SPP1-mediated M2 macrophage polarization shapes the tumor microenvironment and enhances prognosis and immunotherapy guidance in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) shows carcinogenic potential in multiple cancers, yet its role in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) remains elusive. Leveraging transcriptomic data sourced from an NPC cohort at Fujian Cancer Hospital, alongside datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus cohort and a single-cell RNA sequencing dataset, this investigation explored the role of SPP1 in tumor progression and the tumor microenvironment of NPC. A co-culture system involving tumor cells and macrophages was established to elucidate the relationship between SPP1 and tumor-associated macrophages in NPC.

Novel signature of ferroptosis-related long non-coding RNA to predict lower-grade glioma overall survival.

Background: Ferroptosis is a novel type of programmed cell death in various tumors; however, underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We aimed to develop ferroptosis-related long non-coding RNA (FRlncRNA) risk scores to predict lower-grade glioma (LGG) prognosis and to conduct functional analyses to explore potential mechanisms.

Methods: LGG-related RNA sequencing data were extracted from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA) databases.

Frailty Predicts in-Hospital Death in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Background And Aim: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a severe public health problem in elderly patients, and frailty is associated with higher mortality rates in older patients. This study aims to assess the prognostic value of frailty in patients with TBI.

Methods: Clinical data from 348 TBI patients treated at Affiliated Kunshan Hospital of Jiangsu University and Kunshan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine between December 2018 and December 2020 were retrospectively collected.

Comparative evaluation of machine learning models in predicting overall survival for nasopharyngeal carcinoma using F-FDG PET-CT parameters.

Purpose: The objective of this study is to assess the prognostic efficacy of F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET-CT) parameters in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and identify the best machine learning (ML) prognostic model for NPC patients based on these F-FDG PET/CT parameters and clinical variables.

Method: A cohort of 678 patients diagnosed with NPC between 2016 and 2020 was analyzed in this study. The model was constructed using four advanced ML algorithms, namely Random Forest (RF), Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO), and multifactor COX step-up regression.

Comorbidity profiling identifies potential subtype of elderly patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Few studies have assessed the comprehensive associations among comorbid diseases in elderly patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study sought to identify potential comorbidity patterns and explore the relationship of comorbidity patterns with the mortality risk in elderly patients with NPC.

Methods: A total of 452 elderly patients with NPC were enrolled in the study.

Machine learning-based survival prediction nomogram for postoperative parotid mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

Parotid mucoepidermoid carcinoma (P-MEC) is a significant histopathological subtype of salivary gland cancer with inherent heterogeneity and complexity. Existing clinical models inadequately offer personalized treatment options for patients. In response, we assessed the efficacy of four machine learning algorithms vis-à-vis traditional analysis in forecasting the overall survival (OS) of P-MEC patients.

Downregulated Phosphoglycerate Kinase 1 Attenuates Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury by Reversing Neuroinflammation and Oxidative Stress through the Nuclear Factor Erythroid 2 Related Factor 2/ARE Pathway.

Understanding the role and mechanism of astrocytes in inflammation and oxidative response is crucial for developing therapeutic strategies to reduce inflammation and oxidative injury in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI). In this study, we investigated the regulatory effects of phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) on inflammation and oxidative response after CIRI in male adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and using primary astrocytes obtained from neonatal SD rats, and explored its related mechanisms. We established a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion-reperfusion (MCAO/R) by suture occlusion, and an oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation model of astrocytes using oxygen-free, glucose-free, and serum-free cultures.

Dynamic change of oligopeptides and free amino acids composition in five types of tea with different fermentation degree processed from the same batch of fresh tea (Camelilia Sinensis. L.) leaves.

Our previous studies have confirmed oligopeptides could be meaningful to tea taste and biofunction. As the total content of oligopeptide among different tea types were varied. It is a natural speculation that certain tea processing step could be vital for oligopeptides enrichment.

Novel melatonin-trientine conjugate as potential therapeutic agents for Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers continue to explore drug targets to treat the characteristic pathologies of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Some drugs relieve the pathological processes of AD to some extent, but the failed clinical trials indicate that multifunctional agents seem more likely to achieve the therapy goals for this neurodegenerative disease. Herein, a novel compound named melatonin-trientine (TM) has been covalently synthesized with the natural antioxidant compounds melatonin and the metal ion chelator trientine.

Discovery of antibacterial agents targeting biofilm formation: total synthesis and investigation of amycolasporins.

Three monoterpene alkaloids amycolasporin A and (±) amycolasporins B and C have been synthesized for the first time from commercially available materials in yields of 31%, 14% and 21%, respectively. Their six analogues (18, 19, 30a and 30d-30f) were synthesized through a similar protocol. Meanwhile, the antibacterial activity of all synthesized molecules was evaluated, showing different levels of bioactivity.

Quantification, identification and comparison of oligopeptides on five tea categories with different fermentation degree by Kjeldahl method and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-orbitrap ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry.

Peptides with different lengths or amino sequences could have specific tastes or bio-activities. So far, either the quantity or pattern differences of peptide among various of teas were unknown. Here, firstly, we developed a method for tea oligopeptide quantification and made comparison of their contents.

Biomimetic synthesis and anti-inflammatory evaluation of violacin A analogues.

Violacin A, a chromanone derivative, isolated from a fermentation broth of Streptomyces violaceoruber, has excellent anti-inflammatory potential. Herein, a biogenetically modeled approach to synthesize violacin A and twenty-five analogues was described, which involved the preparation of aromatic polyketide precursor through Claisen condensation and its spontaneous cyclization. The inhibitory effect on nitric oxide (NO) production of all synthetic molecules was evaluated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced Raw264.

