The potential immunotherapy effect of Ginkgolide B thwarts oral squamous cell carcinoma progression by targeting the SREBP1/KLK8/CCL22 axis.

Background: Oral cancer is a malignant tumor of the oral cavity, with regulatory T cell (Treg) infiltration associated with poor prognosis. Ginkgolide B (GB) has demonstrated effects on lipid metabolism; however, its potential immunotherapeutic effects on oral cancer have not been elaborated.

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the immunotherapeutic effects of Ginkgolide B (GB) in oral cancer.

The modulatory effects of gut microbes and metabolites on blood-brain barrier integrity and brain function in sepsis-associated encephalopathy.

Background: Intestinal microbiota homeostasis and the gut-brain axis are key players associated with host health and alterations in metabolic, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative disorders. Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE), which is closely associated with bacterial translocation, is a common secondary organ dysfunction and an urgent, unsolved problem affecting patient quality of life. Our study examined the neuroprotective effects of the gut microbiome and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolites on SAE.

The Cycas genome and the early evolution of seed plants.

Cycads represent one of the most ancient lineages of living seed plants. Identifying genomic features uniquely shared by cycads and other extant seed plants, but not non-seed-producing plants, may shed light on the origin of key innovations, as well as the early diversification of seed plants. Here, we report the 10.

Attenuation of in vitro and in vivo melanin synthesis using a Chinese herbal medicine through the inhibition of tyrosinase activity.

Background: In traditional Chinese medicine, the skin reflects the health of body organs. A skin whitening agent, named seven whitening creams (also called Chi-Bai-San), has been used since ancient times in China. Chi-Bai-San reduces melanin and helps to reduce wrinkles.

The unique Akt inhibitor SC66 suppressed AMPK activity and abolished autophagy through the EGFR-p62 pathway.

Akt is usually considered to be a negative regulator of both autophagy and adenosine 5'-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling. In the present study, we found that SC66, a pyridine-based allosteric Akt inhibitor, suppressed basal and H O -induced autophagy concurrent with decreased phosphorylation and activity of AMPK. SC66 treatment led to the formation of a high molecular weight (HMW) form of SQSTM1/p62 (p62), which is an autophagic substrate and is essential for selective autophagy.

Erratum: MicroRNA-26b suppresses autophagy in breast cancer cells by targeting DRAM1 mRNA, and is downregulated by irradiation.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.

[Design and application of pre-hospital "Owl" first aid kit].

Pre-hospital first aid can reduce the mortality and morbidity of critically ill patients, and first aid kit plays an important role in pre-hospital first aid. The first aid kit used in clinic is easy to cause the injection to be broken, and it is inconvenient to use at night. Thus, we have designed an "Owl" first aid kit and obtained a national utility model patent (ZL 2018 2 0727656.

Different Role of Raptor and Rictor in Regulating Rasfonin-Induced Autophagy and Apoptosis in Renal Carcinoma Cells.

Both Raptor and Rictor are the key components in the complexes of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which play a vital role in mediating autophagy. Unlike mTOR, the regulatory role of either Raptor or Rictor in the regulation of autophagic process is relatively less explored. In present study, we found that rasfonin, which isolated from Talaromyces sp.

Ultrasound, X-ray, computed tomography and clinical tests for diagnosis of abdominal purpura in children: A retrospective study.

Imaging modalities are not included in The European League Against Rheumatism, The Pediatric Rheumatology International Trials Organization and The Pediatric Rheumatology European Society 2010 criteria for the evaluation of abdominal purpura. The objective of the present study was to compare diagnostic parameters of ultrasound, X-ray and computed tomography (CT) for diagnosis of abdominal purpura considering the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria as 'reference standard' in children with acute abdominal pain. Medical records of 215 children with acute abdominal pain were reviewed.

Pestalotiones A-D: Four New Secondary Metabolites from the Plant Endophytic Fungus .

Two new xanthone derivatives, pestalotiones A () and B (), one new diphenyl ketone riboside, pestalotione C (), and one new diphenyl ether, pestalotione D (), along with five known compounds isosulochrin dehydrate (), 3,8-dihydroxy-6-methyl-9-oxo-9-xanthene-1-carboxylate (), isosulochrin (), chloroisosulochrin (), and pestalotether D (), were isolated from the crude extract of the plant endophytic fungus (N635). The structures of the new compounds were unambiguously deduced by HRESIMS and 1D/2D-NMR spectroscopic data. Compound showed modest cytotoxicity against the HeLa cell line with an IC value of 35.

Acupuncture for smoking cessation: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 24 randomized controlled trials.

Introduction: We evaluate the effectiveness and safety of transdermal acupuncture by needles for smoking cessation.

Methods: A literature search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was performed in seven electronic databases from inception to February 2017. Meta-analysis was conducted using Revman 5.

Analysis of postoperative cognitive dysfunction and influencing factors of dexmedetomidine anesthesia in elderly patients with colorectal cancer.

Effect of dexmedetomidine-assisted general anesthesia on early postoperative cognitive dysfunctions in elderly patients with colorectal cancer was explored. In total, 140 patients with radical colorectal cancer under general anesthesia from March 2012 to June 2015 were enrolled in the Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, including 80 patients in the dexmedetomidine group and 60 patients in the saline group. Surgery conditions were recorded, and the incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) and cognitive function score (MMSE score) were compared between the two groups.

