Sediment accretion and nutrient enrichment enhance the growth and vegetative propagation of growing within a stand.

Sediment accretion (burial) and nutrient enrichment may exert a synergistic influence on the growth and distribution of macrophytes in floodplain wetlands; however, this phenomenon has rarely been examined. In this study, we investigated the effects of sediment accretion and nutrient enrichment on the growth and vegetative propagation of within a stand (one ramet within 25 C ramets) using a factorial sediment burial (0, 3, and 6 cm) and nutrient addition (low, medium, and high) experimental design. High sediment burial (6 cm) without nutrient addition decreased the aboveground and total biomass of but did not affect , indicating that is more tolerant to sediment burial than .

A novel fluoropolymer as a protein delivery vector with robust adjuvant effect for cancer immunotherapy.

The inefficient treatment using protein-based nanovaccines is largely attributed to their inadequate immunogenicity. Herein, we developed a novel fluoropolymer (PF) ring-opening polymerization and constructed a fluoropolymer-based nanovaccine for tumor immunotherapy. Due to the existence of fluoroalkyl chains, PF not only played a crucial role in tumor antigen delivery but also exhibited a remarkable adjuvant effect in enhancing the immunogenicity of nanovaccines.

Ecological drivers of avian diversity in a subtropical landscape: Effects of habitat diversity, primary productivity and anthropogenic disturbance.

Understanding the roles of ecological drivers in shaping biodiversity is fundamental for conservation practice. In this study, we explored the effects of elevation, conservation status, primary productivity, habitat diversity and anthropogenic disturbance (represented by human population density and birding history) on taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional avian diversity in a subtropical landscape in southeastern China. We conducted bird surveys using 1-km transects across a total of 30 sites, of which 10 sites were located within a natural reserve.

Impairment of antigen-presenting function of peripheral γδ T cells in patients with sepsis.

Impairment of antigen-presenting functions is a key mechanism contributing to sepsis-induced immunosuppression. Recently, γδ T cells have been demonstrated as professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs); however, their role in sepsis remains unknown. In this in vitro study, the APC function of human peripheral γδ T cells was assessed using samples collected from 42 patients with sepsis and 27 age-matched healthy controls.

Telmisartan Attenuates the Growth of Epithelium-like Cells and Glomerular Injury in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.

The abnormal growth of epithelium-like cells has been noticed in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) with hypertensive nephropathy. However, the characteristics of abnormal epithelium-like cells and their pathogenesis in hypertensive nephropathy are not fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the correlation of epithelium-like cells with glomerular injury, and the effects of early drug intervention with telmisartan, an anti-hypertensive drug, on the growth of epithelium-like cells.

Ex vivo pulsed dendritic cell vaccination against cancer.

As the most powerful antigen-presenting cell type, dendritic cells (DCs) can induce potent antigen-specific immune responses in vivo, hence becoming optimal cell population for vaccination purposes. DCs can be derived ex vivo in quantity and manipulated extensively to be endowed with adequate immune-stimulating capacity. After pulsing with cancer antigens in various ways, the matured DCs are administrated back into the patient.

[Study on Autophagy and Apoptosis Induced by Amiodarone Combined with Glycyrrhetinic Acid in HepG2 Cells].

Objective: To investigate the effects of amiodarone combined with glycyrrhetinic acid on the activity, apoptosis and autophagy in human hepatoma HepG2 cells.

Methods: After using amiodarone and glycyrrhetinic acid alone or in combination treatment for HepG2 cells, MTT assay was used to detect cell proliferation, Annexin Ⅴ/PI flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis; Western blot was used to detect the expression of autophagy-related proteins Beclin-1, LC3 and p62. The formation of EGFP-LC3 green fluorescent aggregates was observed under a fluorescence microscope.

In Vivo Ovarian Cancer Gene Therapy Using CRISPR-Cas9.

