A Study of the Relationship between the Polymorphism and Mutation of rs682429 and rs3781590 in the LRP5 Gene and Bone Metabolism in Postmenopausal Type 2 Diabetic Women in Xinjiang.

Objective: To explore the expression of the polymorphism and mutation of rs682429 and rs3781590 in the low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 5 (LRP5) genotype and to analyse the relationship of bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism markers in postmenopausal women with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Xinjiang, China, to provide a basis for prevention and treatment of the disease.

Methods: A total of 136 postmenopausal women were included in the study. According to the results of an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and dual-energy X-ray (DEXA) determination of BMD, the study subjects were divided into 4 groups: group A: normal OGTT+normal bone mass group; group B: normal OGTT+osteoporotic (OP) group; group C: T2DM+normal bone mass group; group D: T2DM+osteoporotic (OP) group.

Conventional vs. pulsed-light accelerated corneal collagen cross-linking for the treatment of progressive keratoconus: 12-month results from a prospective study.

The aim of the present study was to compare the clinical outcomes of conventional corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) and pulsed-light accelerated CXL (pl-ACXL) in the eyes of patients with progressive keratoconus. A total of 72 eyes with progressive keratoconus in 58 patients were equally divided into the CXL and pl-ACXL treatment groups. The CXL treatment was performed using the UVX 1000 system with 0.

A meta-analysis of single-case research on the use of tablet-mediated interventions for persons with ASD.

Background: There is a growing amount of single-case research literature on the benefits of tablet-mediated interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). With the development of tablet-based computers, tablet-mediated interventions have been widely utilized for education and treatment purposes; however, the overall quality and evidence of this literature-base are unknown.

Aims: This article aims to present a quality review of the single-case experimental literature and aggregate results across studies involving the use of tablet-mediated interventions for individuals with ASD.

Therapeutic and inducing effect of corneal crosslinking on infectious keratitis.

The corneal crosslinking (CXL) with riboflavin and ultraviolet-A (UVA) is a new therapy method to successfully treat infectious keratitis in clinical practice. However, there are rare reports on the complications of CXL such as the secondary keratitis. The diverse clinical outcomes on keratitis have highlighted the necessity to further evaluate the efficacy and complications of CXL.

Deacetyl-mycoepoxydiene, isolated from plant endophytic fungi Phomosis sp. demonstrates anti-microtubule activity in MCF-7 cells.

Deacetyl-mycoepoxydiene (DM), a novel secondary metabolite produced by the plant endophytic fungi Phomosis sp., induced the reorganization of cytoskeleton in actively growing MCF-7 cells by promoting polymerization of tubulin. DM could induce cell cycle arrest at G2/M in MCF-7 cells.

Riccardin D-26, a synthesized macrocyclic bisbibenzyl compound, inhibits human oral squamous carcinoma cells KB and KB/VCR: In vitro and in vivo studies.

Background: Riccardin D-26, a synthesized macrocyclic bisbibenzyl compound, might possess anti-cancer properties. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Riccardin D-26 as a candidate compound for treatment of cancers with sensitive or drug resistant cells.

Methods: Experiments were performed on human oral squamous carcinoma KB cells and vincristin-selected MDR KB/VCR cells.

Microbial biotransformation of kurarinone by Cunninghamella echinulata AS 3.3400.

In this paper, microbial transformation of kurarinone (1) by Cunninghamella echinulata AS 3.3400 was investigated and four transformed products were isolated and identified as 6″-hydroxykurarinone (2), 4″,5″,8″-trihydroxynorkurarinone (3), norkurarinone (4), and kurarinone-7-O-β-glucoside (5), respectively. Among them, 3 and 5 are new compounds, and the rare glycosylation in microbial transformation was observed.

Microbial transformation of Norkurarinone by Cunninghamella blakesleana AS 3.970.

In this paper, microbial transformation of norkurarinone (1) by Cunninghamella blakesleana AS 3.970 was investigated and seven transformed products were isolated and characterized as kurarinone (2), 4″,5″-dihydroxykurarinone (3), 6″-hydroxyl-2'-methoxyl-norkurarinone 7-O-β-d-glucoside (4), 6″-hydroxyl-norkurarinone 4'-O-β-d-glucoside (5), 4″,5″-dihydroxynorkurarinone (6), 7-methoxyl-norkurarinone (7), and 7-methoxyl-4″,5″-dihydroxynorkurarinone (8), respectively. Among them, 3-5 are new compounds, and the glycosylation reaction in microbial transformation process was reported rarely.

