Molecular mechanism of azoxy bond formation for azoxymycins biosynthesis.

Azoxy bond is an important chemical bond and plays a crucial role in high energy density materials. However, the biosynthetic mechanism of azoxy bond remains enigmatic. Here we report that the azoxy bond biosynthesis of azoxymycins is an enzymatic and non-enzymatic coupling cascade reaction.

The influence of an AlN seeding layer on nucleation of self-assembled GaN nanowires on silicon substrates.

Gallium nitride (GaN)-based nanowires (NWs) have attracted much attention for the fabrication of novel nanostructured devices. In this paper, the influence of an AlN seeding layer on the nucleation of self-assembled GaN NWs grown by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on Si (111) substrates has been investigated. Not only is the formation of a two-dimensional compact GaN layer at the bottom of the NWs suppressed, but also a high density of vertically aligned well-separated GaN NWs originating from GaN islands are successfully obtained after introducing annealing and nitridation processes.

Caspase recruitment domain family member 10 regulates carbamoyl phosphate synthase 1 and promotes cancer growth in bladder cancer cells.

Bladder cancer, which can be divided into non-muscle-invasive and muscle-invasive bladder cancer, is the most common urinary cancer in the United States. Caspase recruitment domain family member 10 (CARD10), also named CARD-containing MAGUK protein 3 (CARMA3), is a member of the CARMA family and may activate the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway. We utilized RNA sequencing and metabolic mass spectrometry to identify the molecular and metabolic feature of CARD10.

Silencing of CARMA3 inhibits bladder cancer cell migration and invasion via deactivating β-catenin signaling pathway.

Background: Bladder cancer (BC) is the ninth most common cancer and the fourteenth leading death worldwide. CARD-containing MAGUK 3 (CARMA3) protein is a novel scaffold protein known to activate NF-κB pathway and is overexpressed in BC tissues.

Purpose: The objective of this study was to identify how CARMA3 affects the metastasis of BC cells via the β-catenin signaling pathway.

Circ-ITCH correlates with less advanced tumor features as well as prolonged survival, and it inhibits cells proliferation but promotes apoptosis in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: This study was to investigate the correlation of circ-ITCH expression with tumor features, disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, and the effect of its dysregulation on cells proliferation and apoptosis of NSCLC cells.

Methods: Tumor tissue and paired adjacent normal tissue samples from 190 surgical NSCLC patients were collected and used for detecting circ-ITCH expression by qPCR. Circ-ITCH expression was also measured in normal pulmonary epithelial cell line and 4 NSCLC cell lines by qPCR.

Needle-Free Injection of Exosomes Derived from Human Dermal Fibroblast Spheroids Ameliorates Skin Photoaging.

Human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), the main cell population of the dermis, gradually lose their ability to produce collagen and renew intercellular matrix with aging. One clinical application for the autologous trans-dermis injection of HDFs that has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration aims to refine facial contours and slow down skin aging. However, the autologous HDFs used vary in quality according to the state of patients and due to many passages they undergo during expansion.

Mesoporous Platinum Nanotherapeutics for Combined Chemo-photothermal Cancer Treatment.

Recently, nanoparticles that possess combined use in synergistic therapy, real-time imaging, and spatiotemporally controlled therapies have attracted enormous attention. Herein, we fabricated Doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-capped mesoporous platinum nanoparticles (MPNPs) (DOX/MPNPs-AD-CD) for combined chemo-photothermal cancer therapy. DOX/MPNPs-AD-CD with high photothermal effect and loading rate could release the anticancer drugs stimulated by acidic tumor microenvironment or near-infrared light.

Platelets and their biomimetics for regenerative medicine and cancer therapies.

Platelets, circulating blood cells derived from megakaryocytes, play a key role in various physical activities, including coagulation, hemostasis, the body's innate immune response, and cancer metastasis. By taking advantage of their key traits, researchers have developed strategies to exploit platelets and platelet-mimicking nanoassemblies to treat a number of conditions, including wounds, cancers, and bacterial infections. Compared to traditional polymer, lipsosome, and inorganic nanoparticles-based delivery systems, platelets and platelet-mimicking vehicles hold many advantages.

A long non-coding RNA signature to improve prognostic prediction in clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

Background: Accumulating research reports have indicated that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in many types of cancers. However, few lncRNA signatures for predicting cancer prognosis have been established. Our goal is to establish a lncRNA signature for predicting the prognosis of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).

Functional role of GKAP1 in the regulation of male germ cell spontaneous apoptosis and sperm number.

G kinase-anchoring protein 1 (GKAP1) is a G kinase-associated protein that is conserved in many eutherians and is mainly expressed in the testis, especially in spermatocytes and round spermatids. The function of GKAP1 in the testis is largely unknown. Here, we revealed that deletion of GKAP1 led to an increase in sperm production with swollen epididymis, and germ cell apoptosis was found to decrease in GKAP1 knock-out mice.

Inhibition of miR-34a-5p can rescue disruption of the p53-DAPK axis to suppress progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.

DAPK, a transcriptional target of the p53 protein, has long been characterized as a tumor suppressor that acts as a negative regulator in multiple cellular processes. However, increasing studies have suggested that the role of DAPK may vary depending on cell type and cellular context. Thus far, the expression and function of DAPK in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remain ambiguous.

Post-marketing Re-evaluation of Tongxiening Granules () in Treatment of Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A Multi-center, Randomized, Double-Blind, Double-Dummy and Positive Control Trial.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Tongxiening Granules (, TXNG) in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome with predominant diarrhea (IBS-D).

Methods: A randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, and positive parallel controlled clinical trial was conducted from October 2014 to March 2016. Totally 342 patients from 13 clinical centers were enrolled and randomly assigned (at the ratio of 1:1) to a treatment group (171 cases) and a control group (171 cases) by a random coding table.

