Structure-activity relationship study of Pseudellone C as anti-glioma agents by targeting TNF/TNFR signaling pathway.

Glioma, a common primary brain tumor, is highly infiltrative and invasive, often leading to drug resistance and recurrence. Therefore, the development of novel therapeutic agents is urgently needed. Pseudellone C is a novel marine triindole alkaloid.

Stapling Cysteine[2,4] Disulfide Bond of α-Conotoxin LsIA and Its Potential in Target Delivery.

α-Conotoxins, as selective nAChR antagonists, can be valuable tools for targeted drug delivery and fluorescent labeling, while conotoxin-drug or conotoxin-fluorescent conjugates through the disulfide bond are rarely reported. Herein, we demonstrate the [2,4] disulfide bond of α-conotoxin as a feasible new chemical modification site. In this study, analogs of the α-conotoxin LsIA cysteine[2,4] were synthesized by stapling with five linkers, and their inhibitory activities against human α7 and rat α3β2 nAChRs were maintained.

Evaluation of Adrenal Incidentaloma.

Adrenal incidentalomas have increased due to advanced and more sensitive imaging modalities, their increased utilization, and the aging population. Most adrenal incidentalomas are nonfunctional and benign, but a subset of patients has functional and/or malignant tumors. The evaluation of patients with an adrenal incidentaloma involves addressing 2 clinical questions: (1) Is the tumor functional? (2) Is the tumor malignant? A careful history and physical examination focused on signs and symptoms of adrenal functional tumors, biochemical testing, and imaging features are the cornerstone in the evaluation of patients with an adrenal incidentaloma.

A mini case report: -induced metastatic neck abscess following laparoscopic appendectomy.

Common complications following laparoscopic appendectomy include wound infection, bleeding, intra-abdominal abscess, small bowel obstruction, stump leakage, and stump appendicitis. Here, we presented a case reporting detailing a rare complication following laparoscopic appendectomy: the development of a metastatic neck abscess induced by . A 49-year-old male underwent emergency laparoscopic surgery with prophylactic antibiotic administration for acute appendicitis.

Intranasal Delivery of Near-Infrared and Magnetic Dual-Response Nanospheres to Rapidly Produce Antidepressant-Like and Cognitive Enhancement Effects.

Restricted by synaptic plasticity, dopamine receptor (DR) upregulation takes a long time to work. Moreover, the impact of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) on delivery efficiency restricts the development of drugs. Taking inspiration from snuff bottles, a convenient, fast-acting, and nonaddictive nasal drug delivery system has been developed to rapidly reshape the balance of synaptic transmitters.

Importance of targeting various cell signaling pathways in solid cancers.

Most adult human cancers are solid tumors prevailing in vital organs and lead to mortality all over the globe. Genetic and epigenetic alterations in cancer genes or genes of associated signaling pathways impart the most common characteristic of malignancy, that is, uncontrolled proliferation. Unless the mechanism of action of these cells signaling pathways (involved in cell proliferation, apoptosis, metastasis, and the maintenance of the stemness of cancer stem cells and cancer microenvironment) and their physiologic alteration are extensively studied, it is challenging to understand tumorigenesis as well as develop new treatments and precision medicines.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer spheroids as preclinical models to test therapeutics.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is the most aggressive thyroid cancer. Despite advances in tissue culture techniques, a robust model for ATC spheroid culture is yet to be developed. In this study, we created an efficient and cost-effective 3D tumor spheroids culture system from human ATC cells and existing cell lines that better mimic patient tumors and that can enhance our understanding of in vivo treatment response.

Ultrasound assisted fabrication of the yeast protein-chitooligosaccharide-betanin composite for stabilization of betanin.

Betanin, a water-soluble colorant, is sensitive to light and temperature and is easily faded and inactivated. This study investigated the formation of yeast protein-chitooligosaccharide-betanin complex (YCB) induced by ultrasound treatment, and evaluated its protective effect on the colorant betanin. Ultrasound (200-600 W) increased the surface hydrophobicity and solubility of yeast protein, and influenced the protein's secondary structure by decreasing the α-helix content and increasing the contents of β-sheet and random coil.

Traditional Herb (Moxa) Modified Zinc Oxide Nanosheets for Quick, Efficient and High Tissue Penetration Therapy of Fungal Infection.

Fungal infection possesses the characteristics of high invasion depth and easy formation of a biofilm under the skin, which greatly hinders the treatment process. Here, traditional Chinese medicine moxa is carbonized and modified with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanosheets to synthesize carbonized moxa@ZnO (CMZ) with the dual response properties of yellow light (YL) and ultrasound (US) for synergistic antifungal therapy. CMZ with narrow bandgap can respond to long-wavelength YL that is highly safe and helpful for skin repair.

Multifaceted Applications of Ferritin Nanocages in Delivering Metal Ions, Bioactive Compounds, and Enzymes: A Comprehensive Review.

Ferritin, a distinctive iron-storage protein, possesses a unique cage-like nanoscale structure that enables it to encapsulate and deliver a wide range of biomolecules. Recent advances prove that ferritin can serve as an efficient 8 nm diameter carrier for various bioinorganic nutrients, such as minerals, bioactive polyphenols, and enzymes. This review offers a comprehensive summary of ferritin's structural features from different sources and emphasizes its functions in iron supplementation, calcium delivery, single- and coencapsulation of polyphenols, and enzyme package.

Advances in translational research of the rare cancer type adrenocortical carcinoma.

Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare malignancy with an annual worldwide incidence of 1-2 cases per 1 million and a 5-year survival rate of <60%. Although adrenocortical carcinoma is rare, such rare cancers account for approximately one third of patients diagnosed with cancer annually. In the past decade, there have been considerable advances in understanding the molecular basis of adrenocortical carcinoma.

