Targeted APT8(16-34) obtained by cell-SELEX and its internalization with miR-23-5p into activated hepatic stellate cells.

Background: The activation of hepatic stellate cells play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis. However, the current lack of specifically identified targets on these cells poses a significant challenge in developing targeted delivery tools for effective anti-hepatic fibrosis therapeutics in clinical practice.

Methods: Cell-systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment method was conducted on HSC-T6 cell line to screen out activated hepatic stellate cell-specific aptamers.

Possible roles of Golgi protein-73 in liver diseases.

Golgi protein 73 (also known as GP73 or GOLPH2) is a transmembrane glycoprotein present in the Golgi apparatus. In diseased states, GP73 is expressed by hepatocytes rather than by bile duct epithelial cells. Many studies have reported that serum GP73 (sGP73) is a marker for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Microspheres and their Potential in Endodontic Regeneration Application.

Microspheres have been widely utilised as versatile carriers in biomedical applications. In recent years, as a new type of injectable scaffold, microspheres have attracted increasing attention in the field of regenerative medicine owing to their various advantages including their small size, large specific surface area and mimicry of the 3D native environment. These characteristics enable them to adopt the narrow and irregular anatomy of the tooth and become an ideal scaffold for endodontic regeneration.

Analysis of risk factors for early stent thrombosis in the Chinese population: A multicenter restrospective study.

Background: The predictive scoring systems for early stent thrombosis (EST) remains blank in China. The study aims to evaluate the risk factors and conduct a prediction model of EST in the Chinese population.

Methods: EST was defined as thrombosis that occurs within the first 30 days after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Oxymatrine improves blood-brain barrier integrity after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by downregulating CAV1 and MMP9 expression.

Background: Ischemic stroke (IS) is a major neurological condition associated with extremely high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Oxymatrine (OMT), a quinolizidine alkaloid extracted from the root of Sophora flavescens, has neuroprotective properties and protects against IS. However, whether its protective effect involves alterations in the integrity of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is unknown.

Identifying Novel ATX Inhibitors via Combinatory Virtual Screening Using Crystallography-Derived Pharmacophore Modelling, Docking Study, and QSAR Analysis.

Autotaxin (ATX) is considered as an interesting drug target for the therapy of several diseases. The goal of the research was to detect new ATX inhibitors which have novel scaffolds by using virtual screening. First, based on two diverse receptor-ligand complexes, 14 pharmacophore models were developed, and the 14 models were verified through a big test database.

[Effects of Diallyl Disulfide on the Proliferation and Apoptosis of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Cells by Inducing G2/M Arrest].

Objective To explore the effects of diallyl disulfide(DADS)-induced G2/M phase arrest on proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cells and its possible molecular mechanism.Methods DADS was used to incubate SK-OV-3 and OVCAR-3 cells,respectively,in different concentrations. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay and cell apoptosis rate was detected by flow cytometry assay.

Copper inhibits hatching of fish embryos via inducing reactive oxygen species and down-regulating Wnt signaling.

The copper ion (Cu) has been reported to suppress the hatching of fish. However, little is known about the underlying mechanism. In this study, copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) and Cu were shown to significantly suppress hatching of zebrafish in a dosage-dependent manner, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers NAC (N-acetylcysteine) & GSH (reduced glutathione) and Wnt signaling agonist BIO (6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime) significantly alleviated the suppressing effects of Cu and CuNPs on egg hatching.

Inhibition of the IGF signaling pathway reverses cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells.

Background: This study was aimed at investigating whether metformin can reverse the resistance of ovarian cancer cells to cisplatin and exploring the underlying mechanism.

Methods: Ovarian cancer cell proliferation in vitro was evaluated using a CCK-8 assay. The resistance index of platinum-resistant ovarian cancer cells was determined and cell cycle and apoptosis rate determined by annexin V/propidium iodide double-staining in CP70 cells.

Hypothermic machine perfusion with metformin-University of Wisconsin solution for preservation of standard and marginal liver grafts in a rat model.

Aim: To compare the effect of University of Wisconsin (UW) solution with or without metformin, an AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activator, for preserving standard and marginal liver grafts of young and aged rats by hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP).

Methods: Eighteen young (4 mo old) and 18 aged (17 mo old) healthy male SD rats were selected and randomly divided into three groups: control group, UW solution perfusion group (UWP), and UW solution with metformin perfusion group (MUWP). Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in the perfused liquid were tested.

Copper impairs zebrafish swimbladder development by down-regulating Wnt signaling.

Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) are used widely in different fields due to their attractive and effective abilities in inhibiting bacteria and fungi, but little information is available about their biological effects and potential molecular mechanisms on fish development. Here, CuNPs and copper (II) ions (Cu) were revealed to inhibit the specification and formation of three layers of zebrafish embryonic posterior swimbladder and impair its inflation in a stage-specific manner. CuNPs and Cu were also revealed to down-regulate Wnt signaling in embryos.

