Nasopharyngeal carcinoma-associated inflammatory cytokines: ongoing biomarkers.

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a neoplasm related to inflammation; the expression of cytokines, such as CCL3, CCL4, CCL20, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10, among others, is presumed to be associated with NPC occurrence and development. Therefore, the circulating levels of these cytokines may be potential biomarkers for assessing tumor aggressiveness, exploring cellular interactions, and monitoring tumor therapeutic responses. Numerous scholars have comprehensively explored the putative mechanisms through which these inflammatory factors affect NPC progression and therapeutic responses.

Qntrolling the LncRNA HULC-Tregs-PD-1 axis inhibits immune escape in the tumor microenvironment.

Background: Immune escape remains a major challenge in the treatment of malignant tumors. Here, we studied the mechanisms underlying immune escape in the tumor microenvironment and identified a potential therapeutic target.

Methods: Pathological specimens from patients with liver cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, and liver metastasis of colon cancer were subjected to immunohistochemistry analysis to detect the expression of programmed death-1 (PD-1) in the tumor microenvironment (TME).

Association between multiple sclerosis and cancer risk: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an immune-related disease and the relationship between MS and cancer has raised attention. Previous studies of the relationship between MS and cancer have reached conflicting conclusions. In this study, the two-sample MR method is used to investigate whether MS has a causal correlation with cancers and offer scientific evidence for cancer prevention.

Cu-Catalyzed Asymmetric Dicarboxylation of 1,3-Dienes with CO.

Dicarboxylic acids and derivatives are important building blocks in organic synthesis, biochemistry, and the polymer industry. Although catalytic dicarboxylation with CO represents a straightforward and sustainable route to dicarboxylic acids, it is still highly challenging and limited to generation of achiral or racemic dicarboxylic acids. To date, catalytic asymmetric dicarboxylation with CO to give chiral dicarboxylic acids has not been reported.

Degradation and transformation mechanisms of numbing substances: Hydroxyl-α-sanshool & hydroxyl-β-sanshool from exposed to acid environment.

In present work, meal (ZBM) used as experimental material, the stability of typical alkylamides (hydroxyl-α-sanshool and hydroxyl-β-sanshool) in ZBM under different acidification conditions was investigated, in order to reveal degradation or transformation mechanism of numbing substances from exposed to acid environment and its transform direction. The alkylamides content of ZBM was detected by using HPLC after different conditions of acidification. The results indicated that hydroxyl-α-sanshool and hydroxyl-β-sanshool under the concentration of hydrochloric acid is 14% decreased by 80% after only 0.

The Study on Polymorphism of TrxR and Nrf2/HO-1 Signaling Pathway in Kaschin-Beck Disease.

Kaschin-Beck disease (KBD) is an endemic, chronic, and degenerative osteoarthropathy, which seriously impairs the quality of patients' life. We detected the expression of TrxR by ELISA and found that TrxR was lower in KBD than in normal control group significantly (P < 0.001); this result indicated that TrxR must be related to KBD.

Identification and functional annotation of metabolism-associated lncRNAs and their related protein-coding genes in gastric cancer.

Background: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in carcinogenesis. However, the roles of metabolism-associated lncRNAs in cancers are still unclear.

Methods: A microarray of metabolism-associated lncRNAs was used to detect their expression patterns between gastric cancer and paired nontumorous tissues.

The study on polymorphisms of Sep15 and TrxR2 and the expression of AP-1 signaling pathway in Kashin-Beck disease.

The aim of the study was to investigate the association between rs5859 in Sep15, rs1139793 in TrxR2 polymorphisms with the risks of KBD and to detect the expression of AP-1 pathway in KBD subjects and in vitro. 208 KBD and 206 control subjects were included. PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP), Amplification Refractory Mutation Specific-PCR (ARMS-PCR) and Western Blotting were conducted.

[Circular RNAs and their roles in tumorigenesis].

Recently, with the development of RNA research techniques, a wide variety of circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been discovered and some of them are confirmed to have crucial biological functions. CircRNAs arise from exons (i.e.

Screening differential circular RNA expression profiles reveals hsa_circ_0004018 is associated with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been emerged as an indispensable part of endogenous RNA network. However, the expression significance of circRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is rarely revealed. The aim of this study was to determine the circRNA expression profile in HCC, and to investigate their clinical significances and relevant mechanisms for cancer progression.

Clinical significance of the long noncoding RNA RP11-19P22.6-001 in gastric cancer.

Background: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play roles in carcinogenesis; however, the significance of most lncRNAs in gastric cancer is unclear.

Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of the long noncoding RNA RP11-19P22.6-001 in gastric cancer.

Circular RNA 0000096 affects cell growth and migration in gastric cancer.

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNAs broadly expressed in cells of various species. Their role in cancers, especially in gastric cancer, is poorly understood.

Methods: Circular RNA 0000096 (hsa_circ_0000096) levels in 101 paired gastric cancer tissues and adjacent non-tumorous tissues from patients with gastric cancer were detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

Effects of sodium selenite on c-Jun N-terminal kinase signalling pathway induced by oxidative stress in human chondrocytes and c-Jun N-terminal kinase expression in patients with Kashin-Beck disease, an endemic osteoarthritis.

The c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) are members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family and are activated by environmental stress. Se plays an important role in the biological pathways by forming selenoprotein. Selenoproteins have been shown to exhibit a variety of biological functions including antioxidant functions and maintaining cellular redox balance, and compromise of such important proteins would lead to oxidative stress and apoptosis.

