Engineered Hybrid Lantibiotic that Selectively Combats Infections Caused by .

The rapid emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of presents a substantial challenge to global public health, underscoring the urgent need for novel antibiotics with diverse mechanisms of action. In this study, we conducted mutagenesis on the -terminal region of the lantibiotic ripcin C to enhance its antimicrobial efficacy against . The resulting optimized variant, ripcin C, demonstrated potent and selective antimicrobial activity, with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 2-4 mg/L against .

Phragmalin-Type Limonoids from the Fruits of and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activity.

Phytochemical investigation on the fruits of led to the isolation of five new phragmalin-type limonoids (-) and four known ones (-). The structures of the new compounds -, named chuktabamalins A-E, were elucidated via spectroscopic techniques (HRESIMS, 1D and 2D NMR) and were comparable with the literature data of known compounds. In addition, new compounds were evaluated for in vitro anti-inflammatory activity.

Dietary phosphorus deficiency impaired growth, intestinal digestion and absorption function of meat ducks.

Objective: An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary non-phytate phosphorus (nPP) deficiency on intestinal pH value, digestive enzyme activity, morphology, nutrient utilization, and gene expression of NaPi-IIb in meat ducks from 1 to 21 d of age.

Methods: 525 one-d-old Cherry Valley ducklings were fed diets (with 7 pens of 15 ducklings, or 105 total ducklings, on each diet) with five levels of nPP (0.22, 0.

Doxorubicin-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone)-Pluronic micelle for targeted therapy of esophageal cancer.

There is still lack of effective treatment of esophageal cancer, and it is urgently necessary to develop a new programs to treat this disease. More and more evidence suggests that the combination of 2 or more treatment strategies can enhance the antitumor activity in cancer treatment. We have established a new therapeutic strategy that combines doxorubicin-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)-Pluronic micelles and miR-34a to better combat esophageal cancer.

DCE-MRI-Derived Volume Transfer Constant (K) and DWI Apparent Diffusion Coefficient as Predictive Markers of Short- and Long-Term Efficacy of Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Esophageal Cancer.

This study aimed to evaluate both the short- and long-term efficacies of chemoradiotherapy in relation to the treatment of esophageal cancer . This was achieved through the use of dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging-derived volume transfer constant and diffusion weighted imaging-derived apparent diffusion coefficient . Patients with esophageal cancer were assigned into the sensitive and resistant groups based on respective efficacies in chemoradiotherapy.

Inter- and intra-observer reproducibility of ADC measurements in esophageal carcinoma primary tumors.

The apparent diffuse coefficient (ADC) may correlate with the treatment response to chemotherapy/radiotherapy in solid tumors. Our aim was to determine the inter- and intra-observer reproducibility of ADC measurements in primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). ADCs were blindly measured in 31 patients diagnosed with ESCC by two observers before treatment (pre-ADC) and after 5 fraction radiotherapy (intra-ADC) twice with a 2-week interval.

Effect of wave-current interactions on sediment resuspension in large shallow Lake Taihu, China.

The disturbance of the water-sediment interface by wind-driven currents and waves plays a critical role in sediment resuspension and internal nutrient release in large, shallow lakes. This study analyzed the effects of the interactions between wind-induced currents an1d waves on the driving mechanism of sediment resuspension in Lake Taihu, the third largest freshwater lake in China, using acoustic and optic techniques to collect long-term, high-frequency, synchronous in situ measurements of wind, currents, waves, and suspended solid concentrations (SSCs). The results suggested that water turbidity started to increase at wind speeds of approximately 4 m/s and significantly increased when wind speeds exceeded 6 m/s.

Long-term tolerance and cardiac function in breast cancer patients receiving trastuzumab therapy.

We examined the long-term clinical tolerance and cardiac safety of trastuzumab treatment in ninety-four female patients diagnosed with breast cancer with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) overexpression. Electrocardiography (ECG) was monitored throughout trastuzumab treatment, and left ventricular ejection fractions (LVEFs) were estimated using echocardiography prior to treatment with trastuzumab and every 3 months after its first application. The duration of trastuzumab treatments ranged from 3 to 60 months.

MicroRNA-34a induces a senescence-like change via the down-regulation of SIRT1 and up-regulation of p53 protein in human esophageal squamous cancer cells with a wild-type p53 gene background.

