Significant association between methyl mercury level and latent tuberculosis infection risk: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the association between methyl mercury (MeHg) level and latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) risk based on the data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2011-2012).

Methods: A total of 5243 participants with 20 variables were enrolled. The importance of these variables on TB infection was first ranked by XGBoost and Random Forest methods.

Clinicopathological features, treatment modalities, and prognosis of esophageal neuroendocrine carcinoma: A single-center retrospective study.

Objectives: Esophageal neuroendocrine carcinoma (ENEC) is a rare cancer that is highly malignant and related to a poor prognosis. In this retrospective study we aimed to elucidate the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and management of patients with ENEC and to evaluate the potential prognostic factors.

Methods: Altogether 82 patients diagnosed with ENEC between January 2009 and December 2020 at the Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were retrospectively enrolled.

Cd(II)/Mn(II)/Co(II)/Ni(II)/Zn(II) Coordination Polymers Built from Dicarboxylic Acid/Tetracarboxylic Acid Ligands: Their Structural Diversity and Fluorescence Properties.

Six Cd(II)/Mn(II)/Co(II)/Ni(II)/Zn(II) coordination complexes are formulated as [Cd(X)(-O)] (), [Mn(X)(-O)] (), {[Co(Y)(4,4'-bpy)(OH)]·2HO} (), {[Ni(X)(4,4'-bpy)(HO)]·4HO} (), [Zn(-bdc)(bebiyh)] (), and [Cd(5-tbia)(bebiyh)] () (HX = 3,3'-(2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,4-phenylene) dipropionic acid. HY = 2,2'-(2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,4-phenylene)bis(methylene) dimalonic acid, bebiyh = 1,6-bis(2-ethyl-1H-benzo[d]imidazol-1-yl)hexane, -Hbdc = 1,3-benzenedicarboxylic acid, and 5-Htbia = 5-(tert-butyl)isophthalic acid) were obtained by hydrothermal reactions and structurally characterized. Complexes and have a 6-connected 3D architecture and with several point symbols of (3·4·5).

Monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio is significantly associated with positive QuantiFERON-TB Gold-In-Tube and adult survival: an observational study.

This study aimed to find significant factors associated with tuberculosis (TB) infection and disease development. The participants were from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and National Death Index (NDI). The tuberculosis infection was defined as a positive QuantiFERON-TB Gold-In-Tube (QFT-GIT).

Evolution of the CBL and CIPK gene families in Medicago: genome-wide characterization, pervasive duplication, and expression pattern under salt and drought stress.

Background: Calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) are ubiquitous Ca sensors that mediate plant responses to various stress and developmental processes by interacting with CBL-interacting protein kinases (CIPKs). CBLs and CIPKs play essential roles in acclimatization of crop plants. However, evolution of these two gene families in the genus Medicago is poorly understood.

An oxygen-adaptive interaction between SNHG12 and occludin maintains blood-brain barrier integrity.

Tight junctions (TJs) of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) play a pivotal role in maintaining the blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity; however, precise regulation of TJs stability in response to physiological and pathological stimuli remains elusive. Here, using RNA immunoprecipitation with next-generation sequencing (RIP-seq) and functional characterization, we identify SNHG12, a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), as being critical for maintaining the BBB integrity by directly interacting with TJ protein occludin. The interaction between SNHG12 and occludin is oxygen adaptive and could block Itch (an E3 ubiquitin ligase)-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of occludin in human BMECs.

Corrigendum: Potential Mechanisms of Action of Chinese Patent Medicines for COVID-19: A Review.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.

A review on the efficacy and safety of iodine-125 seed implantation in unresectable pancreatic cancers.

Pancreatic cancers are the common digestive system tumors with poor prognosis and due to its late diagnosis, surgical resection does not remain a viable treatment option in about 80% of patients. Amongst different treatment options, radioactive I seed implantation therapy has also emerged as a good alternative in non-resectable pancreatic cancer patients. The present review describes the efficacy and safety of iodine-125 seed implantation in unresectable pancreatic cancers in preclinical and clinical studies.

Enhancing cytotoxicity of daunorubicin on drug-resistant leukaemia cells with microparticle-mediated drug delivery system.

Multidrug resistance is considered as a major obstacle for effective tumour chemotherapy. With the ability to deliver drugs into tumour cells, microparticles may act as a drug delivery vehicle to overcome drug resistance. In the present study, we developed an approach employing daunorubicin-loaded microparticles to surmount the drug resistance in leukaemia.

Continuous Passive Motion After Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Associated Effects on Clinical Outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of continuous passive motion (CPM) after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and whether the use of CPM is related to improved clinical and functional outcomes.

Data Sources: A systematic MEDLINE search via Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and PubMed databases was conducted.

Study Selection: English-language articles published between January 2000 and May 2018 reporting the related clinical outcomes of CPM after TKA were included.

Endothelial Atg7 Deficiency Ameliorates Acute Cerebral Injury Induced by Ischemia/Reperfusion.