Retracted Article: Structural characterization of Karsch peptides and anti-inflammatory potency evaluation in human vascular endothelial cells.

Studies have reported that scorpion toxins have excellent anti-cancer effects; however, the anti-inflammatory activity of scorpion peptides has rarely been studied. Here, a series of Karsch peptides (MMKPs) were isolated and the amino acid sequence was identified. The MMKPs mitigated TNF-α-mediated inflammation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Proteomic analysis of seminal extracellular vesicle proteins involved in asthenozoospermia by iTRAQ.

Asthenozoospermia is a common cause of male infertility, but in most cases its etiology is unknown. The exocytic cell vesicles called seminal extracellular vesicles in the human seminal fluid have been reported to play a pivotal role in promoting the motility of spermatozoa, and functional disorder of seminal extracellular vesicles may cause male infertility. To determine whether abnormal seminal extracellular vesicles are involved in asthenozoospermia, the differential abundance proteins between normozoospermic (NSEV) and asthenozoospermic seminal extracellular vesicles (ASEV) samples were analyzed by iTRAQ coupled with two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Hypermethylation-mediated inactivation of miR-124 predicts poor prognosis and promotes tumor growth at least partially through targeting EZH2/H3K27me3 in ESCC.

Accumulating evidences indicated that some microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role during the carcinogenesis. In the present study, we found that miR-124 is down-regulated in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) tissues. Three miR-124 encoding genes, including mir-124-1, mir-124-2, and mir-124-3, harboring CpG islands undergo methylation-mediated miR-124 inactivation in ESCC tissues.

PLK1 promotes proliferation and suppresses apoptosis of renal cell carcinoma cells by phosphorylating MCM3.

Minichromosome maintenance 3 (MCM3) protein has been widely studied due to its essential role in DNA replication. In addition, it is overexpressed in several human tumor types. However, the role of this protein in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is not widely known.

Effects of PRSS1-PRSS2 rs10273639, CLDN2 rs7057398 and MORC4 rs12688220 polymorphisms on individual susceptibility to pancreatitis: A meta-analysis.

Background: Genetic association studies regarding relationship between PRSS1-PRSS2 rs10273639/CLDN2 rs7057398/MORC4 rs12688220 polymorphisms and pancreatitis yielded conflicting results. We performed this meta-analysis to explore associations between these polymorphisms and pancreatitis in a larger pooled population.

Methods: A systematic search of the literature was conducted for eligible studies.

Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Integrated with Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Secretome to Treat Endometrial Injury in a Rat Model of Asherman's Syndrome.

Stem cell therapies have made strides toward the efficacious treatment of injured endometrium and the prevention of intrauterine adhesions, or Asherman's syndrome (AS). Despite this progress, they are limited by their risk of tumor formation, low engraftment rates, as well as storage and transportation logistics. While attempts have been made to curb these issues, there remains a need for simple and effective solutions.

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors: a clinical and radiological analysis of six cases.

Background: Primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET) is extremely rare and highly aggressive with poor prognosis. Few studies concerning PNET's the imaging features have been published.

Methods: Six cases of PNET, all confirmed by pathology and immunohistochemical (IHC) examinations, were treated during January 2012 to December 2016.

Mechanism study of ammonium nitrate decomposition with chloride impurity using experimental and molecular simulation approach.

Fire/explosion due to ammonium nitrate (AN) decomposition poses significant safety hazards which are exacerbated in the presence of salts including potassium chloride (KCl). In this work, key thermal parameters of AN decomposition over a range of KCl mass fraction were experimentally measured using advanced reactive chemical screening tool (ARSST). Based on experimental findings and past literature review, AN/KCl decomposition mechanism was proposed consisting of four separate pathways, specifically, (i) direct AN main decomposition pathway, (ii) indirect AN main decomposition pathway via chlorine radical, (iii) direct pure AN side decomposition pathway and (iv) indirect AN side decomposition pathway via chlorine radical.

Chemical Engineering of Cell Therapy for Heart Diseases.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major health problem worldwide. Since adult cardiomyocytes irreversibly withdraw from the cell cycle soon after birth, it is hard for cardiac cells to proliferate and regenerate after myocardial injury, such as that caused myocardial infarction (MI). Live cell-based therapies, which we term as first generation of therapeutic strategies, have been widely used for the treatment of many diseases, including CVD.

Effect of particle erosion on mining-induced water inrush hazard of karst collapse pillar.

As a typical disaster-causing geological structure, karst collapse pillar (KCP) is widely distributed in coalfields of northern China. The interior of KCP is filled with loose and weakly cemented rock masses. Fine particles can be eroded under the hydraulic pressure and the disturbance of the coal mining operation.

The enhancer RNA activates the oncogenic transcriptional program in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The oncogenic transcription factor TAL1 regulates the transcriptional program in T-ALL. ARID5B is one of the critical downstream targets of TAL1, which further activates the oncogenic regulatory circuit in T-ALL cells. Here, we elucidated the molecular functions of the noncoding RNA, ARID5B-inducing enhancer associated long noncoding RNA (), in T-ALL pathogenesis.

Coordination-driven self-assembly of a molecular figure-eight knot and other topologically complex architectures.

Over the past decades, molecular knots and links have captivated the chemical community due to their promising mimicry properties in molecular machines and biomolecules and are being realized with increasing frequency with small molecules. Herein, we describe how to utilize stacking interactions and hydrogen-bonding patterns to form trefoil knots, figure-eight knots and [2]catenanes. A transformation can occur between the unique trefoil knot and its isomeric boat-shaped tetranuclear macrocycle by the complementary concentration effect.