Molecular mechanisms of long noncoding RNAs on gastric cancer.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-protein coding transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides. Aberrant expression of lncRNAs has been found associated with gastric cancer, one of the most malignant tumors. By complementary base pairing with mRNAs or forming complexes with RNA binding proteins (RBPs), some lncRNAs including GHET1, MALAT1, and TINCR may mediate mRNA stability and splicing.

Using circular RNA as a novel type of biomarker in the screening of gastric cancer.

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs), a class of endogenous RNAs, have emerged as an enigmatic class of RNAs. Little is known about their value in the diagnosis of cancers.

Methods: The targeted circRNA of this study was selected using two circRNA databases: CircBase (http://circbase.

Protection of H9c2 rat cardiomyoblasts against oxidative insults by total paeony glucosides from Radix Paeoniae Rubrae.

Total paeony glucosides (TPG) extracted from the roots of Radix Paeoniae Rubrae, have been approved for the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis by the State Food and Drug Administration. We previously demonstrated the myocardial protective effects of TPG in both isoprenaline-induced myocardial ischemia rat and acute myocardial infarction rat. However, the underlying mechanism of TPG effect in cardiomyocytes remains to be investigated.

Sulfation modification and anticoagulant activity of the polysaccharides obtained from persimmon (Diospyros kaki L.) fruits.

The optimal conditions for sulfation of polysaccharides from persimmon fruits (PFP) with chlorosulfonic acid-pyridine (CSA-Pyr) method were determined by response surface methodology. Box-Behnken design was applied to evaluate the effects of three independent variables (volume ratio of Pyr to CSA, volume ratio of PFP to SO(3)Pyr and reaction time) on the degree of substitution (DS), molecular weight (MW) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) of sulfated polysaccharides (PFP-S). The APTT activity of PFP-S could be improved by application of various volume ratio of Pyr to CSA, volume ratio of PFP to SO(3)Pyr and reaction time, which was possible due to the degradation of polysaccharides to different extent and increasing of DS.

Cardioprotective effect of total paeony glycosides against isoprenaline-induced myocardial ischemia in rats.

Paeoniae radix is a traditional Chinese medicinal herb for treating some diseases; important components are total paeony glycosides (TPGs), an approved drug by the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for the therapy of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We firstly reported myocardial benefits of TPGs previously, and the present study is to further investigate the underlying mechanisms for preventing oxidative damage in cardiomyopathy. We measured the capacity of TPGs to scavenge free radicals in vitro.

Cloning and characterization of the cardiac-specific Lrrc10 promoter.

Leucine-rich repeat containing protein 10 (LRRC10) is characterized as a cardiac-specific gene, suggesting a role in heart development and disease. A severe cardiac morphogenic defect in zebrafish morphants was recently reported but a contradictory result was found in mice, suggesting a more complicated molecular mechanism exists during mouse embryonic development. To elucidate how LRRC10 is regulated, we analyzed the 5'enhancer region approximately 3 kilo bases (kb) upstream of the Lrrc10 start site using luciferase reporter gene assays.

The protective effect of peony extract on acute myocardial infarction in rats.

To investigate the protective effects, and the mechanisms involved, of an extract of the medicinal herb radix paeoniae rubra (PE) on cardiovascular disease, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was induced by ligation of the left coronary artery in Sprague Dawley rats. Animals were randomly divided into six groups: control, sham-operated, AMI, AMI+PE low dose, AMI+PE high dose, and AMI+positive control. Myocardial enzymes, cytokines, oxidative stress, blood coagulation times, a marker for early stage apoptosis, caspase-3 activity, and expression levels of bax, bcl-2 and fas in isolated primary cardiomyocytes were examined.

[TrxR2 gene polymorphisms may not be associated with the susceptibility to Kashin-Beck disease].

Objective: To study the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms of thioredoxin reductase-2 (TrxR2) gene and the susceptibility to Kashin-Beck disease (KBD).

Methods: Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) was used to analyze the genotype frequencies of rs5748469 in TrxR2 gene in 84 KBD patients and 109 healthy control subjects.

Results: The genotype frequencies of A/A, A/C, and C/C in the KBD patients were 83.

SAMD4B, a novel SAM-containing protein, inhibits AP-1-, p53- and p21-mediated transcriptional activity.

The sterile alpha motif (SAM) is a putative protein interaction domain involved in a wide variety of biological processes. Here we report the identification and characterization of a novel gene, SAMD4B, which encodes a putative protein of 694 amino acids with a SAM domain. Northern blot and RT-PCR analysis showed that SAMD4B is widely expressed in human embryonic and adult tissues.

The effect of excess expression of GFP in a novel heart-specific green fluorescence zebrafish regulated by nppa enhancer at early embryonic development.

In order to study the impalpable effect of GFP in homozygous heart-specific GFP-positive zebrafish during the early stage, the researchers analyzed the heart function of morphology and physiology at the first 3 days after fertilization. This zebrafish line was produced by a large-scale Tol2 transposon mediated enhancer trap screen that generated a transgenic zebrafish with a heart-specific expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged under control of the nppa enhancer. In situ hybridization experiments showed that the nppa:GFP line faithfully recapitulated both the spatial and temporal expressions of the endogenous nppa.

ZNF424, a novel human KRAB/C2H2 zinc finger protein, suppresses NFAT and p21 pathway.

Zinc finger-containing transcription factors are the largest single family of transcriptional regulators in mammals, which play an essential role in cell differentiation, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and neoplastic transformation. Here we have cloned a novel KRAB-related zinc finger gene, ZNF424, encoding a protein of 555aa. ZNF424 gene consisted of 4 exons and 3 introns, and mapped to chromosome 19p13.