Organocatalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Seven-Membered Ring with Inherent Chirality.

Inherent chirality is used to describe chiral cyclic molecules devoid of central, axial, planar, or helical chirality and has tremendous applications in chiral recognition and enantioselective synthesis. Catalytic and divergent syntheses of inherently chiral molecules have attracted increasing interest from chemists. Herein, we report the enantioselective synthesis of inherently chiral tribenzocycloheptene derivatives via chiral phosphoric acid (CPA)-catalyzed condensation of cyclic ketones and hydroxylamines.

The number of cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy in stage III and high-risk stage II rectal cancer: a nomogram and recursive partitioning analysis.

Objective: The prognostic role of the number of cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) after total mesorectal excision in stage III and high-risk stage II rectal cancer is unknown. As a result of this, our study was designed to assess the effect of the number of cycles of ACT on the prediction of cancer-specific survival.

Methods: Four hundred patients that were diagnosed as stage III and high-risk stage II rectal cancer from January 2012 to January 2018 and who had received total mesorectal excision were enrolled in this study.

Development and Internal Validation of a Nomogram-Based Model to Predict Three-Year and Five-Year Overall Survival in Patients with Stage II/III Colon Cancer.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a nomogram-based model to predict the three-year and five-year overall survival (OS) of patients with stage II/III colon cancer following radical resection.

Methods: A total of 1156 patients with stage II/III colon cancer who underwent radical resection at the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University between December 2012 and December 2018 were enrolled. Lasso regression was used to screen out 12 variables: age, prealbumin, albumin, degree of differentiation, total tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage, T stage, N stage, prognostic nutritional index (PNI), platelet/lymphocyte count, carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

Identification of Key Functional Modules and Immunomodulatory Regulators of Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Despite the advances in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the prognosis of HCC patients remains unsatisfactory due to postsurgical recurrence and treatment resistance. Therefore, it is important to reveal the mechanisms underlying HCC and identify potential therapeutic targets against HCC, which could facilitate the development of novel therapies. Based on 12 HCC samples and 12 paired paracancerous normal tissues, we identified differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs using the "limma" package in R software.

The Correlation Between UGT1A1 Gene Phenotypes and the Clinical Prognosis of Advanced Colorectal Cancer After FOLFIRI Therapy.

This study investigated the correlations between the different phenotypes of the uridine diphosphate glucuronyl transferase (UGT) 1A1 gene and the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer after the FOLFIRI regimen. A total of 240 advanced colorectal cancer patients with stage IV colon cancer or recurrence after radical surgery between January 2014 and December 2018 were included in a retrospective study. All participants were treated with the FOLFIRI regimen until the disease progressed or an intolerable level of toxicity occurred.

Clinical efficacy and safety of nimotuzumab plus chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer: a retrospective analysis.

Objective: To compare the clinical efficacy and safety of nimotuzumab combined with chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone as first-line treatment for advanced colorectal cancer (ACRC).

Method: We retrospectively enrolled patients with ACRC treated with nimotuzumab plus chemotherapy (n = 40) or chemotherapy alone (n = 44). Responses were evaluated according to the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors and adverse events according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events 3.

Carbon Dot-Passivated Black Phosphorus Nanosheet Hybrids for Synergistic Cancer Therapy in the NIR-II Window.

Metal-free layered black phosphorus (BP) nanosheets with an excellent photothermal effect and large surface areas have been widely applied in biomedicine but are easily oxidized in ambient conditions yielding insulating phosphorus oxides adsorbed on its surface. Several chemical-functionalized strategies have been explored to protect thin layers of BP; however, the performance of passivated BP often decreases significantly, falling behind the single BP due to the strong structure perturbation. Herein, we designed and constructed 0D/2D hybrid photothermal agents by assembling NIR-II-responsive carbon dots (NIR-II-CDs) on BP nanosheets.

[Progress in goat genome studies].

The goat genome is the research basis for the protection and utilization of goat resources, which is important for breeding and improving goat breeds. At present, with the continuous improvement of goat reference genome, various important research progress in goat origin, evolution and adaptability has been achieved. In this review, we summarize the research progress in the goat genome in detail, encompassing goat genome structure, genome map (genetic, physical and comparative maps), goat high throughput sequencing and SNP chip development.

A clinical analysis of systemic chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy for advanced gastric cancer.

This study aims to investigate the clinical efficacy of systemic chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy for advanced gastric cancer.A total of 194 advanced gastric cancer patients who were treated from 2006 to 2016 were included in this study. These patients were divided into 2 groups: chemotherapy group (n = 92) and combined chemoradiotherapy group (n = 102).

MicroRNA-876-3p functions as a tumor suppressor gene and correlates with cell metastasis in pancreatic adenocarcinoma via targeting JAG2.

Dysregulation of microRNA (miRNA) expression in multiple cancers and their vital roles in malignant cancer progression are well investigated. The purpose of this study was to explore the biological roles of miR-876-3p in pancreatic cancer. We used genome-wide gene expression analysis in clinical pancreatic adenocarcinoma samples to identify miR-876-3p down-regulated in pancreatic cancer.

Research progress in sRNAs and functional proteins in epididymosomes.

The semen quality is a basic and the most important indicator of male reproductive health. Mammalian spermatozoa undergo a series of complex structural and functional changes in the epididymis to mature and achieve fertilization capacity. Sperm cell maturation is mediated by a complex physiological process, which is synergistically regulated by a large number of transcription factors, hormones and other signaling molecules.

The biological function of pigeon crop milk and the regulation of its production.

The pigeon (Columba livia) is one of the few birds capable of secreting nutrients to nourish squabs. During the incubation period, the crop of the parent pigeon will be thickened. When squabs are hatched, the crop milk will be secreted from the crop and fed to squabs.