Ischemic strokes often result in cerebral injury due to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Although the local inflammatory responses are known to play a primary role in the brain I/R injury, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In the current study, we investigated the effect of brain endothelial Atg7 (autophagy related 7) depletion in the acute brain injury induced by ischemia and reperfusion.

Prognostic and predictive value of serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with epidermal growth factor receptor sensitive mutations and receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Background: Despite the widespread use of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in advanced or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), no biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of EGFR-TKIs in patients with EGFR-sensitive mutations have yet been identified. The purpose of our study was to explore the effect of baseline serum tumor markers in stage IIIB/IV NSCLC patients treated with EGFR-TKIs.

Methods: One hundred and seventy-seven patients with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC who harbored EGFR-sensitive mutations and were treated with EGFR-TKIs were retrospectively reviewed.

Identification and optimization of novel 6-acylamino-2-aminoquinolines as potent Hsp90 C-terminal inhibitors.

In order to discover novel Hsp90 inhibitors targeting the C-terminal ATP binding pocket, a novobiocin derivative based ROCS model was constructed for virtual screening. Compound 13 was identified as the lead compound and then systematical structure activity relationship (SAR) study was conducted. These efforts led to compound 69, which exhibited potent anti-proliferative activities against MCF7 and SKBr3 breast cancer cell lines.

[Preparation and antitumor effects of tanshinone ⅡA loaded albumin nanoparticles].

In this study, the tanshinone ⅡA loaded albumin nanoparticles were prepared by high pressure homogenization method. The formulation was optimized by central composite design-response surface method (CCD-RSM), with the particle size, encapsulation efficiency, and drug loading as indexes to investigate their in vitro anti-tumor effect. The results showed that the prepared nanoparticles had uniformly spherical morphology and uniform particle size distribution.

Significance of glucocorticoid receptor expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with pemetrexed-based chemotherapy.

Background: Pemetrexed is the preferred chemotherapy agent in the management of non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (non-sq-NSCLC), but lacks biomarkers predicting its efficacy. Dexamethasone, one of the premedications of pemetrexed, may downregulate p53 through the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). The purpose of our study was to explore the effect of GR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and its role in predicting pemetrexed efficacy.

Atg7 Regulates Brain Angiogenesis via NF-κB-Dependent IL-6 Production.

The formation of brain vasculature is an essential step during central nervous system development. The molecular mechanism underlying brain angiogenesis remains incompletely understood. The role of Atg7, an autophagy-related protein, in brain angiogenesis was investigated in this study.

A novel bispecific c-MET/PD-1 antibody with therapeutic potential in solid cancer.

The bispecific antibody is a novel antibody, which can target two different antigens and mediate specific killing effects by selectively redirecting effector cells to the target cells. Here, we designed and synthesized a bispecific antibody (BsAb) that can bind cellular-mesenchymal to epithelial transition factor (c-MET, overexpressed in several human solid tumor), and programmed death-1 (PD-1, involved in cancer cell immune evasion) with high affinity and specificity. We found that BsAb can induce the degradation of c-MET protein in cancer cells, including MKN45, a gastric cancer cell line, and A549, a lung cancer cell line.

Novel Tetrahydropyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidines as Potent Inhibitors of Chaperone Heat Shock Protein 90.

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) is a potential target for oncology therapeutics. Some inhibitors have shown antitumor effects in clinical trials, spurring the discovery of small molecule Hsp90 inhibitors. Here, we describe the structural optimization studies of a hit compound, tetrahydropyrido[4,3-d]pyrimidine-based Hsp90 inhibitor 15, which exhibits inhibitory activity against Hsp90.

Alterations in ACE and ABCG2 expression levels in the testes of rats subjected to atropine-induced toxicity.

Atropine-induced damage is associated with enzyme and protein alterations. The aim of the present study was to investigate atropine‑induced alterations in testicular expression levels of angiotensin‑converting enzyme (ACE) and adenosine 5'-triphosphate binding cassette sub‑family G member 2 (ABCG2) following atropine treatment. Male Wistar rats received 15 mg/kg/day atropine for 7 days; control rats received an identical volume of saline, Following treatment, the testes were harvested for immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization to examine the protein and gene expression levels of ACE and ABCG2 by digital image analysis.

NRF2 promotes breast cancer cell proliferation and metastasis by increasing RhoA/ROCK pathway signal transduction.

Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor (NRF2) is an important transcription factor in oxidative stress regulation. Overexpression of NRF2 is associated with human breast carcinogenesis, and increased NRF2 mRNA levels predict poor patient outcome for breast cancer. However, the mechanisms linking gain of NRF2 expression and poor prognosis in breast cancer are still unclear.

Optimization and biological evaluation of celastrol derivatives as Hsp90-Cdc37 interaction disruptors with improved druglike properties.

Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) as a molecular target for oncology therapeutics has attracted much attention in the last decade. The Hsp90 multichaperone complex has important roles in the growth and/or survival of cancer cells. Cdc37, as a cochaperone, associates kinase clients to Hsp90 and promotes the development of malignant tumors.