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-caspase 9 (Cas9) genome editing technology holds great promise for the field of human gene therapy. However, a lack of safe and effective delivery systems restricts its biomedical application. Here, a folate receptor-targeted liposome (F-LP) was used to deliver CRISPR plasmid DNA co-expressing Cas9 and single-guide RNA targeting the ovarian cancer-related DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) gene (gDNMT1).

Correction: Yan Chen, et al. Dual Agent Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles Enhanced Antitumor Activity in a Multidrug-Resistant Breast Tumor Eenograft Model. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2014, 15, 2761-2772.

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Folate-Modified Lipoplexes Delivering the Interleukin-12 Gene for Targeting Colon Cancer Immunogene Therapy.

The incidence and mortality rate of colorectal cancer increase every year, making it a serious threat to human health. Targeted immunogene therapy is a novel method of treating this type of cancer. Colon cancer overexpresses folate receptor α (FRα) and folate-modified liposomes for colon cancer immunogene therapy may suppress tumor growth effectively.

α, ω-Cholesterol-functionalized low molecular weight polyethylene glycol as a novel modifier of cationic liposomes for gene delivery.

Here, three novel cholesterol (Ch)/low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) conjugates, termed α, ω-cholesterol-functionalized PEG (Ch2-PEGn), were successfully synthesized using three kinds of PEG with different average molecular weight (PEG600, PEG1000 and PEG2000). The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential application of novel cationic liposomes (Ch2-PEGn-CLs) containing Ch2-PEGn in gene delivery. The introduction of Ch2-PEGn affected both the particle size and zeta potential of cationic liposomes.

Study on biopharmaceutics classification and oral bioavailability of a novel multikinase inhibitor NCE for cancer therapy.

Specific biopharmaceutics classification investigation and study on phamacokinetic profile of a novel drug candidate (2-methylcarbamoyl-4-{4-[3- (trifluoromethyl) benzamido] phenoxy} pyridinium 4-methylbenzenesulfonate monohydrate, NCE) were carried out. Equilibrium solubility and intrinsic dissolution rate (IDR) of NCE were estimated in different phosphate buffers. Effective intestinal permeability (P(eff)) of NCE was determined using single-pass intestinal perfusion technique in rat duodenum, jejunum and ileum at three concentrations.

Recent development of poly(ethylene glycol)-cholesterol conjugates as drug delivery systems.

Poly(ethylene glycol)-cholesterol (PEG-Chol) conjugates are composed of "hydrophilically-flexible" PEG and "hydrophobically-rigid" Chol molecules. PEG-Chol conjugates are capable of forming micelles through molecular self-assembly and they are also used extensively for the PEGylation of drug delivery systems (DDS). The PEGylated DDS have been shown to display optimized physical stability properties in vitro and longer half-lives in vivo when compared with non-PEGylated DDS.

Development of lipid-shell and polymer core nanoparticles with water-soluble salidroside for anti-cancer therapy.

Salidroside (Sal) is a potent antitumor drug with high water-solubility. The clinic application of Sal in cancer therapy has been significantly restricted by poor oral absorption and low tumor cell uptake. To solve this problem, lipid-shell and polymer-core nanoparticles (Sal-LPNPs) loaded with Sal were developed by a double emulsification method.

Folate-linked lipoplexes for short hairpin RNA targeting claudin-3 delivery in ovarian cancer xenografts.

Ovarian cancers highly overexpress folate receptor α (FRα) and claudin3 (CLDN3), both of which are associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis of patients. Downregulation of FRα and CLDN3 in ovarian cancer may suppress tumor growth and promote benign differentiation of tumor. In this study, F-P-LP/CLDN3, a FRα targeted liposome loading with short hairpin RNA (shRNA) targeting CLDN3 was prepared and the pharmaceutical properties were characterized.

Calcium phosphate embedded PLGA nanoparticles: a promising gene delivery vector with high gene loading and transfection efficiency.

