Enhancement of Radiation Sensitivity in Lung Cancer Cells by a Novel Small Molecule Inhibitor That Targets the β-Catenin/Tcf4 Interaction.

Radiation therapy is an important treatment choice for unresectable advanced human lung cancers, and a critical adjuvant treatment for surgery. However, radiation as a lung cancer treatment remains far from satisfactory due to problems associated with radiation resistance in cancer cells and severe cytotoxicity to non-cancer cells, which arise at doses typically administered to patients. We have recently identified a promising novel inhibitor of β-catenin/Tcf4 interaction, named BC-23 (C21H14ClN3O4S), which acts as a potent cell death enhancer when used in combination with radiation.

Systolic MOLLI T1 mapping with heart-rate-dependent pulse sequence sampling scheme is feasible in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: T1 mapping enables assessment of myocardial characteristics. As the most common type of arrhythmia, atrial fibrillation (AF) is often accompanied by a variety of cardiac pathologies, whereby the irregular and usually rapid ventricle rate of AF may cause inaccurate T1 estimation due to mis-triggering and inadequate magnetization recovery. We hypothesized that systolic T1 mapping with a heart-rate-dependent (HRD) pulse sequence scheme may overcome this issue.

Huangqi Jianzhong Tang for Treatment of Chronic Gastritis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials.

To assess the clinical effects and safety of Huangqi Jianzhong Tang (HQJZ) for the treatment of chronic gastritis (CG), three English databases and four Chinese databases were searched through the inception to January 2015. In randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing HQJZ with placebo, no intervention and western medicine were included. A total of 9 RCTs involving 979 participants were identified.

Cross-protection induced by Japanese encephalitis vaccines against different genotypes of Dengue viruses in mice.

Dengue viruses (DENVs) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) are closely related mosquito-borne flaviviruses that cause very high global disease burdens. Although cross-reactivity and cross-protection within flaviviruses have been demonstrated, the effect of JEV vaccination on susceptibility to DENV infection has not been well elucidated. In this study, we found that vaccination with the JEV inactivated vaccine (INV) and live attenuated vaccine (LAV) could induce cross-immune responses and cross-protection against DENV1-4 in mice.

Natural products for treatment of osteoporosis: The effects and mechanisms on promoting osteoblast-mediated bone formation.

Osteoporosis is a systemic metabolic bone disease characterized by a reduction in bone mass, bone quality, and microarchitectural deterioration. An imbalance in bone remodeling that is caused by more osteoclast-mediated bone resorption than osteoblast-mediated bone formation results in such pathologic bone disorder. Traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have long been used to prevent and treat osteoporosis and have received extensive attentions and researches at home and abroad, because they have fewer adverse reactions and are more suitable for long-term use compared with chemically synthesized medicines.

The "adaptive responses" of low concentrations of HBCD in L02 cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms.

This study aimed to investigate the "adaptive responses" of hexabromocyclododecanes (HBCD) at environmentally relevant concentrations in human hepatocytes L02. L02 cells were pre-treated with low concentrations of HBCD (10(-13)-10(-11) M), followed by treatment with high concentrations of HBCD, α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), or polybrominated diphenyl ether-47 (BDE47). The results showed that the pre-treatment with low concentrations of HBCD induced "adaptive responses" to high concentrations of HBCD/α-HCH exposure (but not to PCBs and BDE47), as evidenced by attenuation of survival inhibition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) over-production, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage induction.

The Success of Cataract Surgery and the Preoperative Measurement of Retinal Function by Electrophysiological Techniques.

Purpose. To study the effect of different electrophysiological methods to evaluate retinal function prior to cataract surgery. Methods.

Spatial Patterns and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Soils in a Resource-Exhausted City, Northeast China.

Northeast China is an intensive area of resource-exhausted city, which is facing the challenges of industry conversion and sustainable development. In order to evaluate the soil environmental quality influenced by mining activities over decades, the concentration and spatial distribution of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and Zinc (Zn) in surface soils (0-20cm) of a typical resource-exhausted city were investigated by analyzing 306 soil samples. The results showed that the average concentrations in the samples were 6.