MiR-34a has been reported as a non-coding RNA universally expressed in normal old cells and a probable suppressor of diverse cancer cells; however, this miRNA's expression and anti-tumor mechanism in esophageal squamous cancer cells (ESCC) remains unclear. We explored these questions in three human ESCC lines, KYSE-450, KYSE-410, and ECa-109, with wild-type p53 and mutant p53 backgrounds. Through a specific stem-loop RT primer for miR-34a, we examined the relevant expression level of miR-34a in these three cell lines using real-time reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR).

The reproductive toxicity of saponins isolated from Cortex Albiziae in female mice.

Saponin frsom Cortex Albiziae (SCA) are extensively used in the clinical treatment of tumor and depression. However, SCA may cause several adverse effects, including reproductive toxicity. The present study was designed to assess the mechanism by which SCA cause reproductive toxicity in female mice.

Sub-chronic lead and cadmium co-induce apoptosis protein expression in liver and kidney of rats.

The combined subchronic effects of exposure to lead acetate and cadmium chloride on apoptosis protein expression were detected in the liver and kidney of rats to investigate the hazards of environmentally relevant, low-dose exposure to these compounds. The TUNEL assay showed that there were increased numbers of apoptotic cells. Immunohistochemical tests showed increased numbers of positive cells under Bax and caspase-3 protein detection and decreased Bcl-2 protein.

Effects of mixed subchronic lead acetate and cadmium chloride on bone metabolism in rats.

This study aimed to determine the effects of administering a mixture of subchronic lead acetate (Pb (NO3)2) and cadmium chloride (CdCl2·2.5H2O) on the bone metabolism of rats. A control group and three experimental groups consisted of randomly selected rats.

[Combined effects of sub-chronic exposure to lead and cadmium on physiological and biochemical indexes of blood in SD rats].

Objective: The combined subchronic effects of exposure to lead acetate [Pb (NO3)2] and cadmium chloride [CdCl2 x 2.5H2O] on blood physiological and biochemical indexes of rats were detected to investigate the hazards of environmentally relevant, low-dose exposure to these compounds.

Methods: 80 SD rats were randomly divided into three experiment groups and one control group.

Effects of subchronic exposure to lead acetate and cadmium chloride on rat's bone: Ca and Pi contents, bone density, and histopathological evaluation.

This study aims to investigate the effects of low-dose subchronic exposure to lead acetate (Pb(NO₃)₂) and cadmium chloride (CdCl₂·2.5H₂O) on bone in rats. The rats were assigned randomly to a control group and three experimental groups that were given the mixture of Pb(NO₃)₂ and CdCl₂·2.

Toxicological assessment of combined lead and cadmium: acute and sub-chronic toxicity study in rats.

The exposure to chemical mixtures is a common and important determinant of toxicity and receives concern for their introduction by inhalation and ingestion. However, few in vivo mixture studies have been conducted to understand the health effects of chemical mixtures compared with single chemicals. In this study, the acute and 90day sub-chronic toxicity tests of combined Pb and Cd were conducted.

Quantification of metallothionein on the liver and kidney of rats by subchronic lead and cadmium in combination.

The combined subchronic effects of exposure to lead acetate and cadmium chloride on oxidative stress and metallothionein (MT) gene expression were detected in the liver and kidney of rats to investigate the hazards of environmentally relevant, low-dose exposure to these compounds. Pb and Cd co-induced oxidative stress in liver and kidney tissues. This result was indicated by a significant (P<0.

Antiviral activity of sulfated Chuanmingshen violaceum polysaccharide against Newcastle disease virus.

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is a member of Paramyxovirinae subfamily and can infect most species of birds causing severe economic losses. The current control measure is vaccination, but infections cannot be completely prevented. It remains a constant threat to the poultry industry and new control measures are urgently needed.

Inhibitory effect of resveratrol against duck enteritis virus in vitro.

Duck viral enteritis (DVE) is an acute, contagious herpesvirus infection of ducks, geese, and swans of all ages and species. This disease has been responsible for significant economic losses in domestic and wild waterfowl as a result of mortality, and decreased egg production. Resveratrol is a naturally occurring phytoalexin in specific plants and exhibits inhibitory activity against many kinds of virus.

[Analysis of prognostic factors in patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinoma after failure of second-line EGFR-TKIs therapy].

Background: The prognostic factors and salvage therapy after the failure of epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) therapy have brought concerns. This study aims to analyze retrospectively the clinical data of patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma and explore their prognostic factors.

Methods: Patients with integral clinic dates and staged IV lung adenocarcinoma with performance status (PS) scores from 0 to 2 were enrolled between January 2009 and February 2012 and followed up until death.