Trilobolide-6-O-isobutyrate suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma tumorigenesis through inhibition of IL-6/STAT3 signaling pathway.

Currently available therapies for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with a high morbidity and high mortality, are only marginally effective and with sharp adverse side effects, which makes it compulsory to explore novel and more effective anticancer molecules. Chinese medicinal herbs exhibited prominent anticancer effects and were applied to supplement clinical cancer treatment. Here, we reported a compound, trilobolide-6-O-isobutyrate (TBB), isolated from the flowers of Wedelia trilobata with a markedly cytotoxic effect on HCC cells.

Diosgenin exerts anti-tumor effects through inactivation of cAMP/PKA/CREB signaling pathway in colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the most fatal gastrointestinal tumor and it is urge to explore powerful drugs for the treatment. Diosgenin (DSG) as a new steroidal had been reported exerts anti-tumor activity in multiple cancers, including CRC. However, the potential mechanism of DSG suppresses CRC remains further to be revealed.

Generation of Transgenic Mice: A Tool for Inducible Gene Expression in the Liver.

The modification of the mouse genome by site-specific gene insertion of transgenes and other genetic elements allows the study of gene function in different developmental stages and in the pathogenesis of diseases. Here, we generated a "genomic safe harbor" () locus-specific knock-in transgenic mouse line in which the promoter is used to drive the expression of the reverse tetracycline transactivator (rtTA) in the liver. The newly generated transgenic mice were bred with ) mice to assess inducibility and tissue-specificity.

MiR-590-5p alleviates intracerebral hemorrhage-induced brain injury through targeting Peli1 gene expression.

Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) is a common and devastating cerebrovascular disease with high morbidity and mortality, and its pathophysiological mechanisms were complex and still unclear. Increasing researches reported that microRNAs (miRNAs) played an important role in ICH-induced brain injury and microglial activation. In this study, we investigated the biological function of miR-590-5p and explored its molecular mechanism in ICH mice.

Ternary Alloys Encapsulated within Different MOFs via a Self-Sacrificing Template Process: A Potential Platform for the Investigation of Size-Selective Catalytic Performances.

Functional nanoparticles encapsulated within metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as an emerging class of composite materials attract increasing attention owing to their enhanced or even novel properties caused by the synergistic effect between the two functional materials. However, there is still no ideal composite structure as platform to systematically analyze and evaluate the relation between the enhanced catalytic performance of composites and the structure of MOF shells. In this work, taking RhCoNi ternary alloy nanoflowers, for example, first the RhCoNi@MOF composite catalysts sheathed with different structured MOFs via a facile self-sacrificing template process are successfully fabricated.

Mapping the ecological dimensions and potential distributions of endangered relic shrubs in western Ordos biodiversity center.

Potential distributions of endemic relic shrubs in western Ordos were poorly mapped, which hindered our implementation of proper conservation. Here we investigated the applicability of ecological niche modeling for endangered relic shrubs to detect areas of priority for biodiversity conservation and analyze differences in ecological niche spaces used by relic shrubs. We applied ordination and niche modeling techniques to assess main environmental drivers of five endemic relic shrubs in western Ordos, namely, Ammopiptanthus mongolicus, Amygdalus mongolica, Helianthemum songaricum, Potaninia mongolica, and Tetraena mongolica.

[Risk assessment of renal dysfunction caused by occupational lead exposure].

Objective: To assess the risk of renal dysfunction caused by occupational lead exposure through epidemiological investigation.

Methods: The workers in a battery factory were selected as the subjects for the exposure and effect assessment. The occupational environmental monitoring data was collected and used to calculate the total external dose of lead.

[Risk assessment of nerve conduction velocity in workers exposed to lead].

Objective: To explore the dose-effect relationship between lead exposure and nerve conduction velocity, and to assess risk characteristics of nerve conduction velocity induced by lead exposure.

Methods: The external dose, internal dose (blood lead, urine lead) and the conduction velocity of peripheral nerve were examined. The benchmark dose of a population exposed to occupational lead was estimated to develop risk assessment of nerve conduction velocity in worker exposed to lead by use of BMDS (version 1.