Constitutive expression of CmSKOR, an outward K channel gene from melon, in Arabidopsis thaliana involved in saline tolerance.

Shaker-like K outward rectifying channel (SKOR) is involved in mediating long-distance K transport from roots to shoots. In this study, a Shaker-like outward K channel gene CmSKOR (GenBank accession number MF447462) was isolated from melon (Cucumis melo L.).

Design of Glyco-Linkers at Multiple Structural Levels to Modulate Protein Stability.

N-glycosylation has critical roles in regulating protein stability, but the molecular basis is poorly understood. In this study, we integrated experimental and computational techniques to investigate the mechanism by which full-length N-glycans modulate protein stability from quaternary structure perspective. We found the two inherent N-glycans of β-glucuronidase expressed in Pichia pastoris function as "glyco-linkers" that hold spatially proximal motifs together to compact the local protein structure.

Human leucocyte antigen-G 14-bp InDel polymorphism and oral squamous cell carcinoma risk in Chinese Han population: A case-control study.

Human leucocyte antigen-G (HLA-G) is a nonclassical HLA class I molecule involved in tumour immune escape. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the 14-bp insertion/deletion (InDel) polymorphism in the 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) of HLA-G gene and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) risk in Chinese Han population (216 cases and 193 healthy controls), and furthermore, to evaluate serum soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) levels in the OSCC patients. Our results demonstrated that the Ins allele was significantly less frequent in the OSCC patients than that in the healthy controls (odds ratio [OR] = 0.

A comparison of entropy approaches for AF discrimination.

Objective: This study focuses on the comparison of single entropy measures for ventricular response analysis-based AF detection.

Approach: To enhance the performance of entropy-based AF detectors, we developed a normalized fuzzy entropy, [Formula: see text], a novel metric that (1) uses a fuzzy function to determine vector similarity, (2) replaces probability estimation with density estimation for entropy approximation, (3) utilizes a flexible distance threshold parameter, and (4) adjusts for heart rate by subtracting the natural log value of the mean RR interval. An AF detector based on [Formula: see text] was trained using the MIT-BIH atrial fibrillation (AF) database, and tested on the MIT-BIH normal sinus rhythm (NSR) and MIT-BIH arrhythmia databases.

(±)-Zanthonitidine A, a Pair of Enantiomeric Furoquinoline Alkaloids from Zanthoxylum nitidum with Antibacterial Activity.

A pair of new enantiomeric furoquinoline alkaloids, (±)-zanthonitidine A (1), together with nine known ones (2-10) were isolated from the radix of Zanthoxylum nitidum. Their chemical structures were elucidated based on the extensive spectroscopic analysis. The racemic mixture of 1 was separated by chiral column chromatography, and the absolute configurations of (+)-1 and (-)-1 were determined by the comparison of experimental and calculated electronic circular dichroism spectra.

Turning On/Off the Anti-Tumor Effect of the Au Cluster via Atomically Controlling Its Molecular Size.

We reported two Au clusters with precisely controlled molecular size (AuPeptide and AuPeptide) showing different antitumor effects. In vitro, both AuPeptide and AuPeptide were well taken up by human nasopharyngeal cancer cells (CNE1 cells). However, only AuPeptide significantly induced CNE1 cell apoptosis.

Prevention of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in critically ill Chinese patients: a randomized, double-blind study evaluating esomeprazole and cimetidine.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of esomeprazole in preventing upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding in critically ill Chinese patients, using cimetidine as an active comparator.

Methods: A pre-specified non-inferiority limit (5%) was used to compare rates of significant upper GI bleeding in this randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, phase 3 study across 27 intensive care units in China. Secondary endpoints included safety and tolerability measures.

Individualized pelvic lymphadenectomy should follow neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer.