Combination Inhibition with the Multitargeting Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Axitinib Shows Additive Anticancer Activity in -Mutant Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is uniformly lethal. mutation is present in 45% of patients with ATC. Targeted therapy with combined BRAF and MEK inhibition in -mutant ATC can be effective, but acquired resistance is common because this combination targets the same pathway.

Phytoferritin functions in two interface-loading of natural pigment betanin and caffeic acid with enhanced color stability and the sustained release of betanin.

Betanin, a natural red pigment, is sensitive and prone to fading and discoloration, affecting its stability and bioavailability. Phytoferritin is a nano-diameter protein with unique interior-/exterior-interfaces. By the unique interfaces and pH-induced self-assembly of ferritin, a ferritin-betanin complex (FB) with an encapsulation efficiency of 17.

Vertebral artery course variation leading to an insufficient proximal anchoring area for thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

Backgrounds: We aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of thoracic endovascular aortic repair for type B aortic dissection in patients with an insufficient proximal anchoring area due to the vertebral artery originating from the aortic arch.

Methods: In this study, we report two patients with type B aortic dissection who were complicated with left vertebral artery course variation. Specifically, the left vertebral artery originated from the aortic arch.

Extraction of weak hydrophobic sulforaphane from broccoli by salting-out assisted hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent extraction.

In order to extract sulforaphane (SFN) from broccoli via green and efficient ways, a novel method based on salting-out assisted deep eutectic solvent (DES) has been developed. Compared to known organic solvent- (such as dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, n-hexane, etc.) based liquid-liquid extraction, this new NCl-based DES method exhibited excellent extraction efficiency for SFN, including a significant improvement due to the salting-out effect of KHPO.

Phycobiliproteins, the pigment-protein complex form of natural food colorants and bioactive ingredients.

Currently, the use of synthetic pigments in foods is restricted since synthetic pigments are proven and suspected to be harmful to human health. Phycobiliproteins (PBPs), existed in phycobilisomes (PBSs) of algae, are a kind of pigment-proteins with intense color. The specific color of PBPs (red and blue) is given by the water-soluble open-chained tetrapyrrole chromophore (phycobilin) that covalently attaches to the apo-protein thioether linkages to cysteine residues.

Density Alters Impacts of Genotypic Evenness on Productivity in an Experimental Plant Population.

Genetic diversity plays important roles in maintaining population productivity. While the impact of genotypic richness on productivity has been extensively tested, the role of genotypic evenness has not been considered. Plant density can also affect population productivity, but its interaction with genotypic diversity has not been tested.

Percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy in the management of early acute superior mesenteric artery embolism.

Purpose: This study was performed to summarize our experience in the management of early-stage acute superior mesenteric artery embolism (ASMAE) by percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy (PMT).

Methods: The clinical data of 12 patients with early-stage ASMAE treated by PMT in our institution from November 2019 to September 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients had no obvious evidence of bowel infarction as shown by peritoneal puncture and computed tomography angiography.

Deficiency of N-glycanase 1 perturbs neurogenesis and cerebral development modeled by human organoids.

Mutations in N-glycanase 1 (NGLY1), which deglycosylates misfolded glycoproteins for degradation, can cause NGLY1 deficiency in patients and their abnormal fetal development in multiple organs, including microcephaly and other neurological disorders. Using cerebral organoids (COs) developed from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), we investigate how NGLY1 dysfunction disturbs early brain development. While NGLY1 loss had limited impact on the undifferentiated cells, COs developed from NGLY1-deficient hESCs showed defective formation of SATB2-positive upper-layer neurons, and attenuation of STAT3 and HES1 signaling critical for sustaining radial glia.

Chaotrope-Controlled Fabrication of Ferritin-Salvianolic Acid B- Epigallocatechin Gallate Three-Layer Nanoparticle by the Flexibility of Ferritin Channels.

Phytoferritin has a natural cagelike architecture for carrying bioactive molecules, and it is uniquely suited to function as a carrier due to its multiple interfaces and channels. In this study, a novel approach was proposed to prepare ferritin-salvianolic acid B-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) three-layer nanoparticles (FSE) through the steric hindrance of ferritin channels. Urea (30 mM) could expand the ferritin channel size evidenced by the improved iron release rate and promote the EGCG penetration into the ferritin cavity without disassembly of the ferritin cage.

Limb Remote Ischemic Conditioning Ameliorates Cognitive Impairment in Rats with Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion by Regulating Glucose Transport.

Cognitive impairment is closely associated with the slowing of glucose metabolism in the brain. Glucose transport, a rate-limiting step of glucose metabolism, plays a key role in this phenomenon. Previous studies have reported that limb remote ischemic conditioning (LRIC) improves cognitive performance in rats with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH).

Pseudoaneurysm as a rare complication in the treatment of superior mesenteric artery embolism via percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy: a case report.

Percutaneous mechanical thrombectomy is a safe and effective treatment for addressing thrombosis in various embolic diseases. In recent years, this approach has also been actively applied in the management of acute embolic occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery. A pseudoaneurysm as a complication of this operation is remarkably rare.

Prospects of Directly Reprogrammed Adult Human Neurons for Neurodegenerative Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery: iN vs. iPSCs Models.

A reliable disease model is critical to the study of specific disease mechanisms as well as for the discovery and development of new drugs. Despite providing crucial insights into the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases, translation of this information to develop therapeutics in clinical trials have been unsuccessful. Reprogramming technology to convert adult somatic cells to induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) or directly reprogramming adult somatic cells to induced Neurons (iN), has allowed for the creation of better models to understand the molecular mechanisms and design of new drugs.