Designed biosynthesis of 25-methyl and 25-ethyl ivermectin with enhanced insecticidal activity by domain swap of avermectin polyketide synthase.

Background: Avermectin and milbemycin are important 16-membered macrolides that have been widely used as pesticides in agriculture. However, the wide use of these pesticides inevitably causes serious drug resistance, it is therefore imperative to develop new avermectin and milbemycin analogs. The biosynthetic gene clusters of avermectin and milbemycin have been identified and the biosynthetic pathways have been elucidated.

WNT/β-catenin signaling regulates cigarette smoke-induced airway inflammation via the PPARδ/p38 pathway.

The mechanisms of WNT/β-catenin signaling involved in airway inflammation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remain unknown, although recent observations have suggested an important contribution of the pathway in pulmonary parenchymal tissue repair and airway epithelium differentiation. We investigated the role of WNT/β-catenin signaling in cigarette smoke (CS)-related airway inflammation using patient lung tissues, human bronchial epithelial cells (16HBECs), and mouse models. Reduced activity of WNT/β-catenin signaling was observed in the airway epithelium of smokers with or without COPD.

Biomodification of PCL Scaffolds with Matrigel, HA, and SR1 Enhances De Novo Ectopic Bone Marrow Formation Induced by rhBMP-2.

The de novo formation of ectopic bone marrow was induced using 1.2-mm-thin polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds biomodified with several different biomaterials. In vivo investigations of de novo bone and bone marrow formation indicated that subcutaneous implantation of PCL scaffolds coated with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) plus Matrigel, hydroxyapatite (HA), or StemRegenin 1 (SR1) improved formation of bone and hematopoietic bone marrow as determined by microcomputed tomography, and histological and hematopoietic characterizations.

Effects of Graphene Oxide and Oxidized Carbon Nanotubes on the Cellular Division, Microstructure, Uptake, Oxidative Stress, and Metabolic Profiles.

Nanomaterial oxides are common formations of nanomaterials in the natural environment. Herein, the nanotoxicology of typical graphene oxide (GO) and carboxyl single-walled carbon nanotubes (C-SWCNT) was compared. The results showed that cell division of Chlorella vulgaris was promoted at 24 h and then inhibited at 96 h after nanomaterial exposure.

Three dimensional de novo micro bone marrow and its versatile application in drug screening and regenerative medicine.

The finding that bone marrow hosts several types of multipotent stem cell has prompted extensive research aimed at regenerating organs and building models to elucidate the mechanisms of diseases. Conventional research depends on the use of two-dimensional (2D) bone marrow systems, which imposes several obstacles. The development of 3D bone marrow systems with appropriate molecules and materials however, is now showing promising results.

[Analysis of triterpenoids in Ganoderma lucidum by microwave-assisted continuous extraction].

For further improving the extraction efficiency of microwave extraction, a microwave-assisted contijuous extraction (MACE) device has been designed and utilized. By contrasting with the traditional methods, the characteristics and extraction efficiency of MACE has also been studied. The method was validated by the analysis of the triterpenoids in Ganoderma lucidum.

Segmented TOF at 7 T MRI: Technique and clinical applications.

Purpose: Time-of-flight (TOF) MR angiography has an advantage of contrast and resolution in ultra-high field (7 T) MRI systems. However, increased specific absorption rate (SAR) prohibits the application of spatial saturation band, leading to venous contamination in maximum intensity projection (MIP) images.

Methods: A segmented k-space filling scheme with sparse venous saturation pulses was developed for 7 T TOF-MRA.

Noncontrast MR angiography (MRA) of infragenual arteries using flow-sensitive dephasing (FSD)-prepared steady-state free precession (SSFP) at 3.0 Tesla: Comparison with contrast-enhanced MRA.

Background: To evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic performance of flow-sensitive dephasing (FSD)-prepared steady-state free precession (SSFP) MR angiography (MRA) for imaging infragenual arteries at 3.0T, with contrast enhanced MR angiography (CE MRA) as reference.