Epigenetic modification of ESP, encoding a putative long noncoding RNA, affects panicle architecture in rice.

Epigenetic variants broaden phenotypic diversity in eukaryotes. Epialleles may also provide a new genetic source for crop breeding, but very few epialleles related to agricultural traits have been identified in rice. Here, we identified Epi-sp, a gain-of-function epiallele of the rice ESP (Epigenetic Short Panicle, Os01g0356951), which encodes a putative long noncoding RNA.

Mutation in a putative glycosyltransferase-like gene causes programmed cell death and early leaf senescence in rice.

Leaf senescence is a genetically regulated, highly complex and ordered process. Although it has been extensively studied, the mechanism of leaf senescence is not well understood. In this study, we isolated a rice mutant, designated as premature senescence leaf (psl), which exhibits early senescence and spontaneous lesion mimic phenotype after flowering.

A bibliometric analysis of clinical study literature of traditional Chinese medicine therapies for smoking cessation.

Introduction: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is commonly used for smoking cessation in China. The aim of this study is to perform a comprehensive literature search to identify clinical studies on TCM therapies for smoking cessation.

Methods: Publications of randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical studies, cohort studies, case-control studies, case series and case reports, reviews and cross-sectional studies on smoking cessation using TCM therapies were retrieved from seven databases from their inception to February 2017.

MicroRNA-26b suppresses autophagy in breast cancer cells by targeting DRAM1 mRNA, and is downregulated by irradiation.

MicroRNAs (miRs) are small RNAs that do not code for proteins, but instead decrease the stability and suppress the translation of target mRNAs by binding with complementary sequences in their 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTRs). In the present study, it is reported that breast cancer tumor tissue, as well as irradiated MCF7 breast cancer cells, exhibit decreased levels of miR-26b expression compared with normal breast tissue and MCF7 cells without exposure to radiation. Additionally, a luciferase reporter assay was used to demonstrate that miR-26b directly targetsDNA damage-regulated autophagy modulator 1 (DRAM1).

Clinical study of tuberculosis in the head and neck region-11 years' experience and a review of the literature.

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease and major health concern. Head and neck tuberculosis (HNTB) is relatively rare, but can arise in many regions, including the lymph nodes, larynx, oral cavity and pharynx. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 60 patients diagnosed with HNTB in our department between March 2005 and January 2016.

Microsporols A-C from the Plant Endophytic Fungus Pestalotiopsis microspore.

Three new ambuic acid derivatives, microsporols A-C (1-3) and the known compound ambuic acid (4), were isolated from the solid-substrate fermentation cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis microspora. Their structures were elucidated primarily by NMR experiments. The absolute configurations of the 6,7-diol moiety in 1 and 2 were assigned using the Snatzke's method, whereas that of 3 was deduced by circular dichroism (CD) exciton chirality method.

Detection of viable Salmonella in ice cream by TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction assay combining propidium monoazide.

Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) allows rapid detection of Salmonella in frozen dairy products, but it might cause a false positive detection result because it might amplify DNA from dead target cells as well. In this study, Salmonella-free frozen ice cream was initially inoculated with heat-killed Salmonella Typhimurium cells and stored at -18°C. Bacterial DNA extracted from the sample was amplified using TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR targeting the invA gene.

Usefulness of natriuretic peptide for the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To examine the diagnostic value of serum B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in acute Kawasaki disease (KD).

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Sources: A systematic literature search strategy was designed and carried out using MEDLINE, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library from inception to December 2013.

A novel high-throughput nematicidal assay using embryo cells and larvae of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Human health safety and environmental concerns have resulted in the widespread deregistration of several agronomic important nematicides. New and safer nematicides are urgently needed. However, a high-throughput bioassay for screening potential nematicides has not been established.

2H-pyran-2-one and 2H-furan-2-one derivatives from the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici.

Two new α-pyrones (=2H-pyran-2-ones), ficipyrones A and B (1 and 2, resp.), and two new α-furanones (=2H-furan-2-ones), ficifuranones A and B (3 and 4, resp.), together with three known metabolites, antibiotic F 0368 (5), hydroxyseiridin (6), and hydroxyisoseiridin (7), were isolated from solid cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici.

Pestaloficiols Q-S from the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici.

Two new isoprenylated chromone derivatives, pestaloficiols Q (1) and R (2), and one new benzofuran derivative, pestaloficiol S (3), along with three known metabolites, anofinic acid (4), siccayne (5), and pyrenophorol (6) were isolated from solid cultures of the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis fici. Their structures were elucidated primarily by NMR spectroscopy, and the absolute of the C-6 secondary alcohol in 1 was deduced on the basis of circular dichroism (CD) data. Compound 5 showed cytotoxic activity against the human cancer cell lines, HeLa and HT29, with IC50 values of 48.

New furanones from the plant endophytic fungus Pestalotiopsis besseyi.

Pestalafuranones A-E (compounds 1-5), five new 2(5H)-furanones, have been isolated from cultures of an isolate of Pestalotiopsis besseyi. The structures of these compounds were elucidated mainly by analysis of their NMR spectroscopic data and HRESIMS experiments. Pestalafuranones A-C (compounds 1-3) displayed weak inhibitory effects against HIV-1 replication in C8166 cells, whereas pestalafuranones D (4) and E (5) showed moderate antifungal activity against the plant pathogens Verticillium dahiae and Alternaria longipes.