Sinomenine inhibits macrophage M1 polarization by downregulating α7nAChR via a feedback pathway of α7nAChR/ERK/Egr-1.

Background: Sinomenine (SIN) is an anti-inflammatory drug that has been used for decades in China to treat arthritis. In a previous study, SIN acted on α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) to inhibit inflammatory responses in macrophages, which indicates a new anti-inflammatory mechanism of SIN. However, the level of α7nAChR was increased in the inflammatory responses and was downregulated by SIN in vitro, so the underlying mechanisms of SIN acting on α7nAChR remain unclear.

Effect of high soil C/N ratio and nitrogen limitation caused by the long-term combined organic-inorganic fertilization on the soil microbial community structure and its dominated SOC decomposition.

The application of organic fertilizers, such as straw and manure, is an efficient approach to maintain soil productivity. However, the effect of these organic fertilizers on soil microbial nutrient balance has not yet been established. In this study, the effects of the long-term combined organic-inorganic fertilization on microbial community were investigated by conducting a 30-year-long field test.

Challenges Facing Percutaneous Ablation in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Extension of Ablation Criteria.

As an emerging minimally invasive treatment method, percutaneous ablation is more and more widely used in the treatment of liver tumors. It has been recommended by guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) as a curative treatment alongside surgical resection and liver transplantation. In recent years, with the continuous advancement and innovation of percutaneous ablation technologies, their clinical efficacy and safety have been significantly improved, which has led to the expanded application of percutaneous ablation in the treatment of HCC-more and more patients who were previously considered unsuitable for ablation therapies are now being treated with percutaneous ablation.

A novel internal cold circulation radiofrequency-assisted device for liver transection.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new internal cold circulation bipolar radiofrequency compared with Habib-4X bipolar radiofrequency device in the resection of liver tumors.

Methods: A total of 85 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who received radiofrequency-assisted liver resection from February 2017 to January 2020 were retrospectively enrolled in our study, in which 45 patients received the new internal cold circulation bipolar radiofrequency (New-RF) and 40 patients received Habib-4X bipolar radiofrequency (Habib-4X). Primary outcome measures were the speed of liver transection, the width of coagulation tissue, hemorrhage volume, blood transfusion rate, and operation time.

HBXIP drives metabolic reprogramming in hepatocellular carcinoma cells via METTL3-mediated m6A modification of HIF-1α.

Cancer cells sustain high levels of glycolysis and glutaminolysis via reprogramming of intracellular metabolism, which represents a driver of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. Understanding the mechanisms of cell metabolic reprogramming may present a new basis for liver cancer treatment. Herein, we collected HCC tissues and noncancerous liver tissues and found hepatitis B virus X-interacting protein (HBXIP) was found to be upregulated in HCC tissues and associated with poor prognosis.

Shuangshen granules attenuate lung metastasis by modulating bone marrow differentiation through mTOR signalling inhibition.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Traditional Chinese medicine Shuangshen granules (SSG) have been used to treat lung cancer patients with Qi deficiency and blood stasis for decades. According to clinical experience, SSG indeed improve the quality of life and prolong the survival time of patients with lung cancer after surgery. Each of the components herbs was proved to be effective in anti-cancer therapy.

Sinomenine regulates CD14/TLR4, JAK2/STAT3 pathway and calcium signal via α7nAChR to inhibit inflammation in LPS-stimulated macrophages.

To investigate the cellular mechanism that sinomenine (SIN) inhibits inflammation in macrophages induced by LPS through α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR). RAW264.7 cells were stimulated with LPS and treated by SIN or nicotine (Nic).

Sinomenine inhibits fibroblast-like synoviocyte proliferation by regulating α7nAChR expression via ERK/Egr-1 pathway.

Fibroblast like synoviocyte (FLS) is a crucial in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and involved in inflammation and joint destruction. Sinomenine (SIN), an alkaloid derived from the plant Sinomenium acutum, has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect and been used for RA treatment in China. Alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7nAChR), as the key receptor in cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway (CAP) to inhibit inflammation, has been detected in RA patients synovium, but its role is still unclear.

Biology of the Tongue Coating and Its Value in Disease Diagnosis.

Tongue diagnosis is one of the most important diagnostic tools in traditional Chinese medicine and has been verified for thousands of years. However, its subjectivity and repeatability has been disputed continuously. The tongue coating as the primary coverage of tongue diagnosis provides more objectivity and reproducibility due to its relatively clear molecular basis; it also has a close relationship with many system diseases and may be used as a potentially valuable disease diagnostic tool.

Estrogen receptor β promoter methylation: a potential indicator of malignant changes in breast cancer.

Introduction: Estrogen receptor β (ERβ) always lacks expression in estrogen-dependent tumors, which may result from gene inactivation by methylation. In this study, we aimed to determine whether aberrant methylation of the ERβ promoter is associated with decreased ERβ gene expression in breast cancer.

Material And Methods: ERβ methylation status was determined for 132 pairs of breast cancer and adjacent normal tissues via the MethyLight method.

Natural attenuation model and biodegradation for 1,1,1-trichloroethane contaminant in shallow groundwater.

Natural attenuation is an effective and feasible technology for controlling groundwater contamination. This study investigated the potential effectiveness and mechanisms of natural attenuation of 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA) contaminants in shallow groundwater in Shanghai by using a column simulation experiment, reactive transport model, and 16S rRNA gene clone library. The results indicated that the majority of the contaminant mass was present at 2-6 m in depth, the contaminated area was approximately 1000 m × 1000 m, and natural attenuation processes were occurring at the site.

Aerobic biodegradation of trichloroethylene and phenol co-contaminants in groundwater by a bacterial community using hydrogen peroxide as the sole oxygen source.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and phenol were often found together as co-contaminants in the groundwater of industrial contaminated sites. An effective method to remove TCE was aerobic biodegradation by co-metabolism using phenol as growth substrates. However, the aerobic biodegradation process was easily limited by low concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) in groundwater, and DO was improved by air blast technique with difficulty.

A single nucleotide polymorphism in PIK3CA gene is inversely associated with P53 protein expression in breast cancer.

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs17849071 was recently reported to be inversely associated with PIK3CA amplification in follicular thyroid cancer, but the main function of this SNP remains unclear. In this study, by using PCR and sequencing method, we explored whether this SNP was associated with P53 expression status and other clinicopathological characteristics in 62 Chinese breast cancer (BCa) patients. In our results, P53 protein accumulation was significantly associated with HER2 overexpression (P = 0.