Improved lycopene production by Blakeslea trispora with isopentenyl compounds and metabolic precursors.

The highest lycopene production in mated cultures of Blakeslea trispora was 578 mg/l by adding 42 mg geraniol/l to the medium after 48 h of growth. The control gave 317 mg/l. Adding isopentenyl alcohol at 40 mg/l, mevalonic acid at 17.

Effect of chlorogenic acid on mast cell-dependent anaphylactic reaction.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA), a naturally occurring polyphenol compound, has a number of biological activities. However, roles of CGA in the mast cell-dependent anaphylactic reaction have not been fully examined. In the present study, the effect and mechanism of CGA on mast cell-dependent anaphylactic reaction were investigated using in vivo and in vitro models.

Modulation of P-glycoprotein activity by the substituted quinoxalinone compound QA3 in adriamycin-resistant K562/A02 cells.

QA3 is a derivative of the substituted 1,3-dimethyl-1H-quinoxalin-2-ones, which are compounds that may selectively antagonize P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in multidrug resistance (MDR) cancer cells. Our previous work identified QA3 as a candidate compound for reversing MDR in cancer cells. In the present study, we found that QA3 significantly decreases the intracellular level of ATP, stimulates ATPase activity in membrane microsomes and decreases protein kinase C (PKC) activity.

Marchantin C, a novel microtubule inhibitor from liverwort with anti-tumor activity both in vivo and in vitro.

Microtubules are long-standing targets in cancer chemotherapy. Previously, we reported that marchantin C triggers apoptosis of human tumor cells. We show here that marchantin C induced cell cycle arrest at G(2)/M phase in A172 and HeLa cells.

Reversal of p-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance by macrocyclic bisbibenzyl derivatives in adriamycin-resistant human myelogenous leukemia (K562/A02) cells.

Macrocyclic bisbibenzyls, a class of characteristic natural molecules derived from liverworts, have diverse biological significances. Dihydroptychantol A (DHA) was identified to be an antifungal active macrocyclic bisbibenzyl from liverwort Asterella angusta. In an attempt to understand other biological activities of this compound, the chemical synthesized DHA and its analogues (compounds 1-3) were employed to test this possibility by using adriamycin-resistant K562/A02 cells.

Reversal effect of a macrocyclic bisbibenzyl plagiochin E on multidrug resistance in adriamycin-resistant K562/A02 cells.

Plagiochin E is a new macrocyclic bisbibenzyl compound isolated from Marchantia polymorpha. In the previous studies, we reported that when combined with fluconazole, plagiochin E had synergetic effects against the resistant strain of Candida albicans. Herein, we examined the reversal effect of plagiochin E on multidrug resistance in adriamycin-induced resistant K562/A02 cells and the parental K562 cells.

Marchantin C, a macrocyclic bisbibenzyl, induces apoptosis of human glioma A172 cells.

Macrocyclic bisbibenzyls, a class of characteristic components derived from liverworts, are attracting more and more attention because of their wide range of biological significance, including anti-bacterial, anti-fungus, anti-oxidation and cytotoxicity. Herein, we investigated the pro-apoptotic effect of marchantin C on human glioma A 172 cells. The results demonstrated that marchantin C conferred dose-dependent inhibitory effects onto cell growth, viability and colony formation ability of A 172 cells.

[Effects of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome in children].

Objective: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is usually diagnosed on the basis of clinical manifestations. However, a sensitive and effective biochemical index is important for early diagnosis of ARDS. It has been confirmed that macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) expression is increased in patients with ARDS (adults and children).

Delivery of nitric oxide released from beta-Gal-NONOate activation by beta-galactosidase and its activity against Escherichia coli.

Beta-galactosyl-pyrrolidinyl diazeniumdiolates (beta-Gal-NONOate) is a new site-specific nitric oxide (NO)-releasing compound, which releases NO once activated by beta-galactosidase. In the present experiment, we used beta-Gal-NONOate as a bactericidal reagent to investigate its effectiveness of NO releasing. Through the evaluation of intracellular NO level and the comparison of survival of E.