Discovery of Anti-TNBC Agents Targeting PTP1B: Total Synthesis, Structure-Activity Relationship, and Investigations of Jamunones.

Twenty-three natural jamunone analogues along with a series of jamunone-based derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory effects against breast cancer (BC) MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. The preliminary structure-activity relationship revealed that the length of aliphatic side chain and free phenolic hydroxyl group at the scaffold played a vital role in anti-BC activities and the methyl group on chromanone affected the selectivity of molecules against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. Among them, jamunone M (JM) was screened as the most effective anti-triple-negative breast cancer (anti-TNBC) candidate with a high selectivity against BC cells over normal human cells.

Comparison of Volatiles in Different Jasmine Tea Grade Samples Using Electronic Nose and Automatic Thermal Desorption-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Followed by Multivariate Statistical Analysis.

Chinese jasmine tea is a type of flower-scented tea, which is produced by mixing green tea with the flower repeatedly. Both the total amount and composition of volatiles absorbed from the Jasminum sambac flower are mostly responsible for its sensory quality grade. This study aims to compare volatile organic compound (VOC) differences in authoritative jasmine tea grade samples.

Total synthesis and anti-inflammatory evaluation of violacin A and its analogues.

A concise total synthesis of an exceedingly potent anti-inflammatory agent violacin A as well as the preparation of thirty analogues of this lead from commercially available orcinol are described. Highlights of our synthetic efforts involve Friedel-Crafts acylation, the regioselective etherification and esterification of phenolic hydroxyl groups, and Baker-Venkatamaran rearrangement to form basic skeleton of violacin A. The deprotection reaction with Pd-catalytic was involved to avoid the elimination of the hemiacetal hydroxyl at C2.

Design, synthesis and antifungal evaluation of borrelidin derivatives.

Borrelidin, a nitrile containing 18-membered polyketide macrolide, display potent antifungal activity. In this study, a library of borrelidin derivatives were synthesized. Their structures were elucidated by detailed spectroscopic data analysis.

CEMTDD: The database for elucidating the relationships among herbs, compounds, targets and related diseases for Chinese ethnic minority traditional drugs.

China has different ethnic minorities that establish their own medical systems and practice experience for thousand years, thereafter named Chinese Ethnic Minority Traditional Drugs (CEMTDs) (http://www.cemtdd.com/index.

MicroRNA-223 functions as an oncogene in human gastric cancer by targeting FBXW7/hCdc4.

Aims: The aim of this study was (a) to determine the role of micro-223 (miR-223) in gastric cancer and (b) to elucidate its regulatory mechanism on the FBXW7/hCdc4 gene.

Materials And Methods: Artificial miR-223 and control oligonucleotide was transfected into gastric cancer cell line SGC7901 by using Lipofectamine2000. Apoptosis of miR-223 group and control group cells was analyzed by flow cytometry, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide and colony formation assays were performed to detect the cell viability, to survey migration of miR-223 group and control group cells; scratch wound-healing motility assays, Transwell Assay, and Western blot test were performed to measure the variance of hFBXW7.

Semi-mature MyD88-silenced bone marrow dendritic cells prolong the allograft survival in a rat model of intestinal transplantation.

Background: Semi-mature dendritic cells (DCs) may induce tolerance rather than immunity. However, little is known about the regulatory mechanism by which these DCs induce transplant tolerance. Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is a key adaptor of Toll-like receptor signaling, which plays a critical role in DC maturation.

Protective effect of resveratrol on acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice.

Resveratrol, a phytoalexin found in a range of plant products, may exert a variety of pharmacological activities. In this study, we investigated the effect of resveratrol on acute lung injury (ALI) induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in vivo, and we found that the pretreatment with resveratrol can effectively protect mice against LPS-induced ALI. Mice were pretreated with 1 mg/kg resveratrol for 3 days before challenging with a dose of 15 mg/kg LPS.

Exosomes derived from immature bone marrow dendritic cells induce tolerogenicity of intestinal transplantation in rats.

Background: Dendritic cells (DCs) secrete exosomes bearing major histocompatibility complex I and II (MHC I /II) and co-stimulatory molecules, and play a critical role in immune regulation. Because immature DCs can induce T-cell tolerance in vitro and in vivo, we explored the possibility of using exosomes derived from immature DCs (imDex) for the induction of intestinal transplant tolerance in rats.

Materials And Methods: ImDex were purified from F344 rat bone marrow immature DCs.

Exosomes derived from interleukin-10-treated dendritic cells can inhibit trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced rat colitis.

Objective: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which mainly refers to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, is characterized by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Recent reports have demonstrated that exosomes derived from interleukin-10 (IL-10)-treated bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) can reduce the incidence and severity of established collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. Based on the essential role of IL-10 in the development of normal mucosal immunity, we investigated whether exosomes derived from DCs treated with IL-10 (known as IL-10-exosomes) can suppress the trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced colitis.

Critical role of aquaporin-3 in the human epidermal growth factor-induced migration and proliferation in the human gastric adenocarcinoma cells.

Background: Aquaporins (AQPs) are expressed in many different tumor cell types in human. New evidence for the involvement of AQPs in cell migration and proliferation adds AQPs to an expanding list of effectors in tumor biology.

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate whether AQP3 expression in the human gastric carcinoma cell lines, AGS and SGC7901, enhances cell migration and proliferation.

Expression profile of multiple aquaporins in human gastric carcinoma and its clinical significance.

Background: New evidence for involvement of aquaporins (AQPs) in cell migration and proliferation adds AQPs to an expanding list of effectors in tumor biology. But there is few report concerning the expression and role of AQPs in human gastric carcinogenesis so far. The aim of this current study was to investigate the expression profile of AQPs in human gastric carcinoma and its significance.