Theacrine and strictinin, two major ingredients for the anti-influenza activity of Yunnan Kucha tea.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Kucha tea plant (Camellia assamica var. kucha Chang et Wang) is regarded as a mutant variety of wild Pu'er tea plant found in few mountain areas of Yunnan, China. Its fresh young leaves and shoots are picked by the indigenous aborigines in these local areas to prepare an herbal tea for the treatment of common cold empirically.

Two novel SHP-1 agonists, SC-43 and SC-78, are more potent than regorafenib in suppressing the in vitro stemness of human colorectal cancer cells.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been shown to play a critical role in the maintenance of cancer stem cells (CSCs). Hence, the inhibition of STAT3 signaling has been suggested to be a viable therapeutic approach for cancers. Moreover, the efficacy of combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs and napabucasin, a small-molecule STAT3 inhibitor, have been assessed in various clinical trials, including those involving patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).

[Reasonable anesthetic management for correction of Ebstein's anomaly].

Objective: To summarize the experience in anesthetic management for correction of Ebstein's anomaly.

Methods: A total of 79 patients with Ebstein's anomaly who underwent surgical repair in our hospital during the time from March 2004 to September 2010 were retrospectively summarized for their anesthetic management. Anesthesia was done for the patients undergoing correction of Ebstein's anomaly.

Probiotic properties of Lactobacillus strains isolated from the feces of breast-fed infants and Taiwanese pickled cabbage.

This study assessed potential probiotic Lactobacillus strains isolated from the feces of breast-fed infants and from Taiwanese pickled cabbage for their possible use in probiotic fermented foods by evaluating their (i) in vitro adhesive ability, resistance to biotic stress, resistance to pathogenic bacteria, and production of β-galactosidase; (ii) milk technological properties; and (iii) in vivo adhesive ability, intestinal survival and microbial changes during and after treatment. Five Lactobacillus isolates identified as Lactobacillus reuteri F03, Lactobacillus paracasei F08, Lactobacillus rhamnosus F14, Lactobacillus plantarum C06, and Lactobacillus acidophilus C11 that showed resistance to gastric juice and bile salts were selected for further evaluation of their probiotic properties. All the strains demonstrated the ability to adhere to Caco-2 cells, particularly, strain L.