Berberine chloride suppresses pancreatic adenocarcinoma proliferation and growth by targeting inflammation-related genes: an in silico analysis with in vitro and vivo validation.

Purpose: Targeting inflammatory crosstalk between tumors and their microenvironment has emerged as a crucial method for suppressing pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAAD) progression. Berberine (BBR) is a natural pentacyclic isoquinoline alkaloid known for its anti-inflammatory and antitumor pharmacological effects; however, the mechanism underlying PAAD suppression remains unclear. We aim to investigate the effects of BBR on PAAD progression and their underlying mechanisms.

Keep a watchful eye on methionine adenosyltransferases, novel therapeutic opportunities for hepatobiliary and pancreatic tumours.

Methionine adenosyltransferases (MATs) synthesize S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) from methionine, which provides methyl groups for DNA, RNA, protein, and lipid methylation. MATs play a critical role in cellular processes, including growth, proliferation, and differentiation, and have been implicated in tumour development and progression. The expression of MATs is altered in hepatobiliary and pancreatic (HBP) cancers, which serves as a rare biomarker for early diagnosis and prognosis prediction of HBP cancers.

Integrating network pharmacology and experimental models to investigate the efficacy of QYHJ on pancreatic cancer.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: The Qingyihuaji decoction (QYHJ) is composed of seven herbs: Scutellaria barbata D.Don (Banzhilian, HSB), Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Thunb.) Makino (Jiaogulan, GP), Oldenlandia diffusa (Willd.

Infection with a human-derived enteroinvasive Escherichia coli strain altered intestinal barrier function in guinea pigs.

Background/aims: The aim was to characterize a bacterium causing intestinal mucosal barrier damage and to identify the possible invasion mechanism.

Materials And Methods: The intestinal permeability and tight junction protein levels were detected in guinea pigs infected with Escherichia coli D-09 via immunofluorescence analysis and western blotting. In order to explain this invasion mechanism at the gene level, whole genome sequencing analysis was performed on this bacterium.

Evidence-Based Dampness-Heat ZHENG (Syndrome) in Cancer: Current Progress toward Establishing Relevant Animal Model with Pancreatic Tumor.

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases affecting the health of human beings. With limited therapeutic options available, complementary and alternative medicine has been widely adopted in cancer management and is increasingly becoming accepted by both patients and healthcare workers alike. Chinese medicine characterized by its unique diagnostic and treatment system is the most widely applied complementary and alternative medicine.

[Distribution and enrichment characteristics of soil nutrients in the nebkhas profile of in Gahai Lake Area, Qaidam Basin].

As a special bio-geomorphic landscape in the Qaidam desert area, nebkhas play a critical role in fixing quicksand, improving soil quality, and maintaining the stability of regional ecological environment. Taking the nebkhas with coverage of approximately 15%, 25%, 45% and 60% in Gahai Lake area of Qaidam Basin as the research objects, we analyzed the vertical distribution and enrichment characteristics of soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP) and available potassium (AK). The results showed that the contents of SOM, TN, TP, TK, AN, AP and AK varied in the range of 1.

Matrine injection inhibits pancreatic cancer growth via modulating carbonic anhydrases- a network pharmacology-based study with in vitro validation.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Matrine injection is a complex mixture of plant bioactive substances extracted from Sophora flavescens Aiton and Smilax glabra Roxb. Since its approval by the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) in 1995, Matrine injection has been clinically used as a complementary and alternative treatment for various cancers; however, the underlying mechanism of pancreatic cancer treatment is yet to be elucidated.

Aim Of The Study: The present study explores the potential mechanism of matrine injection on pancreatic cancer through network pharmacology technique and in vitro experimental validation.

HELLS serves as a poor prognostic biomarker and its downregulation reserves the malignant phenotype in pancreatic cancer.

Background: SMARCAs, belonged to SWI/SNF2 subfamilies, are critical to cellular processes due to their modulation of chromatin remodeling processes. Although SMARCAs are implicated in the tumor progression of various cancer types, our understanding of how those members affect pancreatic carcinogenesis is quite limited and improving this requires bioinformatics analysis and biology approaches.

Methods: To address this issue, we investigated the transcriptional and survival data of SMARCAs in patients with pancreatic cancer using ONCOMINE, GEPIA, Human Protein Atlas, and Kaplan-Meier plotter.

Qing-Yi Decoction in the Treatment of Acute Pancreatitis: An Integrated Approach Based on Chemical Profile, Network Pharmacology, Molecular Docking and Experimental Evaluation.

Qing-Yi Decoction (QYD) is a classic precompounded prescription with satisfactory clinical efficacy on acute pancreatitis (AP). However, the chemical profile and overall molecular mechanism of QYD in treating AP have not been clarified. In the present study, a rapid, simple, sensitive and reliable ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTOF-MS)-based chemical profile was first established.

[Soil anti-erodibility of abandoned lands during different succession stages of plant community in hilly-gullied region of the Loess Plateau: Take Fangta small watershed as an example].