Methods: Twenty consecutive patients with suspicion of lower extremity arterial disease undergoing routine CE MRA were recruited.

Aroclor 1254 inhibits cell viability and induces apoptosis of human A549 lung cancer cells by modulating the intracellular Ca(2+) level and ROS production through the mitochondrial pathway.

To study the acute toxic effects of PCBs on airway exposure, the cell viability, apoptosis and mitochondrial functions of human lung cancer cell line A549 were measured and compared after Aroclor 1254 exposure for different time. The results showed that Aroclor 1254 could inhibit cell viability and increase cell apoptosis in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The mitochondrial apoptosis pathway was confirmed playing an important role.

The Prevalence and Incidence of Latent Tuberculosis Infection and Its Associated Factors among Village Doctors in China.

Background: China is a high tuberculosis (TB) burden country. More than half of acute TB cases first seek medical care in village doctors' clinics or community health centers. Despite being responsible for patient referral and management, village doctors are not systematically evaluated for TB infection or disease.

UPLC-MS/MS determination and gender-related pharmacokinetic study of five active ingredients in rat plasma after oral administration of Eucommia cortex extract.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Eucommiae cortex (EC), the bark of Eucommia ulmoides Oliv., has been traditionally used to treat many diseases in China for more than 2000 years. The pharmacological effects are primarily attributed to the presence of lignans, iridoids and phenolics, which are main active ingredients in EC.

Correlation of overexpression of nestin with expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition-related proteins in gastric adenocarcinoma.

Background: Nestin is associated with neoplastic transformation. However, the mechanisms by which nestin contributes regarding invasion and malignancy of gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) remain unknown. Recent studies have shown that the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is important in invasion and migration of cancer cells.

Elevated plasma levels of pigment epithelium-derived factor correlated with inflammation and lung function in COPD patients.

Rationale: Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is a 50 kD small secreting glycoprotein that participates in multiple physiological and pathological processes. Recent studies have reported that PEDF plays an important role in inflammatory responses in several diseases. However, the role of PEDF in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains unclear.

Nestin overexpression promotes the embryonic development of heart and brain through the regulation of cell proliferation.

Nestin, an intermediate filament protein, is a key regulator of various extracellular proteins that play important roles in cell growth and differentiation. In recent years, nestin has been widely accepted as a molecular marker for neural stem/progenitor cells. However, its function during embryogenesis remains largely unknown since its depletion is lethal after stage embryonic day 8.

[Ecotoxicological effects of chlorotetracycline on earthworm in soil].

Eiseniafoetida was selected to investigate the ecotoxicological effects of chlorotetracycline on the earthworm in soil. The results showed that 1, 10 and 100 mg · kg(-1) chlorotetracycline had no significant effects on earthworm's body mass after a 7-d exposure, but it was significantly inhibited by 10, 100 mg · kg(-1) chlorotetracycline after 21 days. The soluble protein content of earthworm was induced by 1, 10 and 100 mg · kg(-1) chlorotetracycline, and showed a positive response as the con- centration increased.

Differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells to mature functional Purkinje neurons.

It remains a challenge to differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) or embryonic stem (ES) cells to Purkinje cells. In this study, we derived iPSCs from human fibroblasts and directed the specification of iPSCs first to Purkinje progenitors, by adding Fgf2 and insulin to the embryoid bodies (EBs) in a time-sensitive manner, which activates the endogenous production of Wnt1 and Fgf8 from EBs that further patterned the cells towards a midbrain-hindbrain-boundary tissue identity. Neph3-positive human Purkinje progenitors were sorted out by using flow cytometry and cultured either alone or with granule cell precursors, in a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional environment.

Cacna1f gene decreased contractility of skeletal muscle in rat model with congenital stationary night blindness.

The CACNA1F gene encodes a member of the alpha-1F subunit family in the voltage-dependent calcium channel (Cav1.4) complex. Mutations in this gene result in incomplete congenital stationary night blindness (iCSNB2) in humans.