To study the outcomes following concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and subsequent radical surgery for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC), analyze the relationship between imaging-diagnosed and postoperative-diagnosed lymph node (LN) involvement, and identify patients who would benefit from individualized pelvic lymphadenectomy.We retrospectively reviewed records of 410 patients who underwent CCRT followed by radical surgery for International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Stage Ib2-IIIb disease. Correlations of LN size on imaging before CCRT with pathological responses after CCRT, overall survival (OS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and complications were analyzed.

Targeted peptide-Au cluster binds to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in both active and inactive states: a clue for cancer inhibition through dual pathways.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has become an important target protein in anticancer drug development. Meanwhile, peptide-Au cluster has been proposed as potential targeted nano-drug assembled by targeting peptide. Here, we designed and synthesized a novel peptide-Au cluster as AuPeptide to target to EGFR.

Same-Day Single Dose of 2 Liter Polyethylene Glycol is Not Inferior to The Standard Bowel Preparation Regimen in Low-Risk Patients: A Randomized, Controlled Trial.

Objectives: Split dose of 4 l polyethylene glycol (PEG) is currently the standard regimen for bowel preparation (BP). However, it may be unnecessary for patients without high risks (e.g.

Laryngeal nerve morbidity in 1.273 central node dissections for thyroid cancer.

Aim: We assess the prevalence and mechanism of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury in central neck dissection (CND) for thyroid cancer.

Methods: CND with intraoperative neural monitoring was outlined in 1.273 nerves at risk (NAR).

How Does Amino Acid Ligand Modulate Au Core Structure and Characteristics in Peptide Coated Au Nanocluster?

The atomic structures and the corresponding physicochemical properties of peptide coated Au nanoclusters determine their distinctive biological targeting applications. To learn the modulation of amino acid ligand on the atomic structure and electronic characteristics of coated Au core is the fundamental knowledge for peptide coated Au nanocluster design and construction. Based on our recent coated Au nanocluster configuration study (Nanoscale, 2016, 8, 11454), we built the typically simplified Au13(Cys-Au-Cys) system to more clearly learn the basic modulation information of amino acid ligand on Au core by the density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

The cost of Alzheimer's disease in China and re-estimation of costs worldwide.

Introduction: The socioeconomic costs of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in China and its impact on global economic burden remain uncertain.

Methods: We collected data from 3098 patients with AD in 81 representative centers across China and estimated AD costs for individual patient and total patients in China in 2015. Based on this data, we re-estimated the worldwide costs of AD.

Physicochemical characterization of polysaccharides from Chlorella pyrenoidosa and its anti-ageing effects in Drosophila melanogaster.

The physicochemical characteristics and in vitro antioxidant and in vivo anti-ageing activities of partial purified Chlorella pyrenoidosa polysaccharides (PCPPs) were investigated. The building blocks of PCPPs were mainly composed of D-glucose, D-galactose and D-mannose. The average molecular weight of PCPPs was 9,950 Da.

BTLA marks a less cytotoxic T-cell subset in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with high expression of checkpoints.

Immunotherapy results in lymphoma have been encouraging. Preclinical and clinical trials have proven checkpoint blockade, such as PD-1 antibody, as an effective treatment for lymphoma, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Combination of checkpoint blockades has emerged as a new way to treat lymphoma; however, the status of checkpoint expression and their function in DLBCL have not been fully elucidated yet.

Down-regulation of RIP3 potentiates cisplatin chemoresistance by triggering HSP90-ERK pathway mediated DNA repair in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Receptor interacting protein kinase 3 (RIP3) is a critical regulator of programmed necrotic cell death. Here, we observed that RIP3 was significantly down-regulated in esophageal cancer. And its remaining expression was associated with better response to chemotherapy and prolonged survival.

Small size fullerenol nanoparticles inhibit thrombosis and blood coagulation through inhibiting activities of thrombin and FXa.

