Mulberry leaf multi-components exert hypoglycemic effects through regulation of the PI-3K/Akt insulin signaling pathway in type 2 diabetic rats.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Phytochemicals have unique advantages in the treatment of diabetes due to their multi-target activity and low toxicity. Mulberry leaves, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, have been used in the prevention and treatment of diabetes for centuries. The main active ingredients in mulberry leaves with regards to the hypoglycemic effect are 1-deoxynojirimycin, flavonoids, and polysaccharides.

[Corrigendum] Role of cysteine‑rich angiogenic inducer 61 in fibroblast‑like synovial cell proliferation and invasion in rheumatoid arthritis.

Following the publication of the above article, an interested reader drew to the authors' attention that Fig. 4A on p. 921, showing the results from cell migration assay experiments, featured a pair of duplicated data panels.

Copper-Catalyzed Umpolung of -2,2,2-Trifluoroethylisatin Ketimines for the Enantioselective 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition with Benzo[]thiophene Sulfones.

A copper-catalyzed umpolung of -2,2,2-trifluoroethylisatin ketimines for the enantioselective 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with benzo[]thiophene sulfones was developed. Using a catalyst system consisting of an (,)-Bu-Phosferrox ligand, Cu(OTf), and CsCO, a range of pentacyclic spirooxindoles containing pyrrolidine and benzo[]sulfolane subunits were obtained in high efficiency with excellent regio-, diastereo-, and enantioselectivites under mild conditions. The practicality and versatility of the reaction were also demonstrated.

Ligustrazine protects against chronic hypertensive glaucoma in rats by inhibiting autophagy via the PI3K-Akt/mTOR pathway.

Purpose: Glaucoma is a leading cause of global irreversible blindness, and characterized by the progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Ligustrazine (TMP) is a natural product that has shown beneficial effects on various diseases. This study aimed to determine whether ligustrazine produces a therapeutic effect on glaucoma and to investigate its underlying mechanisms.

Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing of Circulating Tumor DNA Mutations among Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients.

Liquid biopsy through the detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has potential advantages in cancer monitoring and prediction. However, most previous studies in this area were performed with a few hotspot genes, single time point detection, or insufficient sequencing depth. In this study, we performed targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) with a customized panel in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients.

Ligustrazine induces viability, suppresses apoptosis and autophagy of retinal ganglion cells with ischemia/reperfusion injury through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.

Ligustrazine, an alkaloid monomer extracted from Chuanxiong Rhizoma, has the function of protecting nerve cells. However, the effect and mechanism of ligustrazine on retinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury still need to be clarified. In our study, retinal ganglion cells (RGC-5) were used to establish a retinal I/R injury model by anaerobic cultivation.

Antihypertensive Activity of Oliv: Male Flower Extract in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

Oliv. is a traditional medical plant in Asia; however, it is still unknown whether male flowers have an antihypertensive activity. In this study, we found that the aqueous extract of Oliv.

Kirenol Inhibits the Function and Inflammation of Fibroblast-like Synoviocytes in Rheumatoid Arthritis and .

Kirenol is a diterpenoid extracted from the Chinese herbal medicine . has been used to treat Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China for several centuries. RA is characterized by the proliferation of synoviocytes in inflamed synovia, as well as by their expression of inflammatory cytokines.

Role of cysteine‑rich angiogenic inducer 61 in fibroblast‑like synovial cell proliferation and invasion in rheumatoid arthritis.

Cysteine‑rich angiogenic inducer 61 (Cyr61) is a novel molecule that has been shown to be increased in the synovial tissues of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The present study was conducted in order to investigate the role of Cyr61 in the pathogenesis of RA. A human genome‑wide gene assay was used to screen gene expression in synovial tissues obtained from four patients with RA and three patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

Single-nucleotide polymorphism associations for colorectal cancer in southern chinese population.

Objective: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 11 loci that influence the risk of developing colorectal cancer (CRC). Given that these studies were conducted in European Caucasian populations, it is not clear whether the results are relevant for populations with different ethnicities. The aim of this study was to examine these associations in a southern Chinese population.

Aberrant methylation and downregulation of sall3 in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

Aim: To investigated whether sall3 transcription was regulated by promoter CpG island hypermethylation in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: The cell lines Huh7, HepG2, SK-HEP1, SMMC7721, Bel7402, QGY7703 and a cohort of 38 HCC tissue specimens and corresponding nontumorous tissues were subjected to analysis for sall3 promoter CpG island methylation and mRNA transcription. sall3 promoter CpG island methylation levels were determined using the MassARRAY platform and mRNA transcription levels of the gene were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

[Effect of monoclonal antibodies against LI-cadherin on the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells].

Objective: To obtain monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against LI-cadherin and investigate their effects on the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Methods: Balb/c mice were immunized with recombinant LI-cadherin, and hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies against LI-cadherin were established with routine cell fusion and subcloning approach. The specificity of these mAbs was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting.

TERC and TERT gene mutations in patients with bone marrow failure and the significance of telomere length measurements.

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is a rare inherited form of bone marrow failure (BMF) caused by mutations in telomere maintaining genes including TERC and TERT. Here we studied the prevalence of TERC and TERT gene mutations and of telomere shortening in an unselected population of patients with BMF at our medical center and in a selected group of patients referred from outside institutions. Less than 5% of patients with BMF had pathogenic mutations in TERC or TERT.

[Preparation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against RalB].

Objective: In order to explore the expression of RalB (ras related; GTP binding protein B) in mammal eucaryotic cell, we prepared and characterized monoclonal antibodies against RalB.

Methods: Hybridomas were generated by the fusion with Sp2/0 myelomas and spleen cells, which were from mice immunized with RalB recombinant proteins. The monoclonal antibodies against RalB were then used to identify the expression of RalB in mammal eucaryotic cell, including normal hepatic cell and hepatoma carcinoma cells, by Western blot and Immunohistochemistry.

Hypericin lights up the way for the potential treatment of nasopharyngeal cancer by photodynamic therapy.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves the administration of a photosensitizer followed by light irradiation with a specific wavelength, giving rise to irreversible tissue destruction. Hypericin, a herbal extract derived from Hypericum perforatum or St. John's Wort, has minimal toxicity but exhibits potent photo-damaging effects in the presence of light.

Complex inheritance pattern of dyskeratosis congenita in two families with 2 different mutations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene.

Heterozygous mutations in the telomerase components TERT, the reverse transcriptase, and TERC, the RNA template, cause autosomal dominant dyskeratosis congenita due to telomere shortening. Anticipation, whereby the disease severity increases in succeeding generations due to inheritance of shorter telomeres, is a feature of this condition. Here we describe 2 families in which 2 TERT mutations are segregating.

Telomerase reverse transcriptase haploinsufficiency and telomere length in individuals with 5p- syndrome.

Telomerase, which maintains the ends of chromosomes, consists of two core components, the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and the telomerase RNA (TERC). Haploinsufficiency for TERC or TERT leads to progressive telomere shortening and autosomal dominant dyskeratosis congenita (DC). The clinical manifestations of autosomal dominant DC are thought to occur when telomeres become critically short, but the rate of telomere shortening in this condition is unknown.