is a highly toxic alkaloid of CaoWu and it is used as toxic target marker for the quality control (QC) of ZhiCaoWu. In the traditional processing method, the vanish of astringent or spicy feeling in tongue is the important detoxification indicator of ZhiCaoWu.

Optimization of maintenance therapy of Risperidone with CYP2D6 genetic polymorphisms through an extended translational framework-based prediction of target occupancies/clinical outcomes.

Risperidone, one of the second-generation antipsychotics, can efficiently target dopamine D and serotonin 5-HT receptors. There actually exists significant implication of CYP2D6 genetic polymorphisms on the metabolic kinetics of risperidone, little is known about the extent of CYP2D6 impacting human D2 and 5-HT2A receptor occupancies as well as the clinical efficacy and efficacy in schizophrenia treatment. Here we assessed the influences of CYP2D6 gene polymorphisms on human target occupancies/clinical outcomes and optimized the maintenance therapy of risperidone.

[Effect and Clinical Significance of Bortezomib and Thalidomide on the Memory T Cells Subsets and Regulatory T Cells in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Multiple Myeloma].

Objective: To investigate the effects of bortezomib(BTZ) and thalidomide(TM) on peripheral blood memory T-cells (T) and regulatory T cells(Tregs) in patients with multiple myeloma(MM).

Methods: Eighty-six MM patients received 2 courses of chemotherapy were divided into effective (partial response at least) group (63 cases) and ineffective (no partial response) group (17 cases) according to therapeutic efficacy; these 80 patients were divided into BTZ group (38 cases) and TM group (42 cases) yet according to therapeutic regimens, 20 newly diagnosed MM patients were used as baseline group, 30 healthy volunteers were used as healthy control group. The T subsets and Treg in peripheral blood of each groups were detected by flow cytometry.

[Establishment and Management of Multiple Myeloma Specimen Bank Applied for Molecular Biological Researches].

Objective: To establish a multiple myeloma specimen bank applied for molecular biological researches and to explore the methods of specimen collection, transportation, storage, quality control and the management of specimen bank.

Methods: Bone marrow and blood samples were collected from multiple myeloma patients, plasma cell sorting were operated after the separation of mononuclear cells from bone marrow specimens. The plasma cells were divided into 2 parts, one was added with proper amount of TRIzol and then kept in -80 °C refrigerator for subsequent RNA extraction, the other was added with proper amount of calf serum cell frozen liquid and then kept in -80 °C refrigerator for subsequent cryopreservation of DNA extraction after numbered respectively.

Activity of fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitors TKI258, ponatinib and AZD4547 against TPR‑FGFR1 fusion.

8p11 myeloproliferative syndrome (EMS) is a rare disease characterized by the constitutive activation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1). To date, four cases of EMS with the chromosomal translocation, t(1;8)(q25;p11.2), have been reported.

[Application Value of CD138 MACS-FISH in the Genetic Diagnosis of Plasma Cell Dyscrasia].

Objective: To investigate the cytogenetic characteristics of the various plasma cell dyscrasia using the CD138 MACS-FISH, to elucidate the application value of MACS-FISH in the genetic diagnosis of plasma cell dyscrasia, and to explore the standardization of FISH detection for plasma cell dyscrasia.

Methods: A total of 232 patients with newly diagnosed plasma cell dyscrasia were collected, including 203 cases of MM, 24 cases of AL amyloidosis and 5 cases of MGUS, whose cytogenetic abnormalities were detected by MACS-FISH, and the differences of the positive detection rates of chromosome karyotype analysis, C-FISH and MACS-FISH in MM cytogenetic abnormality were compared. The sensitivity of C-FISH and MACS-FISH were analyzed and compared according to the proportion of bone marrow plasma cells.

Potential Roles of Protease Inhibitors in Cancer Progression.

Proteases are important molecules that are involved in many key physiological processes. Protease signaling pathways are strictly controlled, and disorders in protease activity can result in pathological changes such as cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, cancer and neurological disorders. Many proteases have been associated with increasing tumor metastasis in various human cancers, suggesting important functional roles in the metastatic process because of their ability to degrade the extracellular matrix barrier.

Clarithromycin Synergistically Enhances Thalidomide Cytotoxicity in Myeloma Cells.

Clarithromycin (CAM) is a macrolide antibiotic that is widely used in the treatment of respiratory tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases and infections caused by the Helicobacter pylori and Mycobacterium avium complex. Recent studies showed that CAM was highly effective against multiple myeloma (MM) when used in combination with immunomodulatory drugs and dexamethasone. However, the related mechanism is still unknown.

Utilization of model-based meta-analysis to delineate the net efficacy of taspoglutide from the response of placebo in clinical trials.

The objective of this study was to develop quantitative models to delineate the net efficacy of taspoglutide on fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) from the response of placebo in type 2 diabetes patients, and further find pharmacodynamic potency of taspoglutide and FPG for half of maximum reduction responses of FPG and HbA1c, respectively. Several PD data about taspoglutide treatments for type 2 diabetes patients were digitalized from the published papers related with the clinical development of taspoglutide. The model based meta-analysis (MBMA) studies for FPG and HbA1c were performed with Monolix 4.