In the purpose of increasing incorporation efficiency and improving the release kinetics of plasmid DNA (pDNA) from poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) nanoparticles, a facile method for the fabrication of calcium phosphate (CaPi) embedded PLGA nanoparticles (CaPi-pDNA-PLGA-NPs) was developed. The effect of several preparation factors on the particle size, incorporation efficiency, pDNA release and transfection efficiency in vitro was studied by Single Factor Screening Method. These preparation factors included the molecular weight (MW), hydrolysis degree (HD) of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), sonication power and time, composition of organic phase, initial concentration of calcium phosphate and calcium (Ca) to phosphate ion (P) ratio (Ca/P ratio), etc.

Growth-inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effects of tanshinones on hematological malignancy cells and their structure-activity relationship.

This study has investigated the growth-inhibitory and apoptosis-inducing effects of dihydrotanshinone, tanshinone I, tanshinone IIA, and cryptotanshinone on hematological malignancy cell lines, aiming to explore their structure-activity relationship. The growth-inhibitory effects of the tanshinones on K562 and Raji cells were assessed using a modified MTT assay; the apoptosis-inducing effects were assessed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. The changes in cellular morphology were observed using an inverted phase-contrast microscope.

Novel thienopyridine derivatives as specific anti-hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) agents: synthesis, preliminary structure-activity relationships, and in vitro biological evaluation.

Novel thienopyridine derivatives 1b-1r were synthesized, based on a hit compound 1a that was found in a previous cell-based screening of anticancer drugs. Compounds 1a-1r have the following features: (1) their anticancer activity in vitro was first reported by our group. (2) The most potent analog 1g possesses hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-specific anticancer activity.

Development of PLGA nanoparticles simultaneously loaded with vincristine and verapamil for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the malignant tumors with poor chemo-sensitivity to vincristine sulfate (VCR) due to multi-drug resistance (MDR). Combinations of encapsulated VCR and verapamil hydrochloride (VRP, a chemo-sensitizer) might be a potential strategy to improve HCC therapeutic efficacy of VCR. PLGA nanoparticles (PLGANPs) simultaneously loaded with VCR and VRP (CVn) were prepared.

Development of glycyrrhetinic acid-modified stealth cationic liposomes for gene delivery.

The glycyrrhetinic acid-modified stealth cationic liposomes (GA-PEG-CLs) loaded with pDNA (GA-PEG-CLPs) were developed and found to transfect human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line HepG2 with high efficiency. GA-PEG-CLs were comprised of DOTAP, cholesterol (Chol) and glycyrrhetinic acid-polyethyleneglycol-cholesterol conjugate (GA-PEG-Chol). Agarose gel electrophoresis revealed that 5% GA-PEG-CLs constituted by DOTAP/Chol/GA-PEG-Chol at molar ratio of 50:45:5 could completely entrap pDNA at a lower liposomes/pDNA weight ratios of 4:1 (N/P ratio: 1.

The pigment epithelial-derived factor gene loaded in PLGA nanoparticles for therapy of colon carcinoma.

Colon carcinoma is one of the common malignant tumors and has high morbidity and mortality in the world. Pigment epithelial-derived factor (PEDF) has been found to be the most potent natural inhibitor of angiogenesis and PEDF gene has been extensively used for the therapy of tumors, which suggests a potential approach to the therapy of colon carcinoma. However, the transfer of PEDF gene largely depends on the effective gene delivery systems.

Reversion of multidrug resistance by co-encapsulation of vincristine and verapamil in PLGA nanoparticles.

Multidrug resistant (MDR) cancer may be treated using combinations of encapsulated cytotoxic drugs and chemosensitizers. To optimize the effectiveness of this combinational approach, poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles formulations capable of delivering a cytotoxic drug, vincristine, a chemosensitizer, verapamil, or their combination were prepared via combining O/W emulsion solvent evaporation and salting-out method. Moreover, this work evaluated a number of approaches for the administration of chemosensitizer-cytotoxic drug combinations in a systematic fashion.