Field survey and laboratory experiment were conducted to study the soil anti-erodibility of abandoned croplands during different vegetation succession stages in hilly-gullied region of the Loess Plateau, based on the analysis of soil particle composition, size distribution and group characteristics, soil aggregate fractal dimensions and stability. The results showed that in the earlier stages of succession from annual to perennial herbs in abandoned croplands, soil size distribution changed a little bit, the fractal dimension of soil particle increased, soil structure improved, fractal dimension and damage percent of soil aggregate structure decreased, soil stability increased, thus soil anti-erodibility increased. Therefore, natural restoration of vegetation is of great significance to improve the soil structure, increase soil erosion resistance, reduce soil erosion and promote sustainable development of regional ecological environment.

An approach for detecting five typical vegetation types on the Chinese Loess Plateau using Landsat TM data.

Remote sensing can provide large-scale spatial data for the detection of vegetation types. In this study, two shortwave infrared spectral bands (TM5 and TM7) and one visible spectral band (TM3) of Landsat 5 TM data were used to detect five typical vegetation types (communities dominated by Bothriochloa ischaemum, Artemisia gmelinii, Hippophae rhamnoides, Robinia pseudoacacia, and Quercus liaotungensis) using 270 field survey data in the Yanhe watershed on the Loess Plateau. The relationships between 200 field data points and their corresponding radiance reflectance were analyzed, and the equation termed the vegetation type index (VTI) was generated.

[Characteristics of seed rain on abandoned slopes in the hilly-gullied Loess Plateau, Northwest China].

The objective of this study was to analyze the dynamic characteristics of seed rain on abandoned slopes in the hilly-gullied Loess Plateau region and identify the relationship between seed rain and standing vegetation. Three abandoned slopes were chosen as sampling sites in Zhifanggou watershed. Thirty traps were installed at each site to collect seed rain from October 2010 to April 2013.

[Seasonal dynamics and vertical distribution pattern of bud bank in different erosion environments on hilly-gully Loess Plateau of Northwest China].

This paper studied the vegetation composition, bud composition, and the seasonal dynamics and vertical distribution pattern of bud bank in five erosion environments (sunny gully slope, sunny hilly slope, hilltop, shady hilly slope, and shady gully slope) on the hilly-gully Loess Plateau of North Shaanxi. In the study area, the perennial species with perennial bud bank accounted for 80.3% of the total species, while the annual species with seasonal bud bank took up 19.

[Ecological adaptability of leaf epidermis of erosion-resistant plants in hilly-gully area of Loess Plateau, Northwest China].

By the temporary slide method of leaf epidermis, an observation was made on the morphological characteristics of the leaf epidermis of six erosion-resistant plant species in different soil erosion environments (gully, inter-gully, and inter-gully artificial Robinia pseudoacacia forest land) in hilly-gully area of Loess Plateau. Compared with those in the gully, the stomata aperture, stomata density, stomata index, stomata apparatus length/width plasticity, stomata apparatus area plasticity, epidermal hair density, and epidermal cell density of the leaf upper and lower epidermis of the plants in the inter-gully were 93.8% and 90.

Relationship between seedling and mature vegetation on the hilly-gullied Loess Plateau.

Seedling is an indispensable stage in plant cycle life, and seedling survival is important during natural vegetation restoration, especially on the Loess Plateau. In 2007, we selected 4 plots of Artemisia scoparia communities (ASC) and 4 plots of Artemisia gmelinii + Artemisia giraldii communities (AGC), examined seedling richness, diversity during the rainy season, and examined mature vegetation richness, coverage, and frequency in August. The results showed that seedlings density of ASC were 29 n m(-2), 33 n m(-2), 20 n m(-2) and 31 n m(-2) in July to October respectively, and that of AGC were 14 n m(-2), 12 n m(-2), 6 n m(-2) and 9 n m(-2) respectively; A.

Germinable soil seed banks and the restoration potential of abandoned cropland on the Chinese hilly-gullied loess plateau.

Poor vegetation cover is generally considered to be a major factor causing soil erosion on the Loess Plateau in China. It has been argued that tree planting restoration is ineffective, and natural re-vegetation is an alternative ecological solution for restoring abandoned cropland and controlling soil erosion. The aims of this study were to investigate the characteristics of soil seed banks and to assess the natural restoration potential of abandoned cropland in the hilly-gullied Loess Plateau.

[Prediction and mapping of potential vegetation distribution in Yanhe River catchment in hilly area of Loess Plateau].

The prediction and mapping of potential vegetation distribution is of instructive to the ecological restoration planning. By using generalized additive model (GAM) and in combining with GIS spatial analyst and environmental stratification sampling techniques, a distribution model for 24 dominant species in Yanhe River catchment was developed, and, based on the interspecific relationships in plant communities and the distribution probability, the spatial distribution of plant species was calculated, and the distribution of 37 plant communities and of the potential vegetation in Yanhe River catchment was predicted. The results showed that there were no significant differences between predictive values and actual data, and the predictive spatial distribution of vegetation could actually reflect the distribution of potential vegetation in Yanhe River catchment, suggesting that the established model had good ability for the vegetation distribution prediction, which was of significance to the goal-setting and planning of vegetation restoration.