The efficacy of placebo-adjusted taspoglutide on body weight reduction in clinical trials.

Taspoglutide has elicited a long-lasting glycemic control effect with favorable body weight loss. The objective of this study was to develop a quantitative model to delineate the net efficacy of taspoglutide on body weight (WT) loss from the response of placebo in type 2 diabetes patients, and further find pharmacodynamic potency of taspoglutide for half of maximum reduction response of WT. Several PD data about taspoglutide treatments for type 2 diabetes patients were digitalized from the published papers.

[Research progress on multiple myeloma immunophenotyping and minimal residual disease detected by flow cytometry].

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a haematological malignancy characterized by the accumulation of monoclonal plasma cells in the bone marrow and remained incurable. Flow cytometry has been widely used in the detection of immunophenotype and minimal residual disease, diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of MM. Normal plasma cells and malignant plasma cells can be distinguished according to different cell surface antigen expression.

[Mongolian medicine cha gan beng ga regulated activity of biomarker PGC-1α].

Objective: To investigate the regulation of Cha Gan Beng Ga on the activity of biomarker PGC-1α in vivo and in vitro, and lay the foundation for studying the efficacy result of Cha Gan Beng Ga on xenograft tumor model and extracting active constituents.

Method: (1) The coarse powder of Cha Gan Beng Ga was extracted with 70% ethanol solution through heating and refluxing, and finally was used to freeze dry powder. (2) 50 mg x kg(-1) of freeze-dried power was orally administrated to KM and C57BL/6J mice once daily, lasting for 5 consecutive days; different concentrations of extracted materials was given to non-small cell lung cells A549.

[Pathogenesis of plaque destabilization induced by PM2.5 exposure and coping strategies].

With the increasingly more serious environmental pollution in China in recent years, effective intervention with PM25-induced health risks has become a major scientific issue to be addressed urgently in medical research field in China. NOD-like receptors (NLRs) are a family of cytoplasmic pattern-recognition receptors that have critical roles in innate immunity. On the basis of study progresses in international cardiovascular disease research "Fine particulate matter exposure is a modifiable risk factor for the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular diseases", and with reference to the current understanding of pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress in PM2.

Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of the anticancer effect of erlotinib in a human non-small cell lung cancer xenograft mouse model.

Aim: Erlotinib is used to treat non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which targets epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between erlotinib plasma concentrations and phosphorylated EGFR (pEGFR) levels, as well as the relationship between pEGFR levels and tumor growth inhibition in a human non-small-cell lung cancer xenograft mouse model.

Methods: Female BALB/c nude mice were implanted with the human NSCLC cell line SPC-A-1.

[Study of oral precancerous lesion and oral cancer by using micro PET/CT].

Purpose: To study oral precancerous lesion and oral cancer by using micro PET/CT.

Methods: Thirty-nine SD rats were divided into experimental group and control group. 33 of them were raised with a 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) solution with the concentration of 0.

Association among retinol-binding protein 4, small dense LDL cholesterol and oxidized LDL levels in dyslipidemia subjects.

Objectives: To investigate retinol-binding protein 4 (RBP4), small dense low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL-C) and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) levels and their associations in dyslipidemia subjects.

Design And Methods: We determined RBP4, sdLDL-C, ox-LDL levels in 150 various dyslipidemia subjects and 50 controls. The correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were performed.

A mechanism-based pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model for CYP3A1/2 induction by dexamethasone in rats.

Aim: To develop a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model describing the receptor/gene-mediated induction of CYP3A1/2 by dexamethasone (DEX) in rats.

Methods: A group of male Sprague-Dawley rats receiving DEX (100 mg/kg, ip) were sacrificed at various time points up to 60 h post-treatment. Their blood sample and liver were collected.

The level of native and oxidized lipoprotein(a) in children with nephrotic syndrome.

Objective: To investigate lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)], oxidized Lp(a) [ox-Lp(a)] and Lp(a) immune complex [Lp(a)-IC] levels in children with nephrotic syndrome (NS).

Design And Methods: Plasma Lp(a), ox-Lp(a) and Lp(a)-IC levels were determined in 106 NS children in acute-period, 42 in remission and 155 controls.

Results: Lp(a) and ox-Lp(a) levels were significantly higher in acute-period and remission NS than in control.

Lipoprotein(a) complexes with beta2-glycoprotein I in patients with coronary artery disease.

Aim: To investigate the possible mechanisms and association of increased complexes of β(2)-glycoprotein I with lipoprotein(a) [β(2)-GPI-Lp(a)] levels with the presence and extent of coronary artery disease (CAD).

Methods: β(2)-GPI-Lp(a) levels were measured in 116 patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), 72 patients with stable CAD and 100 control subjects.

Results: Compared to the control, β(2)-GPI-Lp(a) levels (expressed after logarithmically transformation: ACS, 0.