Thrombus is one of main causes of death in the world and also a vital trouble of biomaterials application in vivo. Recently, effect of fullerenol nanomaterials on anticoagulation was found in our research through extension of bleeding times in treated Sprague-Dawley rats via intravenous injection. Inhibiting of fullerenols on thrombosis was ascertained further by thromboembolism model.

Long non-coding RNA MEG3 functions as a competing endogenous RNA to regulate ischemic neuronal death by targeting miR-21/PDCD4 signaling pathway.

Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) maternally expressed gene 3 (MEG3) has been demonstrated as an important regulator in diverse human cancers. However, its function and regulatory mechanism in ischemic stroke remains largely unknown. Here, we report that MEG3 is physically associated with microRNA-21 (miR-21), while miR-21 is downregulated following ischemia in the ischemic core in vitro and in vivo, which is opposite to MEG3.

CP and CP-PGN protect mice against MRSA infection by inducing M1 macrophages.

Corynebacterium pyruviciproducens (C. pyruviciproducens, CP), as a newly discovered immunomodulator, has been confirmed to have a stronger immunoregulation than Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes) of the traditional immune adjuvant, by previous experiments with model antigen ovalbumin and sheep red blood cells.

Radiotherapy Alone or Concurrent Chemoradiation for Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Elderly Patients.

The reported data of elderly ESCC are rather limited and there is a lack of information to guide treatment decisions for elderly patients with esophageal cancer. This study aims to identify the efficacy and factors for optimal treatment approaches for elderly esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treated with radiotherapy (RT) alone or concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT). This study included 184 I-III elderly ESCC patients aged ≥70 years treated by oral single agent CCRT (sCCRT) or double agents CCRT (dCCRT) or RT alone at a single institution in China.

The Possible Mechanisms Involved in Citrinin Elimination by Cryptococcus podzolicus Y3 and the Effects of Extrinsic Factors on the Degradation of Citrinin.

Citrinin (CIT) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by fungi belonging to the spp. This toxin has been detected in many agricultural products. In this study, a strain Y3 with the ability to eliminate CIT was screened and identified as , based on the sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer region.

Crosstalk between proteins expression and lysine acetylation in response to patulin stress in Rhodotorula mucilaginosa.

The proteomic and lysine acetylation (Kac) changes, accompanying degradation of patulin in Rhodotorula mucilaginosa were analyzed using tandem mass tagging and N6-acetyllysine affinity enrichment followed by LC-MS/MS. Proteomic results showed that expression level of short-chain reductase protein and glutathione S-transferase involved in detoxification was significantly up-regulated. In addition, the expression levels of zinc-binding oxidoreductase and quinone oxidoreductase that are involved in antioxidant process, ABC transport and MFS transport responsible for chemical transport were activated when treated with patulin.

Nano-Hydroxyapatite-Derived Drug and Gene Co-Delivery System for Anti-Angiogenesis Therapy of Breast Cancer.

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is among the deadliest cancers across the world and is responsible for countless deaths. There is an urgent need for co-delivery systems which can simultaneously transport both drug and gene into a single cancer cell with low toxicity and high anti-angiogenesis efficiency. MATERIAL AND METHODS In the present study, well-formed amine-functionalized hydroxyapatite nanoparticles based on combined angiogenesis therapy for breast cancer were successfully constructed for the simultaneous delivery of p53 and candesartan (CD) (p53/CD/NHAP).

Clinical response to radioactive iodine therapy for prophylactic central neck dissection is not superior to total thyroidectomy alone in cN0 patients with papillary thyroid cancer.

Objective: Prophylactic central neck dissection (pCND) is controversial in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) without clinical positive lymph nodes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy on the clinical outcome in clinically node-negative (cN0) PTC patients treated with total thyroidectomy (TT) alone or in combination with pCND.

Patients And Methods: One-hundred and sixty-seven cN0 PTC patients who underwent TT alone (TT) or in combination with pCND (TT+pCND) in our hospital from January 2014 to August 2015 were evaluated retrospectively.