Identification of novel VP35 inhibitors: Virtual screening driven new scaffolds.

Ebola virus is a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus that causes acute and serious life-threatening illness. In recent years the Ebola virus has spread through several countries in Africa, highlighting the need to develop new treatments for this disease and boosting a new research effort on this subject. However, so far there is no valid treatment for disease created by this pathogen.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound for evaluation of high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment of benign uterine diseases: retrospective analysis of contrast safety.

As a noninvasive treatment technique, ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has been considered as a routine treatment for uterine fibroids and adenomyosis in China. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) has been proposed as another option to assess the treatment efficacy during HIFU treatment. The aim of this investigation is to evaluate the adverse effects of HIFU ablation for benign uterine diseases in a group of patients studied with ultrasound contrast agent (UCA), in comparison with a group of patients not exposed to UCA.

The TLR3, PI3K, survivin, FasL, and Fas genes as major risk factors of occurrence and development of cervical cancer disease.

To investigate the role of TLR3/PI3K signals in the occurrence and development of cervical cancer disease, TLR3-siRNA was used to block key signaling pathways involved in cervical cancer metastasis that are pivotal to metastatic tumor cells but not to normal cells under ordinary physiologic conditions. Results show that tumor U14 cell growth, migration and invasion in TLR3-siRNA treatment group were significantly decreased. Through LY294002 suppressing targeted gene, the LY294002 treatment specifically and significantly knocked down the expressions of tumor TLR3 and PI3K proteins in cervical cancer mice.

[Expression of metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 in different stages of epithelial ovarian cancer].

Objective: To investigate the expression of metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC1) in different International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics(FIGO)stages of epithelial ovarian cancer and its relationship with prognosis.

Methods: Between May 2008 and August 2010, 52 epithelial ovarian cancer patients were selected from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the expression of MACC1 mRNA and protein in the primary lesions of epithelial ovarian cancer patients, the levels of MACC1 in different stage patients were compared, and the relationship between expression of MACC1 and prognosis of ovarian cancer patients was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analysis.

TroVax(®) vaccine therapy for renal cell carcinoma.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common primary malignancy affecting the kidney. In the past decade, several well-designed clinical trials have shifted the treatment paradigm for RCC to favor targeted therapies as first-line agents. Recognition of the immunogenic nature of RCC has also resulted in the development of immunotherapy approaches with high-dose IL-2 treatment being the best established and associated with durable disease control.

[Expressions of MACC1, HGF, and C-met protein in epithelial ovarian cancer and their significance].

Objective: To investigate the expressions of metastasis-associated in colon cancer-1 (MACC1), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and C-met proteins in epithelial ovarian cancer and their significance.

Methods: The expressions of MACC1, HGF and C-met in 20 specimens of normal ovarian tissues, 19 specimens of benign epithelial ovarian tumor and 52 specimens of epithelial ovarian cancer were measured by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. The correlations of the expressions of MACC1, HGF and C-met protein to the clinicopathologic characteristics of epithelial ovarian cancer were analyzed, and the correlations between the expressions of the 3 proteins were also evaluated.

[Expression of TGF-beta1 and E-cadherin in primary and metastatic ovarian carcinoma].

Objective: To detect the expression of the protein of TGF-beta1 and E-cadherin in the primary and metastatic lesions of ovarian carcinoma and explore the mechanism of the metastasis of ovarian carcinoma.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed to detect the expression of TGF-beta1 and E-cadherin proteins in primary and metastatic ovarian carcinoma, benign epithelial ovarian tumor and normal ovarian tissue.

Results: The expression of TGF-beta1 was significantly higher in ovarian carcinoma (67.

[VIR576 inhibits antigen-specific T cell activation by binding to the transmembrane domain of T cell receptor].

Objective: To study the mechanism underlying the inhibitory effect of the anti-HIV peptide VIR576 on antigen-specific T cell activation.

Methods: CCK-8 assay was used to investigate the effect of VIR576 on the proliferation of splenocytes of OVA-specific DO11.10 Tg mice in response to chicken OVA.

[Expression and significance of P53, P21WAF1 and CDK1 proteins in epithelial ovarian cancer].

Background And Objective: P53, P21WAF1 and CDK1 are key factors in the "P53 pathway" of G2/M phase DNA damage checkpoint in cell cycle. This study was to investigate the expression and significance of P53, P21WAF1 and CDK1 proteins in epithelial ovarian cancer.

Methods: The expression of P53, P21WAF1 and CDK1 proteins in 20 specimens of normal ovarian tissues, 20 specimens of benign epithelial ovarian tumor and 76 specimens of epithelial ovarian cancer was detected by immunohistochemistry.